“Is Freelancing Changing The Industry?"

Four stylists discuss freelancing and the future of the hair industry

1: ANTOINETTE ALE, TRESSLY CEO

“Freelancing is definitely shaking up the UK hair industry. Salons have been closing at a rate of 8% every year since the pandemic, and hairstylists are ditching the traditional salon model for the freedom and flexibility of freelancing. The impact of this is much higher within Afro hair styling. Only 302 of the 35,000 (0.8%) registered hair salons in the UK, cater to Afro hair. This has always meant that there has been a higher proportion of freelance Afro hairstylists in the hair industry. Afro hairstylists have long dominated this space, leveraging their autonomy to meet the diverse needs of their existing and new clientele, by moving away from conventional industry norms to build their personal brand and online presence. Now, the freelance landscape is undergoing a transformative upheaval, shifting into multiple sectors such as salon software, which means the ways in which stylists are servicing their clients will continue to evolve."

2: FERGAL DOYLE, OWNER OF FERGAL DOYLE HAIR

“I think the reason there’s been a rise in stylists turning to the self-employed model is that they want freedom, and in certain aspects of the industry freelancing is absolutely the way to go. So, if someone is a session stylist they need to build their own brand, and the best way to do that is as a freelancer, but in salon hairdressing I prefer the employed model. When I moved to London the self-employed model was sold to me as a way to make money, but I really struggled and having no clients was incredibly tough. If the scales tip and 80/90% of hairdressers are freelancers there's going to be a massive gap in apprentices - freelancers aren’t going to employ an apprentice. In America kids have gone to beauty school and got their license but they have no in-salon training or experience on the floor.There’s no one there to teach them because everyone's working in suites or they're self-employed.”

3: LUCA JONES, CELEBRITY & TV HAIRSTYLIST AND OWNER AT KITCH HAIR

“I do feel like the industry has changed a lot as well as people's expectations from salons. Staff want more control and for some being commission-based means they work harder while at the salon because they’re in control of their own money. You can have a much stronger workforce because they're thinking about their own money and how much they need to earn - as long as you can supply the clients. After lockdown, people realised they didn’t want to do the nine to five, five days a week, “humdrum” life anymore. People want to live their life, and that’s changed the industry. Now we’re busy on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday because people can work from home and come into the salon. People are making the most of their weekends, whereas before it wasn't as easy to do that - the client's lifestyle has changed. People come in for necessity and upkeep as opposed to events and nights out. So, we're fully booked in the week and we're still busy on the weekend.”

4: MICHELLE SULTAN, AFRO HAIR SPECIALIST AND BABYLISS PRO AMBASSADOR

“In hairdressing there's always been different directions that your career can go in. I don't think that freelancing takes away from the industry as it requires a really skilled and certain type of individual to be able to do it. Especially the lifestyle that it comes with. More recently, freelancing has given people more choice and more freedom but with that, the salon culture has diminished a little bit. When I started out it was so important to be employed in a salon and find that sense of belonging in a team and understanding teamwork. It gives you a good grounding and far greater respect for our industry and our trade. You’re constantly learning because you are dealing with people from all walks of life, and you see how your team members deal with different situations. I work in a salon that offers both employed and self-employed models, but you have to work to certain terms that the salon has presented from day one. In some cases, sadly, I think salon owner’s hands are being forced due to a lack of new staff.”