One word keeps being used to describe the 2025 Most Wanted and It List Awards Grand Final, and that’s EPIC! If you were there, you know – and if you weren’t there? Well, perhaps this little film will share the sizzle. Incredible winners! A 48m long video screen! An after-party NO ONE wanted to leave! You press play; we’ll slay…
Take an old IKEA in Tottenham (all 6,485m sq of it). Send 550 impeccably dressed hairdressers up the famous travelator into the vast industrial space that used to be the superstore’s flatpack warehouse, now fitted out with panoramic screens, high-quality sound systems and immersive light displays. Serve delicious drinks and a sustainably sourced dinner at spotlit tables dressed with linen tablecloths and elegant lamps. And announce the winners of the 2025 Most Wanted and It List awards.
That, dear friends, is what Creative HEAD did last night. And boy, was it spectacular!
The 2025 Grand Final at world-leading music venue Drumsheds in north London brought to a close an epic year for our two competitions, as we marked Most Wanted’s 25th birthday and 15 years of ghd’s support of the It List. It had to be special, and it was.
Assisted by fellow compere, the comedian Lou Sanders, Creative HEAD’s editorial director Amanda Nottage announced 19 trophies – the six new talents taking their place on the 2025 It List (our first all-female It List in the competition’s history), the winners of our 12 brand-new Most Wanted categories, and the crowning of Grace Dalgleish as a Most Wanted Legend.
And afterward, at the Olaplex x MWIT25 After-Party, guests hit the dancefloor to the tunes of rising DJ star, Phoenix Brown (daughter of Spice Girl “Mel B”, no less), fuelled by an array of potent cocktails (and mocktails) served in cute retro glitterballs on a bar laden with stunning red florals. The immersive photo-booth was an inspired installation, capturing glamorous guests dressed in eveningwear that had to be seen to be believed. With so much fun to be had, it’s no surprise that party was still heaving when Drumsheds finally called time at 1.30am…
This was a brilliant night for British and Irish hairdressing – one that celebrated the courage of all the finalists and their commitment to their clients, teams, communities and fellow creatives. By doing things differently, as they have done over the past 12 months, by doing things better, they are reimagining how hairdressing looks, feels and operates. And it’s so exciting to watch.
A quick reminder, however, that this year’s Most Wanted awards so nearly didn’t happen. The fact that it did was down to an exceptional group of brands – BaByliss PRO, Electric, HairCon, Kérastase, L’Oréal Professionnel, Moroccanoil, Olaplex, Phorest, Redken and Wella Professionals – to decide that an industry without Most Wanted was an unthinkable outcome and to come up with the support that was needed. Our thanks go to all of them for ensuring this important night for the industry went ahead.
It was Creative HEAD’s biggest night of the year last night as Most Wanted celebrated its 25th birthday with a spectacular Grand Final ceremony at the epic Drumsheds venue in London.
With Lou Sanders as host and Phoenix Brown on the decks, the entertainment was certainly A-List. But the biggest names on the night were our 12 Most Wanted winners, whose commitment to clients, teams, collaborations and community were rewarded with trophies and standing ovations from the audience.
This had been a record year of entries for Most Wanted, but the winners who edged it had brought their A-game.
Creative boundaries had been pushed. Fears in business faced. Professionalism taken to new heights.
And. So. Much. More.
Intrigued? Let us introduce you to the names who are leading our industry into an exciting future.
The Most Wanted stars of 2025
The Most Wanted award for COLLABORATION: Samantha Cusick
The Most Wanted award for COMMUNITY: Craig Henderson
The Most Wanted award for CREATIVITY: Tariq Howes
The Most Wanted award for EDUCATION: Rachael Lomax
The Most Wanted award for ENGAGEMENT: Sarah-Louise Keane
The Most Wanted award for EXPERIENCE: Buller and Rice
The Most Wanted award for IMAGE: Casey Coleman
The Most Wanted award for LEADERSHIP: Samantha Cusick
The Most Wanted award for NEW SPACE: Williams & Hirst
The Most Wanted award for PURPOSE: Anna Cofone
The Most Wanted award for SESSION: Lauren Bell
The Most Wanted award for INFLUENCE: Ali Pirzadeh
Last night, Creative HEAD and the It List’s exclusive sponsor, ghd, announced the Rising Star, Salon Stylist, Editorial Stylist, Business Builder, Visionary and One To Watch of 2025 – and for the first time in the competition’s history, we have an all-female It List!
These formidable young women epitomise the energy, ambition and innovation percolating within British and Irish hairdressing right now, challenging ways of operating, both as creatives and in business.
We’re absolutely thrilled to introduce them to you now… Remember their names, because you’re going to feel a lot more of their Girl Power in the months to come!
The It List of 2025
The Rising Star: Amelia Krasinksi
The Business Builder: Chlöe Swift
The Editorial Stylist: Emma Vickery
The Salon Stylist: Elle Forman
The Visionary: Emy Roccabella
The One to Watch: Elle Forman
Syd Hayes and Ky Wilson are among the names forming the new BaBylissPRO Creative Team, which hard launched with a headlining presentation at the Community Hair Show in Paris.
Hosted as part of Hair Congress at the legendary Folies Bergère, the Community Hair Showopened with the BaBylissPRO Creative Team showcasing a story that marked three stages of the brand’s journey – Heritage, Evolution and Innovation. Looks blended timeless classicstyling with more future–facing creativity.
Left: Syd Hayes. Right: Ky Wilson
For the first time, BaBylissPRO brought together their leading brand ambassadors from across Europe to make their team debut. The squad consists of Ky Wilson (UK), Syd Hayes (UK), Ilona Kulesza (Poland), Pascal Lombardo (France), Christophe Pujol (France) and Alvaro Sanchez (Spain).
The narrative on stage unfolded with Heritage, honouring the brand’s ‘60s origins with the world’s first electric curling tong by reimagining the glamour of the decade with silhouetteinspirations from hair icons including Priscilla Presley and Brigitte Bardot.
Evolution centred on the progression of hair trends, reflecting the brand’s evolution from the initial electric curling tong to the broad portfolio of styling tools they boast today. Finally, Innovation led the audience into the now, where signature artistry is fuelled by cutting-edge innovation, with a particular spotlight on the brand’s new Drying Wand, a hairdryer that’s described by ambassador and collaborator on the tool, Syd Hayes, as an extension of a stylist’s arm.
