Zasil Zepeda
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Owner, Avant-Garde Salon
IS HOME OR NO ONE
WILL SEE YOU, DO IT
FOR YOURSELF.”
Zasil Zepeda has spent much of her life traveling the world pursuing her career in beauty and fashion. Born and raised in Mexico, Zepeda attended summer camps in Boston; went to boarding school in Ireland, California, and Switzerland; studied business administration in Mexico City; earned her master’s in fashion in Milan; worked at L’Oreal in Paris; and recently lived in Croatia, where her husband is from. In 2019, Zepeda landed in Miami with her husband and two daughters, where she opened a concept store in Coconut Grove and worked as an image consultant. “I loved it,” she says. “Talking to [clients], they felt lost. After we finished, seeing their faces, their happiness, that was the best reward.” Though Zepeda has always been drawn to the concept of reflecting inner beauty through exterior methods, she’d never really worked at hair styling. Still, when her husband saw Avant-Garde Salon was on the market, the couple jumped at the chance.
Latest Achievement
In June of 2024, Zepeda and her husband bought Avant-Garde Salon, drawn primarily to its Coral Gables location. “It was a leap of faith,” she says. “The first time we met [the staff], the salon was already ours.” Despite having been only a hair care client, Zepeda always dreamed of owning a salon. Her mission with Avant-Garde is to make the client experience more personal. She added more staff to work the front desk and started offering water bottles with a newly updated logo to clients, along with coffee, wine, and cookies. Her goal is to eventually expand to more locations and create the salon’s own line of products.
What She Says
“The beauty [industry] comes off as a little superficial, but there’s a lot more to it than that,” says Zepeda. “Looking beautiful makes you happier. It’s more than just looking pretty. That’s something I tell my clients: start with you. No matter if no one is home or no one will see you, do it for yourself.”
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