When Alix walked into her first salon she said she was going to paint rainbow hair for everyone. That’s exactly what she has done… 

The Unicorn Allianc3 is the brainchild of Alix Maya. As a child, Alix realized that art is her world. At a young age, she discovered that she enjoyed working with other kids who also had a passion for art. This is when her love for collaborating with other artists started. Alix naturally gravitated towards other “creatives,” and felt more “at home” amongst her fellow artists. These creative social groups gave her support and the opportunity to grow as a person and as an artist.

Her interest in hairstyling started in her childhood years. Her first clients were her dolls, who received creative coloring and cuts. However, she never imagined herself as a hairstylist. Believe it or not, she dreamed of being the first Astronaut Ice Skater...picture that as a career combo. She did become an accomplished ice skater but hasn’t made it to Space…..yet. 

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In 1995 at age 16, she began working in a salon in Washington, DC. Alix recalls these days where she swept hair and watched the stylists. “I remember watching a stylist that did real-life princess hair. I thought I can do that. And I can do it better.” But, it wasn’t until years later, and after having her daughter, that she decided to enroll in cosmetology school and begin her journey to becoming a hairstylist. “I wanted to do something every day that would not only make me happy but would be work that I could do while raising my daughter.” At this point, she realized that hair could be her canvas and that she was able to combine her love for art into her career as a hairstylist.

In 2005, she became a licensed cosmetologist. Her first job was at Salon Cielo in Pentagon City in Arlington, Virginia. Her friends at this time recall that she was very anti-tech. “You would have to send up smoke signals to find her. She was often completely off the grid,” Nelly Lopez and Crystal Conard explained. Thankfully, Alix put her anti-tech days behind her. And with 200K followers, it’s clearly a sign that the world is thankful that she stepped into the world of social media.

The creation of the Unicorn Allianc3 came to Alix in recurring dreams. She envisioned a safe place for like-minded artists to grow and create together. In 2015, as her mission became more clear she began inviting other artists to join her in The Age Of The Artist Movement (TAOTAM) and the Unicorn Allianc3 was born. 

In 2016, she held the first official auditions dubbed #newyearunicorn. “I feel that it’s important to audition because it shows an artists’ willingness to step outside of their comfort zone and become more involved in the community. “A community is what we are building, first and foremost,” Alix explains. Artists are asked to create an original piece of art specifically for the auditions, explain in their own words why they want to be a member of the Unicorn Allianc3, and share how they will contribute to the community. “It’s a powerful combination of competition, revealing one’s true nature, and taking a leap of faith. The stories they share are extremely powerful. I read every single audition. It’s a very emotional experience for both myself and the artist. It is the first spark of connection between us,” Alix explains. 

Originally, the Unicorn Allianc3 was a private Facebook group where members could share salon stories, chat about private issues and just bounce ideas off of each other without fear of being criticized. “It’s a safe place for us to vent, be goofy, ask questions and give advice,” Alix explains. The Facebook group was also a place where members could boast about achievements without fear of social repercussions. The Unicorn Aliianc3 Instagram page was created in 2016. The platform is used to share work by artists from around the world, including work submitted by members.

The first meeting of Unicorn Allianc3 members was in 2016 during the International Beauty Show (IBS) in Long Beach, California. Alix was working with the Amazon Series a haircare line. Even though this was the first big show for the group, Alix wanted to involve as many members as she could to help to work the booth on the showroom floor. Everything was going just fine until she was told, “you’re teaching a blow-drying class in 20 minutes.” Mind you, she had never taught a class in her life and certainly wasn't prepared for the challenges of convention center class operations. Long story short, she rounded up all the Unicorn Allianc3 members that had been helping all day to give them a chance to teach on stage in the classroom too. But, they had no idea how the electricity works in those classrooms. The group fired up their blow dryers and BOOM! The electricity went out! They watched as one-by-one attendees got up and politely left the class. “We just looked at each other and wondered “what do we do?” We just stopped the class and chalked it up as a fail,” Alix explains...while laughing, because what a way to have a first-class together.  

IBS Long Beach always falls on Alix’s January birthday. So that evening the members took her out to dinner. Kylie Deena Nelson said, “Don’t worry this class may have been a fail, but one day you’ll have your own show. I guarantee it!” She was right!

In 2018, Alix set out into the world to represent the Unicorn Allianc3 company and promote the brand. She was invited to teach classes at America’s Beauty Show (ABS) in Chicago and Premiere Orlando. 

At ABS she was also invited to present on the Technique Stage. She asked members of the Unicorn Allianc3 to share this spotlight with her. It was a “roaring” success! Their success continued at Premiere Orlando where Alix presented on the Color Stage with members of the Unicorn Allianc3 by her side. 

TAOTAM had its first live contest in 2019 at ABS. Followed the second live contest at Premiere Orlando. The award programs were co-produced by fellow hairstylist Daniel @hairlikeaboss. Contestants auditioned to be one of the five finalists to compete live for a $1,000 cash prize in Chicago and Orlando.

The schedule for the Unicorn Allianc3 and TAOTAM came to an abrupt halt at the start of 2020 as the COVID pandemic forced travel plans, classes, and shows to be canceled. 

In 2020, Alix had planned to travel internationally to collaborate and teach classes with Unicorn Allianc3 members and friends in the UK, Italy, Ireland, Belgium, France, and Switzerland. During this time, while salons were shut down, Alix found herself not only diving back into painting but thinking about the future of the Unicorn Allianc3. 

The Unicorn Allianc3 has a vibrant home on social media. Alix often receives direct messages from potential clients requesting information to book appointments with Unicorn Allianc3 Artists in their area. This inspired Alix to establish a way to connect clients with artists by countries, states, cities, services/specialties, and preferred products. Clients can search the portfolios, read about the artists, then book with their favorite artist, directly from the website.