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What Did We Learn At Wella RED Business Network Live?

What Did We Learn At Wella RED Business Network Live?

What Did We Learn At Wella RED Business Network Live?

From the genesis of the Bank of Dave to the power of ‘Careless Whisper’, discover the insight we brought back from the iconic business event

by AMANDA | INFORM

With more than 250 from across the UK and Ireland based at Manchester’s Kimpton Clocktower Hotel, the 2025 Wella RED Business Network Live was engineered to tackle the challenges impacting salon owners right now. Both inspirational speakers and real business leaders took to the stage to share practical insights, personal experiences and debate potential solutions for headaches that will arise from the Autumn Budget and impending changes to employment rights. Here are they big lessons we learned:

Stay On Top Of Your Records – Or Else
With big changes incoming to employment rights – from unfair dismissal to harassment, family leave to flexible working – Sally Hulston and Ciara Fulton from law firm Lewis Silkin insisted record keeping will be key to staying on the right side of the law.

Show The Brilliance Of Being Employed
With the Budget bringing rising costs, VAT headaches and now employment rights changes favouring workers, being an employer has arguably never looked so unattractive. But Hellen Ward – joined on a panel by fellow salon bosses Anya Dellicompagni, Natasha Grossman, Alan Simpson and Patrick Gildea – encouraged everyone to communicate to teams just why being employed is so attractive, to stem the flow of talent leaving for self-employment. “We need to make sure that ‘employment’ doesn’t become a dirty word,” she insisted.

Focus On Strengths
Leadership expert Mark Edwards warned of the impact of low engagement on business (estimates put it at costing £257bn a year!). “Gen Z have zero tolerance for not being inspired at work,” he warned, with ‘quiet quitting’ on the rise. “You need to focus on what is right rather than fixating on what is wrong.”

Do ‘Tiny Noticeable Things’

You need to be up for making changes, warned leading motivational speaker and author, Adrian Webster, and doing ‘tiny noticeable things’ are explosive. “They show you care,” he said, “and they can often cost nothing.”

Fun Fact – Hard Graft Is Still Key

Formula One team owner and chairman of McLaren Applied, Nick Fry, was frank. “The difference between those who are successful and those who aren’t, is hard work,” he said. “The successful people actually get on and do it.”

Someone who just got on and did it? Dave Fishwick, best known as the brains behind the Bank of Dave in Burnley (he’s also the biggest supplier of minibuses in Britain). His start came from making a £29 profit on the sale of a used car, while working market stall shifts and spinning records as a DJ at night… often working seven days a week. “If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not trying hard enough,” he said. “Take the risk and 99 per cent of them will pay off.”    

Adrian Webster

Flip The Conversation
Communication expert Lee Warren shared tips on how to be more persuasive, all through the power of language. “If you’re talking about a weakness and strength, put the weakness first in the conversation, then the strength last,” he advised. “The response will be very different.”

Don’t Get Comfortable
Starting with a cement mixer and a car paint sprayer to make her first big batch of popcorn, Cassandra Stavrou MBE – founder of healthy snack company, Proper Snacks – plays ‘Careless Whisper’ at 1pm each day through the office to signal its lunchtime… and desk eating is banned! But don’t mistake that for any kind of weakness – her drive has seen Proper Snacks hit £100m+ in sales, and its growing. “An impatient business is a progressive business,” she argued. “Comfort zones become graveyards for ideas. Embrace ambiguity and embrace contradiction.

Cassandra Stavrou MBE

Remi Cachet Unveil Their New 2025 Super Stylists

Remi Cachet Unveil Their New 2025 Super Stylists

Remi Cachet Unveil Their New 2025 Super Stylists

Winners revealed for the latest cohort on the brand’s programme

by AMANDA | INDUSTRY NEWS

Rochelle Anthony, Alex Ferris and Christopher Laird are among the names revealed in the line-up of the Remi Cachet 2025 Super Stylist programme. The group, built from loyal brand advocates, have been identified by Remi Cachet as extensionists excelling in their work and will form a community of hair professionals who have the chance to work closely with the brand. Find the full list of Remi Cachet 2025 Super Stylists here.

The group, recognised for their expertise and influence, will have access to an exclusive community of like-minded, talented hair pros with whom they can network, collaborate and support. They will also experience, and have a direct influence on, new product development and innovation from Remi Cachet, taking part in testing and feedback sessions and involved in official launches. They’ll also benefit from training, increased industry visibility and getting the inside-track on the latest hair extension advancements.

