IN THE KNOW

Ashleigh Hodges unveiled as Fellowship president

Ashleigh Hodges has been revealed as the new president of the Fellowship for British Hairdressing, at President’s Night at the O2 Victoria Warehouse in Manchester. Ashleigh – who is also founder of Mash Creative Studio, Davines global colour ambassador and Most Wanted Sustainability Hero finalist – replaces outgoing president Robert Eaton, and becomes the youngest president in the Fellowship’s history. The night also saw the 2024 FAME Team interpreting looks originally created by Fellowship ICONS, under the guidance of their mentor, Most Wanted Hair Icon finalist, Sally Brooks.

LESLIE SPEARS 1937-2024

Leslie Spears, the founder of Joy Salon Services, has died aged 87. Avisionary entrepreneur in hairdressing, he originally founded Salon Success, bringing Paul Mitchell to the UK and pioneering the 365 Day Hairdressing concept. With Joy Salon Services, he broke new ground again, introducing Moroccanoil to the UK. The distributor paid tribute to its founder on Instagram: “His innovative spirit and commitment to excellence inspired us all and created a legacy that will continue to remain with us in the years to come.”

REVEALED!

The Most Wanted & It List Award finalists – and new Grand Final venue! – Click here!

Central Saint Martins BA show

Images courtesy of L’Oréal Professionnel Paris

Graduate Fashion Week

Graduate Fashion Week

Central Saint Martins BA show

Mark Woolley, Claire Mariscal and team

Darren Ambrose

FASHION ON MENU FOR L’ORÉAL ARTISTS

Darren Ambrose, Electric Hair’s Mark Woolley and Claire Mariscal from Johnson Blythe delivered a plethora of fashion forward finishes as L’Oréal Professionnel Paris supported the Central Saint Martins BA Fashion show and Graduate Fashion Week. At Central Saint Martins, Darren Ambrose from D&J Ambrose was supported by a L’Oréal Professionnel Paris hair team. On the night, the CSM L’Oréal Professionnel Paris Talent prize was won by Patrick Garvey (BA Fashion). Previous winners have included Richard Quinn, Mary Katrantzou and Grace Wales-Bonner.

At Graduate Fashion Week, a showcase of the Best of Graduate Talent 2024 saw Mark Woolley and Claire Mariscal lead a team of 19 L’Oréal Professionnel Paris stylists. Here a dual texture – sleek on top with natural texture below – was created on to 25 models to deliver uniform tone to proceedings.

Gaga’s stylist in new Sebastian role

Lady Gaga’s stylist, Frederic Aspiras (pictured, above), is looking to “foster an inclusive space that celebrates individuality and creativity” in a global role with iconic hair brand Sebastian Professional. As the new global creative & culture director, he will have an eye on emerging talent and “sparking a global movement of self-expression” through hair and culture. Since 2009, he’s formed part of her Haus of Gaga styling collective and he was nominated in 2022 for Best Make-up and Hairstyling Oscar for House of Gucci.

New chat helps salon work/life balance

Vagaro is launching a two-way chat system to help improve salon owners’ work/life balance. Connect by Vagaro has been unveiled to help stem the tide of business messages being received 24/7 on personal phone numbers. The system can be used through Vagaro Pro on desktop and the Connect app on mobile.

SILENT SERVICES = MORE REVENUE?

More than half of stylists and clients favour of silent services – and they could earn you more money. That’s the finding of research from Ripe Hair & Beauty Insurance, which surveyed 2,000 consumers and 100 freelance and salon hair stylists across the UK. More than half (56 per cent) of hair stylists – and 53 per cent of clients – said they would prefer ‘silent’ services, with clients saying they would book more return visits if a quiet appointment could be guaranteed. Ripe estimated it would bring a 25 per cent revenue boost.