“I’M NOT REALLY A PERSON WHO TENDS TO FOLLOW TRENDS, I LISTEN TO CLIENTS” – WELCOME TO THE NEW ERA OF DYLAN BRADSHAW

May 6, 2024 | CREATIVE PROJECTS, EXPLORE

CREATIVE PROJECTS

“I'M NOT REALLY A PERSON WHO TENDS TO FOLLOW TRENDS, I LISTEN TO CLIENTS" – WELCOME TO THE NEW ERA OF DYLAN BRADSHAW

No longer just a hair salon, Dylan’s renovated Dublin space is a lifestyle store for the modern consumer.

Dylan Bradshaw, Dublin

The idea for the refresh of the iconic Dylan Bradshaw salon in Dublin had started gestating before Covid. It had been a decade since the last refit, so Dylan and his wife and business partner Charlotte were keen on a change. Then the lockdowns hit. “It makes you have a serious rethink about what you want to do, where you want to be,” he recalls.

Dylan Bradshaw

With a reputation for high-end service and luxury experience, would the new era of Dylan Bradshaw see him pare back as the cost of living crisis hit? “We’ve doubled down,” he laughs. “The consumer has changed, and the industry has changed. I’m not really a person who tends to follow trends, I listen to clients. We’re a high-end brand, and our business comes from all over the country. In a world where everybody’s trying to simplify and dumb things down, and I want to give more of a luxury experience. We went from a salon to a store; we’re a lifestyle space now.”

About 18 months ago, the salon increased prices by 25 per cent across the board, giving clients six months’ notice. The cost of running a business had increased, and he had to act accordingly. The business also heavily invests in upskilling staff to ensure that elevated salon experience. “Our job is to take care of people, we’re professionals giving the very best service. At the same time, we can’t be stupid, we must charge accordingly. If you treat it like a serious business, people will take your business seriously.”

ku.fee: The speciality tea and coffee shop called with its bespoke La Marzocco Linea PB S ABR espresso machine

And serious he is, as the careful thought behind the new look business attests. The front of the late eighteenth-century Dublin townhouse – originally occupied by the salon’s front desk – is now a speciality tea and coffee shop called ku.fee. Dylan spent a year tasting coffee roasts to find the perfect choice, has a €12,000 bespoke La Marzocco Linea PB S ABR espresso machine and even completed a barista course with the manager. While it’s a new business for Dylan to reach fresh customers, ku.fee baristas are also on hand to brew the perfect beverage for salon clients as part of their service.

Once inside the store, you’ll discover a carefully curated collection of lovely things in home, hair, beauty and personal care. It’s a shopper’s paradise. And he’s pairing up with Dublin-based barber brand Faction, which will take the top floor of the building. There’s also a space that can be rented for shoots or events, used recently by Hair by Sam McKnight for its Irish launch.

Yes, you can buy shampoo, but you can pick up so much more with
the curated retail selection

Renovated backwashes: The iconic Gamma & Bross Teknowash Plus units

Seating pods: For those wanting to work or enjoy a coffee

Within the hair salon, Dylan hasn’t taken the easy path, opting to reuse and repurpose as much as possible with a firm eye on sustainability. He points to his Gamma & Bross Teknowash Plus units as an example, all stripped, rebuilt and reconditioned with new motors. “It’s not saving money, it would be cheaper and easier to buy new stuff. We have a huge focus on our waste,” he admits. “I want to do better, I want to move in a different direction.”

He’s also ensured with the renovation that the team had a proper space to relax in between clients, rather than a staff room the size of a broom cupboard. “They work hard on their four days, but then they get three days off, and then they come back into the salon focused and ready to work their socks for the business. It’s very important that we have a team that’s happy to work within the space.”

In the middle of the salon, you’ll find six pods where clients can sit and plug in with their laptop and have a coffee (perhaps while their colour develops). The space also feels much bigger, thanks to the clever lighting and more soothing material choices (repurposed Connemara marble, pure oak wood, and terrazzo floors). The reception desk is a long and spacious island, akin to a luxury kitchen to avoid any kind of divide between front of house and guests. It’s all part of the brand becoming more closely knit to its neighbourhood. Has the introduction of the coffee shop confused clients? “There’s a lot of head scratching when people come to the door, they’re not sure. ‘I’m going into a cafe?’,” he laughs. “And I like that, because that means we’re shaking things up.” And that door is open for lots more opportunities to defy expectations…

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KEN PICTON HAS GREAT TASTE – AND HIS NEW DELI PROVES IT

The Cardiff Bay salon owner is delivering a service experience unlike any other, illustrating his appetite for growth.

