Q&A

Why is it so important to Redken to sponsor the Hair Trend category?

As a brand born in New York City, the capital of fast-paced and dynamic energy, where trends are formed every day, the Most Wanted Hair Trend category is such a perfect alignment with our values. It’s part of our DNA to keep up with this ever-changing social and cultural landscape.

We encourage all stylists to look beyond and to challenge themselves to understand the budding and mainstream shifts in culture, taking an active part in shaping these narratives and aesthetics. With global celebrity talent including Tracey Cunningham, Larry King, Samantha Cusick, and a diverse pool of talent in the UK and Ireland, trends begin at the hands of salon professionals with Redken products behind some of the biggest cultural moments seen on red carpets and on TV screens, and movements that take over social. 

It’s why we aim to consistently push the boundaries in formulations, performance and results to meet the ever-evolving client and stylist needs.

UK and Irish hairdressing is considered trend-leading around the world. What is behind the influence it has?

There is something special about the diverse range of talented stylists in the UK. Freedom of expression and individuality is our edge. Stylists who feel empowered to channel their creativity and challenge the status quo to create micro-trends that are true their unique self.

The hairdressing industry has always been connected to this by being so closely tuned into emerging conversations in culture, whether that’s inspired by the art, fashion or music scene. Emerging conversations that represent our diverse population, translating into eclectic styles that range from timeless looks to bold experimentation and emerging smaller, local micro-trends in different cities.

How does Redken help its community stay at the forefront of the latest trends in the hair world?

Trends start in the salon, with the hands of Redken professionals all around the world. 2023 saw the launch of Redken Insiders, a community for pro hairdressers to create, collaborate and connect with Redken and other pros in the UK and Ireland. Members complete missions on social media to earn points and collect rewards including event invitations, early access to product launches and exclusive Redken branded items.

As a brand, Redken is actively involved in trend mining, using Redken Insiders and its missions, alongside the wider Redken Advocate and Artist Network to spot and seed these bubbling trends and culture shifts to the wider community. From the red-carpet to TikTok, the next trends are at the hands of stylists to interpret and grow, one social post away.

Q&A

Why is it so important to Allilon Education to sponsor the Education Expert category? 

As an education company ourselves, we know how important and how hard it is to share education, so for us, sponsoring Most Wanted Education Expert is really valuable. We really believe the more support we can all do, and the more we can get behind each other as a community, the stronger the industry’s going to be. That’s the reason why us, at Allilon, love sponsoring this award. 

Tell us about AllilonPlus and how it supports hair professionals 

AllilonPlus is an online education platform. It contains a whole array of cutting, colouring, dressing, and styling videos. Now, what’s its purpose? Originally it was purely a video streaming site, with over 300 videos as a catalogue. Since then, we’ve tried to identify a problem, that AllilonPlus is designed to solve.  

We’re lucky as a team that we get to travel the world and share our passion with a lot of people and one of the patterns we see is that people don’t always have the tools to be able to create education systems for salons. For example, if you are a salon owner, you can use AllilonPlus to train all your staff, to help standardise, and to take the company to a whole new level. If you’re an educator, you have a resource that you can confidently pull on, which is constantly evolving, with lots of new content all the time. And as a learner, let’s be honest, it’s very easy to get lost in all the information you’re given, this is a very streamlined version or getting you to understand, step-by-step, how to grow your education. 

Think about having your own digital platform, your own digital space, where you can upload all of your work, watch loads of content and understand what it is you’re doing, to really fall in love with your craft. It’s not a replacement for physical education, it’s a complimentary tool to use alongside it.

Education, it’s the lifeblood of the industry, isn’t it? What training do you think people will be seeking the most in 2024? 

Moving forward, not just in 2024, but in general, a hybrid way of learning is the key. Both virtual and physical. You can’t replace physical, the human-to-human connection takes education to the level. But, being able to access education, anytime, anywhere at any place, is the key to being able to have 24 hour learning. 

Q&A

Why is it so important to Avlon to sponsor the Texture Expert category?

Avlon is passionate about profiling Afro and textured hair hairdressing. Sponsoring the Texture Expert category at the Most Wanted Awards reaffirms our commitment to celebrating the wealth of talent within the industry and our ongoing support for the salons and stylists that work with this hair type. We want to continue the conversation around diversity and inclusivity across the industry and as a brand, recognise the value of championing Afro and textured hair professionals.

Texture education, or sadly the lack of it, has been a growing conversation in the hair industry. What advice can you offer to people seeking to expand their knowledge and skills?

From a professional standpoint we have had salons and experts in this sector for many years, and an industry serving this hair type for decades. In terms of mainstream hairdressing there has been some gaps in ensuring that everyone has access to learn all hair types equally. The demographics within the UK and Europe are changing rapidly and having knowledge of textured hair has become very important.

In the last two years, Avlon has seen a significant increase in enquiries from non-sector specialists regarding education around Afro and textured hair with growing societal awareness of movements such as Black Lives Matter as a key driver for this. The request for product knowledge has also increased as salons and stylists look to diversify their services.
Those looking to expand their skill set, working with Afro and textured, should seek a reputable education provider. Avlon education is founded in 40 years of Afro and textured hair expertise, led by industry experts to give stylists the confidence, knowledge and technical skill to deliver textured hair services to this ever-growing market.

Tell us about the Avlon Inspire club and what it hopes to achieve

The Avlon Inspire Club has been created to offer extra benefits and insights to the brand’s loyal salon network, providing education and guidance to help hairdressers grow and stand out from the crowd. Avlon stands for family, diversity and positive change and the Inspire Club is designed to motivate stylists and inspire clients through educational and business support.