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2011 > July > 22 > Entry
By Michael Barnes
| Friday, July 22, 2011, 09:43 PM
At the opening of a chic boutique. Aside the runway at one of Austin’s countless fashion shows. At a party where, over clever drinks, the curious who “see” crush up against the stylish who are “seen.”
There, across the room, you might spy
Ricky Hodge. And you will know it’s Hodge by his edgy visual brand: The crisp bow tie, the crest of raven hair, the coiling tattoo sleeve and the precise, vigilant features that reflect his Filipino, Hawaiian and Irish ancestries.
The rising hair stylist and owner of Ricky Hodge Salon on East Sixth Street has always known how to groom an image. In fact, the day he walked into Baldwin Beauty School, the owners didn’t identify him as a potential student.
“They thought I was already a hair stylist because I looked like one,” Hodge, 42, laughs. “It’s a matter of perception — how you look, how you carry yourself, how you present yourself. When people meet you, it’s like when they meet a doctor. You have to be that person who’s in their mind.”
Born in Honolulu, Hodge grew up with numerous, sometimes conflicting image models. His father,
Teddy Limoz, was a heavyweight Golden Glove boxer (7-2 record) and, later, a martial artist.
His mother,
Ruby Bingham, lived most of her life in Hawaii, but when her son was still quite young, separated from Limoz and moved to Lampasas, where she worked three bone-tiring service jobs at a time.
His grandfather, stationed at Fort Hood, owned several Central Texas motels as well as other real estate.
“A lot of my business sense came from grandfather,” Hodge ways. “For one thing, he was compassionate. For another, he loved to barter.”
Hodge says he inherated his work ethic from his mother, although, in high school, his grades suffered from lack of focus. After school, he almost joined the U.S. Army, making it all the way to the swearing-in ceremony. He backed out when he discovered a buddy would not be stationed with him.
At age 19, Hodge headed to Hawaii, where he worked the front desk at a hotel. He later served as a personal assistant to
Paul Brown — the
Paul Mitchell of Hawaiian hair products.
That two-year stint in the world of high styling didn’t stick, so Hodge waited tables at Roy’s, the Hawaiian fusion restaurant group, in Honolulu and Maui.
Then he applied to work for Banana Republic, in part for the clothing discounts, he admits. He rose quickly to management in that chain and transferred to Austin in 1999 to be near his ill grandfather.
For seven years, he commuted between Lampasas and Austin — 70 miles each way.
“The Banana Republic was was amazing,” he says. “The Gap — part of the same group — was huge in the ’90s. When they let (CEO)
Mickey Drexler go to J. Crew, the company started to spiral downward. They had grown too fast.”
Hodge returned to waiting tables, this time for the since-shuttered Roy’s location in downtown Austin. His grandparents passed away during this period and Hodge inherited one of the motels, which he sold, investing in real estate and education.
Now in his late 30s, he faced a crucial career choice: Training in culinary arts or cosmetology? He chose the latter because it promised a shorter apprenticeship and smaller debt load.
Almost right away, at clubs, parties and elsewhere, he passed out business cards adorned with just the word “hair.” He was hired by a Lakeway salon before finishing school, then worked at Bob Salon on 38th Street.
When he graduated in 2008, Hodge hit up all the top salons for a gig, but aimed with typical energy for a vaunted apprenticeship at high-end, high-fashion Jose Luis Salon, owned by the charismatic duo of José Buitron and Bill Pitts.
“I promised to do the job of two people and complete in-house training in eight months rather than a year,” Hodge remembers. He later moved to Kemestry Salon in the 2124 Lofts midrise, which he recently took over and rebranded with his own name.
Now it’s his turn to mentor young stylists.
“Be there early. Be ready to go. They are your clients,” he tells his proteges before fashion shows.“Don’t discount services, except maybe once for a very high-profile personality. Celebrities are just like everybody else, I still charge them.”
Romantic life?
“I don’t have one,” says Hodge, who reports that his gay inclincations started at age five, although he didn’t come out to his mother until last year. “I think I need a solid career foundation for future relationships.”
Meanwhile, Hodge continues to extend his brand, even to his own skin, as executed by Megan Emery at Bijou Studio on East Sixth Street.
“The hula girl on forearm and hibiscus on elbow represent Hawaii,” he says. “The fig is my grandfather and the rose my grandmother; Psalm 23 refers to them both. The fighting rooster is my father and my Chinese symbol; the flamingo my favorite bird, but with a bow tie. The word ‘beauty’ is obvious, as is the heart pierced with sheers. The number ‘1,500’ is for the hours spent in beauty school. I’d look at during every appointment as a reminder how long I had to go.”
What about “Maui no ka oi?”
“That’s Hawaiian,” he says. “For ‘Maui is the best place in the world.’”
With the possible exception, for Hodge, of Austin.
Correction: Ricky Hodge did not rent a chair at Bob Salon, as stated in an earlier version of this post.
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