Picton & Co

Ever since a trip to the legendary Dean & DeLuca in New York nearly 20 years ago, Ken Picton has dreamed of setting up a similarly delicious deli in his hometown of Cardiff.

“I’m a bit obsessed with delis,” he grins. “I travel around the world with work, and I find myself in delis looking at exquisite products.” Negotiations about additional space around his salon in the city’s Mermaid Quay had repeatedly stalled. Then when Covid hit, it was time to batten down the hatches and keep the lights on.

“We were hit hard, everyone had a tough time. We only survived because we were cash-rich, debt-free and thanks to furlough payments,” he sighs. “When we came out of it, that first year I lost revenue of just under a million pounds, and that hurt. I also lost people – seven pregnancies in the Covid year and no-one coming back, people going freelance. It was just survival really.”

But it’s a new era now, as with the landlord won over by Ken’s high-end, quality deli concept, he was given the all-clear to take on the site he’d had his eye on, giving him the entire fascia of the

corner of Mermaid Quay. Work started in March 2023; 19 tonnes of rubble and £400,000 later, Picton & Co Delicatessen – “the deli down the Bay” – is a sumptuous reality.

He’s worked closely on the design and branding to ensure a clear synergy with his salon, a shining star of Cardiff Bay for years. “The original idea started as a store, but then when I looked at the numbers and worked on the business model, I realised that it had to have service to bring it to life. We had to turn it into more experience-led retail,” he explains. “I want to stay true to it as an expansion of the salon. It makes the salon unique in a special way. I know other salons have added things, and we’ve always had a comprehensive refreshments menu – we had a chef working in here until we ran out of space, and I started that 18 years ago. But this is on steroids! Full dinner and brunch menus, beautiful grab-and-go offerings – it elevates the salon into a different category. And in the deli there’s a sign above the door and you can go into the salon, so it’s opening up to clients we never had.”

Coffee bar

Wine cave

The concept of the deli itself is ‘we sell what we serve, and we serve what we sell’. Alongside the impressive wine cave are fresh bakery items, cheeses, meats and Picton blends of tea and coffee, locally sourced. Cocktails are next level (you can add chocolate bon bons that pair with each one), all blended by one of the globe’s top mixologists. Ken hasn’t left quality or service to chance; everything has been meticulously planned and chosen to deliver the right vibe, down to the branded ice cubes. Even the Jancis Robinson glasses that wine is served in can be purchased. “We can now share a full offering to salon clients with a wine list by the glass… and actually charge now rather than giving it away!” he laughs.

Food is made fresh in-house, even down to the cultured butter and marmalade. There’s a walk-in only dinner service for 30 covers (the deli was full after just 30 minutes on the first night), utilising both the large open grill central to the space and the Big Green Egg barbecue (which is also available to buy, of course). The plan is to add outdoor seating so that chefs can grill on the Big Green Egg in the summer, a great way to showcase the product AND the food you can buy.

Delicatessen cheeses

Refreshments

The reaction from salon clients to the soft launch has been “amazing”, says Ken. “The fit out is unique and bespoke. And it was a pretty hefty cost, so we want to see a return. But they’re just blown away with it. They’re all excited because my clients and my team have been talking about the deli for a year!”

The plan now is to “really up the ante” on the retail, pushing the local produce and transforming into a true destination store. Then the next phase will be a refit of the salon’s downstairs space, to allow the two businesses to be open all day together. While eyes might be focused on the new deli, the salon is enjoying a fresh boom. “The team I’ve got, which stuck together after Covid, has been outstanding. And now revenue is growing – we’re up 14 per cent since October. And we took the same in March as we did in December. The salon is on the up again.”

