The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

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  • Monte Durham is a man of many talents. His latest? A luxury haircare line to be sold exclusively at high-end resorts like The Greenbrier. Amanda Reed

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  • After being on display at the Hotel Monaco in Alexandria, Va., Monte’s exact replica of Jacqueline Kennedy’s wedding dress is now holding court at The Greenbrier. He will join it on the weekend of Dec. 15, where he will greet fans and launch his new luxury haircare product line, MONTE Fab 5.e. Chris Tilley

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  • Monte Durham will be at The Greenbrier on the weekend of Dec. 15, where he will greet fans and launch his new luxury haircare product line, MONTE Fab 5.e.

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December 9, 2012

Monte’s Take … on Business

By Lisa Shrewsberry Lifestyles Editor

“You don’t need a lot of product if … you have the right product.”

So says Monte Durham, West Virginian by birth, celebrity by way of “Say Yes To The Dress: Atlanta” and experienced entrepreneur. Having worked his way up to the position of culture trainer with Elizabeth Arden’s Red Door Salons before launching a successful bridal services business in D.C. and a subsequent career in reality television on TLC, Monte is positioning himself in the marketplace by launching his own line of hair care products called the MONTE Fab 5.

“The concept really formed after being so many years behind the stylist chairs. I’d see women just buying stuff and more stuff. I say, clean out the medicine shelf and shower stalls.”

If Monte, a self-proclaimed Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis expert with the memorabilia to prove it (his most obscure is a fishing lure made in her image), knows anything as well as he knows Jackie O, weddings and etiquette, it’s hair. From years of being a top stylist then most sought-after consultant for D.C.’s grandest betrothals, products with his name on them had to be exacting.

“The biggest challenge was working with chemists and choosing the products. I tested shampoos and hair conditioners. I wanted to use every one of the products myself. I kept saying, I need a quarter of this or of that.” Finally, pleased what was inside the bottles delivered exactly what was promised, Monte put his seal of approval on his newest enterprise.

“They are made in California and are lightly fragranced. I’m not here to choose your personal perfume, but my mission is to give you shiny, manageable hair, for every hair type.”

Saturday, Dec. 15, and Sunday, Dec. 16, Monte will launch his luxury brand at the Perfect Image retail shop inside The Greenbrier resort. He will introduce trial-size and 8-ounce bottles of M, for moisturizing shampoo, O, one-step conditioner, N, natural root lift, T, taming balm, and E, ever hold hairspray. “We will also have stocking-stuffer gift bags with 2-ounce MONTE Shampoo, and MONTE One-Step Conditioner exclusive to The Greenbrier,” he stated.

TLC will sell M-O-N-T-E products online until Feb. 1 at www.tlcstore.com. His line will remain exclusive to The Greenbrier and throughout the United States at other high-end resorts and department stores.  

“We are redesigning the bottles and logo, so the bottles out there now are a limited run. The beauty of this run right now is that it’s one of a kind. When we sell out of these, that’s it.”

— E-mail: lshrewsberry@register-herald.com

 

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