eated across from each other with their beloved chocolate Labrador, Angie, snoozing on the rustic tiled floor, Michael Kanaan and his soft-spoken wife Elizabeth are a picture of secure love and quiet achievement, the kind that takes years to build with compassion and immense dedication to each other and the relationship.

Having moved to Pakistan more than twenty years ago, Kanaan, then in his 30s, arrived after working as a hairstylist in the Middle East for a few years. Having gotten a job offer from a well-known hotel chain in Pakistan, while in Dubai, Kanaan arrived in the country in 2005. Two decades later, he hasn’t left.

Dressed casually in a white button-down and bermudas, Kanaan dons his signature white-framed glasses, the tattoos trailing across both arms adding an unexpected edge to his otherwise preppy look.

“When you think you know it all, that’s when you stop evolving,” he says, adding that he began his career in Lahore before moving to Islamabad in 2009.

“Given that I’ve been a part of the beauty industry for decades, I’ve realised that you have to keep learning new things… styles, the products in the market, you name it. If you don’t have that lifelong learner’s attitude, things start getting stagnant.”

Having started out at the age of 13 in his hometown, the scenic Mt Lebanon — a mountain range in Lebanon which runs parallel to the Mediterranean Sea— Kanaan says that when he turned 15, he found a job at a salon. The vibe was “amazing,” he recalls with fondness. He had found his calling and knew that this was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life.

This may paint a rather pretty picture. However, the seasoned hairstylist says that his childhood was quite rough. His family had struggled to make ends meet. “We were poor. To help support the family, I started working when I was very young,” Kanaan says.

Coming from an upbringing that conditioned one to the survival mode, Kanaan’s no-nonsense and unsentimental demeanour makes complete sense.

His mind is razor-sharp. He knows precisely what he wants, knows that things take time and grit to build, and is in it for the long haul. A challenging childhood, where he had to fend for himself, has taught him that.

“The beauty industry has changed drastically since I moved to Pakistan. There’s been such a huge shift in men’s beauty for one.”

But while Kanaan comes across as quite stoic early on, one can sense that it’s just a protective façade. His heart melts when he looks at his wife and when he talks about his daughters.

A recognised name in Islamabad today, particularly amongst the diplomatic community and the old Islamabadi crowd, Kanaan says that after putting in four solid years in Lahore, he knew he had to spearhead his own salon. There were no two ways about it. Thus in 2009, the Michael K brand was born. Sixteen years in, the salon launched its second branch recently, in Lahore’s hip and happening DHA Raya.

With almost 40 years of experience, Kanaan has worked in Cyprus, Beirut, Cairo, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi, perfecting his craft and gaining exposure to some of the world’s top beauty standards. With his brand, the hairstylist brings global-level grooming to Pakistan, along with his team of four international hairstylists (also from Lebanon).

“The beauty industry has changed drastically since I moved to Pakistan. There’s been a huge shift in men’s beauty for one. I love manicures and pedicures,” he grins. “But twenty years ago, people were very judgmental about a man wanting a beauty treatment. That judgment is still there, but overall, there’s more acceptance now. There’s nothing wrong with meterosexuality and with men wanting to look and feel good.”

With a schedule choc-a-block full of appointments in his Islamabad and Lahore salons, the enterprising hairstylist’s journey is far from over.

He can’t retire just yet, he jokes, even though he wants to.

With Karachi on the map as the brand’s next destination, Kanaan is already dreaming (pragmatically so) about a legacy that will be one for the books.

Sonya Rehman is a journalist and author