Indeed, Ken is keen to get back on the salon floor, as cracked ribs have meant he’s been unable to see clients for the weeks the deli was launching. “I need to come back and do the stuff I’m good at,” he jokes. “I can’t poach eggs. But I can eat them…”

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“I LOVE DOING HAIR ON CLIENTS BUT CAN’T HANDLE TRADITIONAL SALONS” – ASHLEIGH HODGES ON THE GENESIS OF MASH CREATIVE STUDIO

The Hackney-based space is now open for creatives, with sustainability at its core.

Ashleigh Hodges

Ashleigh Hodges keeps a lot of plates spinning. There’s her role as a global colour ambassador for Davines, her session work as part of the Hairdotcom team and her ever-expanding involvement with the Fellowship for British Hairdressing. Now, she’s opened her own space as well as unveiling her own education. Ashleigh talks us through the key ingredients to her Mash…

What’s the aim of Mash Creative Studio? 
To offer a sustainable, calm and creative space for hair professionals and beyond. I work in so many areas of our industry – from flying around the world on campaign shoots, teaching or working on TV – so I wanted to create a space to bring my creative community together. Being a former photographic studio, it was perfect to create a multi-functional space for creatives. I love doing hair on my clients but can’t handle being in traditional salons – so much noise and stimuli for this autistic girl. I wanted to create a space that offers a calm environment for both hairdresser and client, with sustainability at the forefront. 

What’s on offer at Mash?
We offer the space for photoshoots, seminars, education, intimate events, chair rental and more. If you’re trying to make the world a better place, we have the creative space for you to do just that.

Talk us through the design concept…
Sustainability was at the forefront of our design. Working with the motto “the world doesn’t need more stuff” made us think outside the box creatively when it came to interior design. All the furniture has been sourced second-hand from markets or flea markets, the House of Hackney feature wallpaper and soft furnishings were sourced from a sample sale. My aim was to curate a beautiful canvas for people and brands to be able to make their own mark when renting out, while keeping our own signature character. 

How will you be marketing your space to collaborators? 
We have created beautiful brochures about the space that are sent out to everyone on our mailing list. Authentic marketing is my aim, reaching out to people personally and helping to shape their creative ideas into reality. East London is a hub of creativity so connecting with others within the community is paramount. Curated social media posts, and working with those within our growing community to spread the word and benefit from that. 

What advice do you have for independent stylists looking for a working space?  
Find the space that’s right for you. Test a few out, try them on for size before you settle down. You will know if it’s right within the first hour. There are so many great work spaces out there depending on your professional needs. Look at your business and find the right one that aligns with it. Think of it as a long-term brand collaboration; you want to make sure your two brands lift each other up. 

What are your future plans? 
So many things! My brain never rests. I already have more plans for Mash Creative in the pipeline, and with the launch of my new academy there’s lots coming there too. And to top it off, I’m about to become the Fellowship for British Hairdressing’s youngest ever president. I’m ready to shake things up for sure! 

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THE MISSION? TO "DECOLONISE" PERCEPTIONS OF TEXTURED HAIR – AND STOP THE SHAME

Yasemin Hassan deep dives into her photo series and exhibition Talking Textures – celebrating, educating and redefining the cultural significance of textured hair.

Talking Textures event, April 2024

Curated by barber Yasemin Hassan and captured through the lens of photographer Yeliz Zaifoglu, the photo series and exhibition Talking Textures dives deep into the intricate relationship between beauty, cultural identity, and the resilient nature of hair, especially within the Southwest Asian & North African (SWANA) communities.

Hosted at Ugly Duck London, Yasemin sees Talking Textures as more than an exhibition; it’s a movement to celebrate, educate, and redefine the cultural significance of textured hair. Spanning across 26 photographs, a short video, and a panel discussion that was held on 12 April, the project seeks to bring to light the challenges, beauty rituals, and the profound connection between hair and cultural identity in SWANA regions.

 Yasemin herself has emerged as a pivotal figure for individuals with textured hair in London, particularly within the SWANA community. While that’s thanks in part to extensive experience on high-end fashion shoots and London Fashion Week, it’s also coupled with personal conversations within her community. Her mission is to “decolonise” perceptions of hair and address the underrepresentation of SWANA identities in the hair industry.

