SOHO CALLING

Ross and Jack Williams-Hirst are opening a co-working space. But the priority? To bring back the central London salon experience that clients have missed. Welcome to Williams & Hirst… @williamsandhirst

Having originally met at Percy & Reed, Ross and Jack Williams-Hirst will soon be marking their 10th anniversary as a couple. Rather than a meal out or an exotic holiday, they’ll be celebrating the opening of their first salon project – a sizeable Soho-based venture that has taken a year to come to fruition. It’s been stressful; but while other couples might have been feeling the strain, Jack and Ross are buzzing as the big reveal date draws ever closer…

During this drawn-out period, the pair have been working out of Andrew Jose’s London salon (they originally asked him if they could rent a couple of chairs for three months – it’s now been 12, and they are very grateful for his hospitality), deftly swerving the questions of loyal clients keen to get situated in their new Soho hair home.

And the location is key – the pair wanted to be “right in the heart of it all” for a reason. “The feedback from our clients has been that they miss the salon experience,” says Ross. So, while the 3,200 sq m space – brought to life with the help of architect Niche Projects, Takara Belmont and Stephen Ewings at Aston & Fincher – is fundamentally for freelancers to rent chairs as members (with education and events front of mind too), its point of difference was that it had to be “a co-work salon, as opposed to a co-work space”.

Ross and Jack have experienced the various employment models over their careers, which has informed what they’ll offer. “We’ve had the experience of being employed with a commission split model, and we’ve been independent,” says Jack. “We’ve found a way to get the best of everything; we’ve got an amazing shop, an amazing salon, we’re building a squad of independents who will get their own freedom, but we’re also trying to bring back that sense of team, the social element. That’s our tagline, The Social Way To Work Solo, because you need to feel like you’re part of something.”

Because of their own backgrounds, they’re confident they know what independents are looking for. Once a year, a photographer will be on hand to shoot for freelancers, helping them create content and enter awards. Eventually they would love to build a collaborative art team formed of independents.

They’ve written a free independents handbook, available as a PDF for their members, that’s jam-packed with “information that you don’t necessarily always get”. Hit the VAT threshold?

There are recommendations of good accountants at different price points. Here’s how to get a discount using their wholesaler partner, Alan Howard (who will also be using the salon as its southern education hub). From pricing gurus to wellness experts, the book has valuable intel for those who want it.

Understandably, being based in Soho, they’ve gone big on customer service, with a full front of house team and a proper barista coffee bar. There’s a private room with its own basin available for client appointments that need a little more sensitivity, or even for filming content, and there’s a changing room so red carpet VIPs can get prepped in style. But equally, as a coworking space, the pair has thought about their other clients – the freelancers – so the back of house has been equally curated with care. “We felt that was as important as the front of house,” admits Ross. “We want you to have a bit of privacy, to be able to sit in comfort with your lunch.” Beyond a well-equipped kitchen, there are both table and chairs and a separate banquette seating area, where you can plug in your laptop, handle your bookings, have a meeting, socialise with some of the others or just enjoy a coffee.

That seating area – known as the Reading Room – also serves those stylists keen to work back-to-back. “It’s how so many work now,” admits Ross. “So, if you have a colour client, then want to do a cut in-between, you can move your colour into the Reading Room. You’re not having to double up on chairs.”

It’s clear from the front door, and that tagline, that the stylists inside are independent. With disguised employment high on the new government’s agenda, the pair are clear on how they operate. “We are transparent. Looking at the HMRC side, we take a monthly fee and the independents take their own bills, their bookings, we don’t tell them what hours to work. They book their chair, they pick their hours,” Jack explains.

On offer are a Power Hour, the Flexi Worker (ideal for those looking to do two or three days a week) and the Hard Worker (aimed at four to six days), and stylists can book three months in advance. You can even specify your favourite chair. “We want to champion independents and explain to the clients what it means to co-work as a stylist. We’ll tell them ‘everyone here is independent, but we all work together’,” he says.

Stylists can buy colour and stock at cost, and it’s added to their bill and invoiced at the end of each day. “There is no hidden agenda. We’re never paying you. We’re empowering you to run your business within our business,” says Ross.

The salon also signals an evolution of relationships with brands, as heritage names look to navigate the freelance market, while salon owners are keen to gain more freedom over what they stock. “Independent or salon-based, you’re not just using one brand anymore,” says Jack. “It’s like a make-up bag. No one has just one brand in there.”

For colour, they’re working with L’Oréal Professionnel Paris, Redken, Wella Professionals and Yuv. “Brands know they’ve lost a lot of salons to the freelance community,” he adds. “How do we navigate through this new era of hairdressing? How do you build up a dispensary as a freelancer? When you’re in a salon, you have a fully stocked colour room. The beauty of having different brands is that you can mix and match, especially with Yuv, it’s all in one machine.”

It’s about trying different options, seeing what works for all concerned in this new landscape. “This is a test for them too because they’ve never really done anything like this,” admits Jack. On the shelves, you’ll find heritage brands next to newer names – ghd, Amika, Kérastase, Shu Umuera, Hair by Sam McKnight, Redken, Pureology, Glowwa and Color Wow. “Some of the big names like to be displayed in a certain way, and we’ve said, ‘It’s not how we work’. We want the independence to have that choice,” he says. “I’m super proud of the relationships that we’ve built. We’ve broken down some of these old contracts and started again.”