Victoria Iliesh

“If you came and sat on my chair, I’d know what color you need to be before you even speak,” says Washington-based Master Colorist Victoria Iliésh. “Color is just in my nature. It’s like painting, just as cutting hair is like sculpting.” Victoria should know. Following in her father’s footsteps, a world-renowned Artist based in South Korea, she began her career as a painter and sculptor in the 1990s after obtaining her BFA at the Corcoran School of the Arts/George Washington University in Washington, DC. She then spent several years selling her collections but found herself drawn to the art of hair design. In 2000, she obtained her cosmetology license from Graham Webb International, considered at the time to be the nation’s premiere hair school, and then, less than a year later, she earned a certificate in Blonde Hair Coloring from the prestigious London, England Professional Aveda Institute. Victoria now specializes in everything blonde, curly, and long hair designs. Since that time, has owned three Washington-DC-based salons, including Oxygen in historic Georgetown, Pure Aveda in the heart of Dupont Circle, and Kiss Salon in West End. She has also styled hair for major events such as New York Fashion Week and Swimsuit Fashion Week in South Beach Miami. And given her proximity to the center of political power, she is a favorite stylist for trendsetters such as cosmetics guru Bobbi Brown and news correspondents such as Politico’s Meredith McGraw, CNN’s White House Correspondent Arlette Saenz, Jenny Town of 38 North. She was named one of Worth Magazine’s “Groundbreakers 2020: 50 Women Changing the World” and ABC’s Stephanie Ramos. And it’s a little wonder that her clients come back again and again. “It’s very easy for me to connect with people,” she says. “They feel like they’re coming to a confident, and they all become my friends.”