Yasemin Hassan

Working closely with Dania Arafeh, founder of 3EIB – a SWANA fashion platform reclaiming the Arabic word 3Eib, meaning ‘shame’ – this project is a reaction to the underlying shame that SWANA individuals often experience from others within their own cultures, as well as what’s taught in the mainstream media about beauty.

Yasemin breaks down the concept behind each image, and the powerful message each shot conveys…

Reclaiming Control
Riyam Salim 

Reclaiming Control
Michaela Mousicous wearing 3EIB 
Hair makes us feel powerful. We use our hair to reclaim our identity. Talking Textures explores this by considering the amount of people that go to a salon after a big life change and want to consolidate this with a drastic hair change. These images in the series are about power and taking control over our hair. 

Carving Imperfections
Ali Nasreldin wearing Mehdi Studio 
The media often idealises the ‘perfect curls’ – no frizz and a solid, clean shape when focusing on afro textures. In the full series of images Talking Textures plays on the phrase ‘bedhead’ to contrast to perfect curls.

Changing Shape
Peyam Zangana   
People with curly hair often talk about it being ‘too big’ and ask me to make their hair sit flatter. In full series collection, Talking Textures celebrates the shape using the concept  of ‘hat hair’, contrasting to this image which is the unrealistic flattened hair shape.

Masking Identity
Eman Alali wearing Isis Dünya 
Many people use hair length and fringes to mask and hide their SWANA features. Talking Textures plays on the use of hair as a mask by using the concept of ‘straggly ends’ to do this.

Embracing Femininity
Tahini Molasses wearing Ziyad Buainain
Talking Textures closes the series by questioning: What is femininity? Does femininity have to be gendered within SWANA communities? Many women idealise long hair as being the height of femininity and beauty. The final set of images through this concept makes the statement that femininity can be unconventional.

Director/curator/lead hair: Yasemin Hassan
Photographer: Yeliz Zaifoglu 
Make-up: Tina Khatri 
Styling: 3EIB / Dania Arafeh
Hair assistants: Shaun Birmingham, Amy Clarke, Matthew Tharp
Shot at Woolf Kings X

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SHOOT TOO PRICEY? GRAB YOUR PHONE!

Roman Sys from Brooks & Brooks talks about his Paradigm collection which, due to rising costs, he shot on his iPhone.

Stylist, image maker and visionary, Roman Sys is a stylist at the iconic London salon, Brooks & Brooks. Always keen to push boundaries and create new visually striking collections, Roman was forced to get creative with his latest collection Paradigm. Due to shoots becoming just too expensive, he reached for his iPhone instead… and got busy with his collage skills!

The process

Some people have a fixed process; they know the motions they need to go through to produce the results. For others, it’s different altogether. My creative process is not fixed at all! I’m inspired by everything and nothing at the same time. If I’m harvesting references from outside sources such as literature, art, nature, or music, my approach is very neutral. I will overlap images and text and sounds to fit my own mindset. More often than not there is an internal feeling I express subconsciously or consciously in my work. That excites me most – the idea of leaving the work open for interpretation and not being so literal.

Roman Sys

The moodboards

My boards work like mind maps. Sometimes it’s hard to explain ideas when you’re in the thick of it and your mind is in creative overdrive. Creating a board that makes sense can take anytime between a week and a month. I find that when I overlap images, there is often more than just one feeling I’m conveying, it’s never singular. I can read between the lines of the imagery that I have collected; this helps me to find my perspective and ground the ideas that are flowing in my head.

I don’t necessarily create the boards directly for a project or collection. I will just create a board to understand where I am and then it goes in the cupboard! I might decide to work with it for a project, or it will be reworked into something else. A cool thing happened when Sally and Jamie Brooks asked if I would contribute to the salon art for our new Brooks & Brooks home at Great Queen Street. I created an A1 board of collage, ink and paint with gentle textures that was an exploration of ‘familiar feelings and potential’.

The vision

My vision extends beyond what I produce creatively but is interwoven into the work I create and how I choose to capture it. I want to promote accessibility and cultivate a starter-friendly industry. Therefore, what I frequently create is artistry without excess. Image making is how I would describe my process; I street cast my models, and I’m inspired by them. This is my starting point and they influence the project. Everything I’ve done is based on collaboration. There is something about creating in the moment and then capturing it on an iPhone that allows me to have full creative control on the project. This bridges the gaps of high standard imagery, affordability, and accessibility.

