Our Story
Founder John Blue is a Chicago hair color specialist with over two decades of experience.
The Basement. The Calling. The Career.
John Blue grew up watching his mother do hair. Clients in and out, the whole neighborhood ritual of it, happening right there in their basement. He never planned on following her into the industry. Then his mid-twenties arrived and humbled him, and he found himself enrolled at Aveda. That was it.
Eighteen years followed. Minneapolis. Atlanta. Chicago. Traveling nationally as an Aveda color educator, moving through nationally recognized salons, developing a point of view that was entirely his own. Color that looked like you were born with it. Natural, sun-drenched, dimensional without trying too hard. Chicago Magazine named him the city's Best Colorist. The industry started calling him the brunette whisperer. He kept his head down and kept doing the work.
Eventually, keeping his head down wasn't enough. It was time to build something.
Built From Scratch. Built to Last.
By 2018, John had seen enough of the industry to know exactly what he wanted to build and exactly what he was done tolerating. Not a franchise. Not a trend machine. Not another beige room with a plant wall and a gif of a logo. An intimate collective of serious artists, each one already at the pinnacle of their craft, working together in a space that had actual personality.
Boss Hair Group opened in River North in June. Every stylist was handpicked. Every product decision was deliberate. Sustainability wasn't a marketing angle, it was just the only way that made sense. People felt the difference the moment they walked in.
Eight years later, the only question worth asking was: what's next?
The Next Chapter.
In 2026, John moved Boss into a third-floor loft in River North, expanding his creative vision well beyond the chair. Coming this fall, Boss Bevvy Co. will bring a coffee and beverage bar into the experience. As well as Boss Lifestyle Apothecary, introducing a curated retail edit of products worth actually owning. Skin services to follow. Every element has been considered, every detail earning its place.
The full picture is an environment John has designed from the ground up, because that's what creative directors do. Hair still comes first and always will. But the world he's building around it is something else entirely.
Come as you are. We'll take it from there.
