1 mins
WELCOME
HAIR: COS SAKKAS
MAKE-UP: LANS NGUYEN-GREALIS
PHOTOGRAPHY: JACK EAMES
What does the next generation of hairdressers want? That’s become the unofficial, accidental theme of this issue. Turn to page 20 to see the survey from awarding organisation VTCT who talked to newly qualified hairdressers who had completed Level 3. The findings are compelling. Not least the fact that it’s not just ‘kids’ who are the next generation. There’s a pretty even split between the age ranges of the newly qualified hairdressers and it’s encouraging to see that 32% of them dream of owning their own salon one day, but they are facing challenges – 30% of them mentioned that finding work and clients was difficult. What it also brought to the fore was how much support new hairdressing talent needs.
Support should never be underestimated, whatever stage you’re at in your career. In fact, in our We Need to Talk feature we surveyed salon owners on the impact of the April 1 tax changes and living wage rises. We found out how they’re coping not just from a financial sense, but from a mental wellbeing perspective too. And getting back to that future talent theme, our Debate this month focuses on apprentices. Have you reduced the number, kept the same or even increased the number of apprentices in your business? Three salon owners share their current thoughts on apprentices on page 22.
Elsewhere we’ve got a very save-able Insta-worthy Interiors round up (on page 35) full of easy wins to make your space sing, whether you’re a 20-seater salon or a one-chair wonder, and we’ve got our annual scissor review from page 31 to make sure your most precious tools are the perfect fit for you.
And we’ve also got a special supplement courtesy of Cos Sakkas, HJ’s British Hairdresser of the Year, sponsored by Schwarzkopf Professional. Cos writes an open letter to apprentices (there’s that future generation theme coming in again!), interviews hairdressing legend Andrew Collinge and gets to the nitty gritty of good business. It’s all in a day’s work!