Mini-series – Paradigm

The definition of paradigm is the current example of a system or idea. With this collection I wanted to shift our mindsets away from what we have seen before. I wanted to combine my hair work, my photographic style and collage together for something that feels totally DIY, yet with moments of interest and curiosity. I wanted the process to be the result, it was a last-minute urge to just do something. It was quite amazing to me how the clippings I had collected and the photos of textures and colours I had taken (that I would later go onto rip up and use in the collage) had this relationship with the hair work I had created.

This collection was shot completely on my iPhone, to inspire and encourage other people to create for the love of it. I decided to collage over the images after I had taken the photos. I hadn’t planned the collage around the photographs in advance. I like to leave some things down to instinct, which allowed for the process to feel authentic.
No apps or Photoshop were used to produce the collage/artwork. I created the collage around the image then scanned it to create a digital copy. It was important for me to bring the contrast of the instant digital element of iPhone photography with the tactile physical application of collaging over the printed images, and then using ink and paint to produce variation in the texture.

Hair, creative concept, collage and photography: Roman Sys at Brooks & Brooks.
Make-up: Ivory Raine 

CATEGORIES > EXPLORE > CREATIVE PROJECTS

IN THE LEAD: RICHARD PHILLIPART'S DEBUT SHOW AT PARIS FASHION WEEK

Session stylist Richard Phillipart shares all about his debut show as a hair lead at Paris Fashion Week. A character study of each individual model, prepare to take notes.

Team Phillipart

Take one award-winning session stylist, 11 members of Team Phillipart and one unmissable opportunity to work at Paris Fashion Week, and what do you get? A hotbed of creativity and a true character study of each individual model and their hair texture at ABRA A/W24. In a show which marked Richard Phillipart’s debut as a hair lead at Paris Fashion Week, the 27 models who walked the runway with beautifully enhanced hair is testament to Richard’s attention to detail and true craftmanship.

Chosen by Richard as his season highlight of A/W24, he says: “this was the first Paris Fashion Week show for Team Phillipart and a milestone in my career. Being asked to design the hair look my first Paris runway was a fantastic start to 2024.”

The show itself centred on the theme of “Celebrating the extraordinary in the ordinary and the irresistible beauty of everyday femininity”. Models were treated as individuals with the beauty of their natural texture enhanced and celebrated. Longer hair was styled with a clean centre-parting and left cascading down over the shoulders, allowing it to move and catch the wind as models walked the runway in Paris. Shorter hair was swept to the side with an equally relaxed, nonchalant vibe.

Taking place in Rue Philippe-de-Girard, models walked a runway which was styled to look like the backstage dressing area. The set compromised clothing rails, and packed full of bulging black ABRA garment bags and shoe boxes, alongside hair and make-up stations which split the runway in two. The areas included brushes, tools and products from MYORGANICS, which were meticulously placed by Team Phillipart to give the illusion the team had been working on these stations to create the looks just moments before the audience arrived.

Models backstage at ABRA. Photography by @_valentinrusso.

Hair how to

All models had their hair prepped by cleansing and treatment with Supreme Shampoo and Miracle Mask, which was great for adding intense nourishment to the hair without weighing it down.

Hair was drenched with Ocean Spray to add a pliable texture and hold. Sections of hair were twisted in opposite directions and dried with a diffuser on high heat/low power to enhance and control natural texture and waves. Where needed, Supreme Oil, Hydrating Glaze, Curl Revival or Smoothing Lotion was used on the mid-lengths and ends of model’s hair to tame, refine, or enhance textures as required.

Hair was then rope braided and pinned to secure, which helped set the natural waves while models were in make-up and rehearsals. It also prevented frizzing or dropping of the texture.

Finishing touches included the Water Moulding Wax, which was first warmed up in the hands and then smoothed across the parting to tame fly-away hairs. Strong Hold Hydrating Hairspray and Restructuring Shine Spray were used to set the look, which was then brushed out by Richard moments before the models walked the runway to create a clean, fresh bounce in the hair.

Video by @saladxxdays.