Rob Mason / Morris Motley

Paint it black...

Walking up the hill towards Morris Motley's Collingwood Headquarters (a brick warehouse with its exterior painted entirely black), the building appears menacing on approach. Blocky and geometrically rigid, it's somewhat reminiscent of the 'Brutalist' architectural designs of the 1950s.

Step inside, and its colour pallet doesn't change. Walls, ceilings, furniture, all painted black. It feels dark, brooding, and very masculine. Some may call it chic.

Like Morris Motley's company ethos, and its founder Rob, this is all very deliberate. Their product range and packaging design are 'Brutalist' inspired - angular, square, simple and black.

I ask Rob, why the colour black?

Rob: 'Black is the ultimate luxury colour, isn't it? The Morris Motley brand initially started out very clean and white, with black typography. But it didn't feel serious enough for me; it needed more aggression, to be honest.'

Born in Perth, Rob is one of five children. His family were exceedingly transient during his early years. He's lived in Western Australia, Queensland and Tasmania, before settling in Melbourne. He, himself, now has three young daughters.

He went to University in Tasmania and initially studied music, but it was short-lived. The only other thing that interested him at the time was hairdressing.

Rob: 'My girlfriend at the time used to model for hair salons. I noticed the stylists and photographers having fun, being creative all day. It looked appealing.'

After his negative experience of being in a band, Rob considered the idea of working creatively by himself, or at least one on one with a client.

Rob: 'The thing I disliked the most about being in a band was you could only practice as hard as your other members were willing to; I would often want to practice more.'

'With hairdressing, I thought I could put the work in and get really good at it on my own. I became obsessed and trained to be the best at it. I did an old school apprenticeship for four-and-a-half years in Tasmania; I even went to London to hone my skills.'

He eventually moved to Melbourne and began working at a well-renowned salon in Clifton Hill, later becoming the manager.

Besides servicing his clientele, he travelled extensively 'session styling' at fashion shows and helping develop the salon's range of hair care products.

Rob: 'I helped them with their existing hair product line. I was actually good at it and really passionate. A lot of that, I think, came from my mum. She used to make essential oil blends when I was a kid; she used to sell them at the markets.'

He says the range of men's grooming products available (back then) was quite limited, and he never liked using any of them.

Rob: 'Greasy, smelly and cheap; they were all the same, using basic ingredients and formulas. The shampoos stripped the hair of its natural oils, and styling products caused scalp irritation.'

'No one cared about men's grooming back then; they were so primitive compared to women's. I knew I could improve the genre.'

Serendipitously one of his clients at the salon was a renowned Cosmetic Chemist who offered to help develop their in-house product range, but the salon wasn't interested.

Rob: 'So I decided to take up the offer myself and create my own products.'

'I did most of the experimental chemistry myself. The chemists exposed me to great high-end ingredients and access to their knowledge; I learned a lot from them.'

After realising that it was never his dream to have his own salon, he thought, by developing products, it would be his way out of hairdressing. 

Rob: 'I did really well at hairdressing, but I realised in the end that it wasn't the future for me.' 

This revelation comes as a surprise. In 2014, Rob opened his own bespoke 'New York style' salon in Cremorne (a small inner suburb of Melbourne). It was launched with great fanfare and media frenzy - some even hailed him a 'genius with scissors' and 'Melbourne's Best Barber.'

Rob: 'Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the clients, and the space was great; the business was profitable. We were booked out for months in advance. But in the end, the salon was a curse. I desperately tried to stop (cutting) to work on my products full time. Eventually, I hit the ceiling.'

In 2018, Rob made the decision to close the Cremorne salon. He then relocated his business to Collingwood to concentrate solely on his Morris Motley product range. 

I ask where the name 'Morris Motley' came from?

Rob: 'To be honest, I just made it up! There was a lot of effort but no real reason. I wish there was some meaningful story.'

He says he needed a brand name for his initial product range and didn't want to call it after himself. He had a dream that if the brand ever grew, it would be a 'team' and not just the 'Rob Mason show'.

Rob: 'I knew I wanted it to sound like a name and have a heritage feel; that's about it.'

As I observe Rob working in his Collingwood lab, it's like watching a 'Mad (hair) Scientist' creating magic, a chemist on steroids.

Rob: 'It's like Willie Wonker and The Chocolate Factory here; science and magic mixed with Brutalist design. I'm self-taught and not a trained chemist, but I can outdo them because I know how to put the tactile experience together.'

