The Two of Us: Aarron Fenwick and Phil McKinnon

From bogan teenagers in Rotovegas, to top London hairdressers doing fashion week with Victoria Beckham. Now Tauranga is home, where Aarron Fenwick and Phil McKinnon run the successful salon Blow

Aarron on Phil
I met Phil as a kid growing up in Rotorua. We both went into hairdressing and back then it wasn't common to get another straight guy to work with. Phil has a great competitive nature and we enjoy healthy one-upmanship.
He has a better eye for fashion than me so I rely on his fashion sense. He makes me feel a bit scruffy as I am a T-shirt and jeans guy.
The day I finished my apprenticeship I left town. At 20 years old, I went to London. I walked into a new salon in Kensington called Imenio, one of the busiest salons in London. On a trip home I turned up at Phil's work and said, "get on a plane bro, I've got you a job". A few weeks after Phil's arrival we did our first fashion show with Maria Grachvogel. Victoria Beckham was lead model. As the years rolled, we enjoyed the whole London scene - pubs, clubs and working at Imenio, all the while gaining the opportunity to do fashion and film. We did 12 films and I also did Billy Connolly's hair for eight years. After 11 years I missed Godzone. When the London bombings happened it was my reason to return home. I came to Tauranga as my family had moved here.
Phil and I always talked about opening a salon. In a city where we knew nobody at the start of a recession, Blow was hatched. We wanted to create a unique, fresh salon with a culture based around great hairdressing and a relaxed environment. Today we are a team of 10 and growing. Being in a partnership with Phil has been a rewarding dynamic. What might be a weakness in one ends up being a strength in the other.
Phil on Aarron

We have known each other since the mid '80s as teenagers listening to heavy metal in bogan jeans. We both grew up with the same dream, get into hairdressing and get out of Rotorua.
Aarron moved to London but I stayed with my white picket fence. Then Aarron turns up out of the blue saying he had a job for me. When we did the London fashion show I whispered to Phil, "what the hell are two boys from Rotorua doing here?".
We remained two very grounded boys from Down Under, never forgetting where we were from. We had fun carving up a storm for the British film industry, doing fashion shows and running a successful salon in Kensington.
But on many occasions we discussed why we were doing it for someone else's pocket. Aarron was the first to go home. He calls me up and says he is in Tauranga and wants to buy a salon in the Avenues. I thought, what the heck is 'the Avenues'? But I wanted to go home.
In 2007 we began trading as Blow.
Running a salon in London was a fun stage of life but owning a salon in Tauranga and starting a clientele from scratch has made for testing times. Because of our friendship going so far back, we have that brother factor. You can let rip at each other, clear the air and move on to the next thing. We are glad to bring our years of experience to the salon.
The future with Blow is going to be exciting for years to come.