WANDER JOURNAL

Jamielynn De Leon’s rise in the beauty industry is anything but ordinary. The New York City- based celebrity hairstylist turned entrepreneur has built a career defined by persistence, vision and industry influence. As the founder of Rouge House Salon and a New York Fashion Week partner, De Leon has helped shape the modern beauty culture from backstage to the salon chair. At 42, her work has earned her recognition from on Forbes, Business Insider, The Today Show, and was named one of Entrepreneur Herald’s 40 Under 40.

De Leon had an entrepreneur spirit at a young age and always dreamed of owning her own business. Growing up in Santa Barbara, California, she began her interest in cutting hair for the women in her neighborhood and built a small clientele. After graduating college, she moved to New York City to pursue a career in the beauty industry.

After moving to New York in 2006, De Leon started working as a lead stylist at Fox and Jane salon and transitioned to booth renter at Jasna Salon on 76 E. Seventh St. When Jasna’s owner passed away in 2016, she took the leap on becoming the salon’s owner. “East Village was my first home when I moved to New York”, De Leon recalls when she lived on seventh street, “It’s the perfect neighborhood to own a business. The community is so close, and we all look out for one another.”

“The name ‘Rogue House’ comes from the word, ‘Rogue’ as in a hair artist that is comfortable in their own skin. ‘House’ comes from community and being under one roof,” De Leon explains. Rogue House has a modern decor with gold trimmed lights, open windows and green leather seating. “When I designed the salon, I wanted my clients to have a tranquil experience and an escape from the everyday hustle.”

In 2017, her professional career took off after she caught the attention of fashion week agencies, who invited her to work with backstage, leading hair teams for designers such as Todd Snyder, Felicia + Nicole and Carolina Herrera. Just as her career was building momentum, a series of devastating setbacks followed. In 2020, De Leon was assaulted and robbed outside her newly renovated salon the day before opening. The following year, the salon owner suffered a brain injury from a scooter accident, forcing De Leon to recover from home for months.

“I felt so paralyzed,” De Leon says, “I was overwhelmed with fear that everything I’d built would crumble. I had this tremendous guilt about letting my team down.”

During her recovery, De Leon began reevaluating how her business operated. She developed Salon Receptionist, a virtual system designed to help manage client communication and scheduling while delegating more responsibility to her team. The system allowed the salon to continue operating while she was away.

“The experience forced me to rethink how I led the business,” De Leon said. “It showed me that leadership isn’t just about serving clients directly. It’s also about building systems and supporting the people who work with you.”

Following that shift, De Leon launched House of Annex, an editorial and runway production company that connects hairstylists with opportunities in fashion shows and editorial shoots. The platform also offers branding consultation and production support for stylists seeking to expand their careers.

“What started as a business adjustment during recovery eventually grew into something bigger,” De Leon said. “It helped me rethink what my work could look like moving forward.”

Today, De Leon continues to operate Rouge House Salon while expanding House of Annex and Salon Receptionist. She is also scheduled to appear as a speaker at several upcoming beauty and entrepreneurship summits, where she plans to discuss salon leadership, team development and building sustainable businesses in the beauty industry.