He says most of his time is spent figuring out how to replicate his small-batch samples in large-scale manufacturing: 'which is the hardest part,' he says. 

Rob: 'The dream is, when the customer buys the product, they're buying the mass-production batch, but it's identical to my small hand-made samples.'

I notice Rob using a domestic kitchen deep fryer in the lab. I ask why?

Rob: 'The gear used in traditional labs don't match the large-scale machines used at mass production. It's something I learnt through mistakes made working alongside traditional chemists.'

He realised there was no point formulating the traditional way in typical small science beakers because he couldn't replicate the same result. 

Rob: 'All mixing machines are wide vessels with slow sturring blades - the fat fryer and my overhead mixer mirrors that. Unlike beakers, the fryer heats up instantly, and I can physically see how it stirs - similar to the mass production machines. The only issue with his method is that each small-batch test uses more materials.'

I ask how many fat fryers he has gone through?

'I'm onto my 4th one', he says.

Along with his very successful haircare range, which he now exports worldwide, Rob has recently expanded his repertoire and created his first fragrance. 

Rob: 'When I was cutting hair, I had a client who worked at Tom Ford. He gave me a sample bottle of "Tuscan Leather". I'd never heard of it. I put it on, and it just smelt incredible! I was obsessed with this little vile and carried it everywhere.'

'I thought, why can't men's grooming be done to this level, with this finesse? The way I felt about that little vial (of fragrance) was otherworldly...' 

'It was the most special thing ever - that feeling was indescribable back then, especially coming from a modest background...'

'Since then, I have always approached my products with a fragrance-first mindset. The fragrance sector is my inspiration - from their ads to the packaging. It's special, which has defined my approach to my own brand.'

Even when Rob started in haircare, the dream was to (one day) have his own fragrance. He tried several times, but he could never find the right perfumer.

Rob: 'I eventually came across illustrious French Perfumer Karine Spehner Vinchon who worked for the Robertet Group (a French fragrance manufacturer). In 2019, she helped me develop my first Extrait Da Parfum - "Oak Moss". It was inspired by the deep green notes and Gothic architecture of the Oakmoss plant. Together with Karine, we created a potent, addictive signature scent.'

'It's now evolved with a new bottle and packaging. We recently renamed it "Vert Gothique" - it's been a really proud moment, and people seem to like it.'

As the Morris Motley brand evolved over the years, I've noticed that Rob has become obsessed with his products' tactile experience. The aroma, in-the-hand feel and how the product pores are all part of his very considered sensual experience.

Rob: 'The experience is more important than anything. We don't need any of these things, let's be honest. You don't need a $60 hair product or expensive handwash. But if you have to have it, there's got to be an emotional connection; it's like a ritual for yourself.' 

He says people don't need a handwash, so it should be done in a 'nice to have approach', like a reward. 

Rob: 'If you just want a handwash, I suggest you go to Coles...'

He says it's all about offering something unique and special.

Rob: 'Our packaging is always beautiful. While Brutalist in its design - it feels special. Our products feel artisanal and are housed in the best black Amethyst Glass bottles you can buy. It's like the Tom Ford experience (that I had back then).'

He likes working collaboratively with other creative minds to develop 'special' packaging and eye-catching marketing campaigns. He has a particular interest in Design and Photography and says he's a 'fan first'. 

Speaking of packaging, Rob eagerly shows me his box for his new handwash over our 'Zoom' interview. Like everything else he does, it looks uncompromising. It's overtly oversized, luxurious and Brutalist, reminiscent of a fancy crafted box for a luxury watch brand.

Rob: 'I just like producing nice things and sharing them. There's a lot of enjoyment in other people's enjoyment. This (handwash) is one of the best things we have done in recent times, in my opinion.'

I ask what his vision for the future is?

Rob: 'I'm not thinking too far ahead, to be honest - I am letting it evolve.'

He says the handwash at the moment is the most rewarding because, for him, it's perfumery all over again. 

Rob: 'I've got thousands of vials of perfumes that no one knows about. So I can make these handwashes and fragrance them all with variety. It's the most commercial thing we've ever done.'

As a result, he's noticed that more women were now discovering the Morris Motley Brand. 

Rob: 'Women are very passionate when they like something. We started off as a "Men's Brand", but we are very much becoming a "Unisex Brand" with a masculine DNA - I think that's where our future is.'

'I really value female opinions - if you don't have a female's perspective, you don't have balance...'