So be it | Pocketmags.com
Professional Beauty
Professional Beauty


3 mins

So be it

Owner of Sobe Brown in Cork City Pamela Morrissey began her hairdressing career at the age of 15. She moved to New York when she was 20, and spent four years working in a Manhattan salon, before returning to Ireland to start her own business. She brought the Bumble and Bumble brand to Cork, and Sobe Brown is a flagship salon for the New York haircare range

What's your earliest memory? 

I remember sitting at a table with my mother, my great grandmother and my aunt, and my great grandmother was sharing a cup of hot milk and pepper with me. I remember the taste distinctly, and I love pepper to this day. I described this memory to my mother one day and she said I was only around two years of age.

Who or what is your biggest inspiration?

My biggest inspiration is people. I’m absolutely fascinated with the abilities we have within ourselves – especially children, with their resilience and acceptance, and fascination for information and adventure. Children fear nothing, and we were all children once. I’m on a never ending journey to meet that free-spirited version of myself again.

What was your first job?

It was in a fabulous salon called Victor Frank’s on Marlboro Street in Cork. I walked in there one day when I was 15; I was all dressed up and I asked to speak to the boss. A beautiful old man with white hair and a warm face came over, asked me a few questions about my experience. I had absolutely none! Then he asked me if I could start the following day and that was it –I began my hairdressing career one sunny day when I was on my summer holidays from school.

Best thing about lockdown?

I’ve learned to stop rushing, which is such a bad habit. I had been moving too fast to keep up with myself. I can’t wait to go back to work, but I’ve applied myself to what’s happening for the moment.

Worst thing about lockdown?

It’s the fear. Caution and fear are very different, and I think fear crippled people in the beginning, especially the elderly. I was consumed with fear last March, but thankfully it’s a healthy caution now.

Ideal holiday destination? 

Miami – Collins Avenue, South Beach to be precise. It’s fabulous, sunny, happy and glamorous. It has all the bells and whistles!

‘A good shampoo is as essential as what you wash your face with, and Bumble and Bumble Gentle Shampoo is a great all-rounder’

Favourite food? 

I enjoy all types of burgers, but particularly beef burgers. I absolutely love Big Macs, and I also love people who fancy themselves as good burgers chefs! My brother Paul is a great DIY chef and he makes a killer burger.

Favourite drink?

Red wine, especially Rioja.

How do you relax?

I like both going out and staying in. I love being in restaurants with friends, dim lighting and good music. But I also enjoy watching a good movie at home, with a nice takeaway and a big glass of red wine.

Dream dinner party guest/guests (alive or dead)?

Frank Sinatra; Celia Holman Lee; my grandad Duggan, Katie Taylor; Tommy Tiernan; and The Two Norries, a Cork duo who host a podcast on mental health, addiction and social issues.

Best piece of advice you've ever received?

Silence is a super power; if you are in doubt about what to say about something, stay silent and think.

Best piece of advice you've ever given?

If someone or something shocks you, don’t react – walk away, if only for a moment, to let the feeling pass. And if you can’t walk away, look away and take a moment.

Favourite thing about yourself? 

I turned 40 in April and I recognise now that I have a good attitude, which I'm glad to have.

What's the one hair or beauty product you can't live without? 

A good shampoo is as essential as what you wash your face with, and Bumble and Bumble Gentle Shampoo is a great all-rounder.

What, if anything, would you now tell your 16-year-old self?

Don’t do it if you don’t want to. And being in love doesn’t mean you should tolerate bad behaviour.

How would you like to be remembered?

As someone who listened.

This article appears in the May/June 2021 Issue of Professional Beauty & HJ Ireland

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This article appears in the May/June 2021 Issue of Professional Beauty & HJ Ireland