“Giving recognition to exceptional extensionists who hero expertise and ethical practice is important in a crowded industry, where premium-quality and high standards are crucial,” said the brand founder, Victoria Lynch. “I am excited to motivate and inspire our new generation of Super Stylists, providing them with the tools they need to create magic!”

The 2025 Remi Cachet Super Stylist programme has been revamped following previous years. Any radius considerations between stylists have been removed to open new opportunities to more hair pros who deserve the title. Any spend cap on entry requirements have also been ditched, to make the programme more accessible to smaller independent salons, mobile stylists and those ‘up and comers’ within the extensions world.

It’s been a busy time for Remi Cachet – they’ve just revealed industry veteran Lisa Jackson as its new chief executive officer and has also taken minority investment from entrepreneur investment backers, Growth Partner.

Could You Make It On To The 2025 Schwarzkopf Professional Young Artistic Team?

Could You Make It On To The 2025 Schwarzkopf Professional Young Artistic Team?

Could You Make It On To The 2025 Schwarzkopf Professional Young Artistic Team?

Hunt is on for UK and Irish stylists aged under 26

by AMANDA | INDUSTRY NEWS

2024 Schwarzkopf Professional Young Artistic Team

Are you a young talent looking to be hot housed? You might just be in luck! Schwarzkopf Professional is searching for stars of tomorrow to join its 2025 Young Artistic Team.

The programme offers education and talent development, mentoring and shaping the careers of rising stars within the UK and Ireland. The opportunity is open to stylists aged under 26 to train, grow and shine under the guidance of some of its big-name ambassadors.

Those selected for the 2025 Young Artistic Team will receive:

A minimum of 10 days of top-quality training with industry experts
A dedicated photographic session to showcase their creative vision

Hands-on experience to shape their careers and open doors to future opportunities

This Is How You Enter:

Create a mood board! This must reflect who you are as a creative, showing your inspirations and the kind of work you aspire to create.

Film a short video! This is an introduction to yourself! Share your story, your passions and your vision as the person behind the scissors – show judges what makes you unique.

 Submit your mood board photo and video by midnight on Sunday 9 February via this link.

Who Has Snapped Up Darrel Starkey As An Amabassador?

Who Has Snapped Up Darrel Starkey As An Amabassador?

Who Has Snapped Up Darrel Starkey As An Amabassador?

Stylist, educator and wig specialist reveals latest new role

by AMANDA | INDUSTRY NEWS

Darrel Starkey is the new UK ambassador for milk_shake Hair Care.

The new role with milk_shake will see him help showcase the brand’s product range and inspire others through creative collaborations, events and education. The stylist and educator is being kept busy, having also taken on an ambassador role with the extensions brand, Gold Fever.

“I’m really excited to start this journey with a brand that is progressive and creative at the same time,” said Darrel. “I feel like we’re a perfect fit, and being able to join Andrew Smith and Shelley Lane as an ambassador is truly an incredible opportunity.”

Milk_shake Hair Care is known for its use of natural ingredients, such as milk proteins and fruit extracts, while also being kind to the environment.

Darrel is well-known for his wig education, recently revealing the results of his WIGtorship
mentoring course in a photoshoot captured by Desmond Murray.

Let’s Boss This Gloss!

Let’s Boss This Gloss!

Let’s Boss This Gloss!

Could your next colour creation see you scoop a prize at Redken’s digital Shades EQ Gloss Boss Awards 2025? For your chance to shine, enter now…

Promotion – Redken

by AMANDA | INDUSTRY NEWS 

VTCT

Glazed, glossy, gorgeous – hair that beams with high-shine colour and a healthy-looking finish? That’s what stops the scroll and gets clients booking a slot in your chair. But are you shouting about your shine skills to the max? If you’re a genius at beautiful blondes and blessed at building brilliant brunettes or have nailed chic colour on curls and coils, could you be a future winner of Redken’s easy-to-enter digital Shades EQ Gloss Boss Awards 2025?

Kicking off on Monday 6 January, the Gloss Boss Awards brings your colour skills to life, giving you the chance to illustrate exactly what you can do with a bowl and brush, as well as the personality power that brings your clients back time and time again.

 

Redken gloss boss awards logo

All captured on a before/after Instagram Reel, your entry can deliver your grade-A glossing skills with a side order of fun.

So, let’s do this! First, you have three categories to showcase your colour creativity and professional difference – Blonding Boss, Brunette Boss or Texture Boss. And there’s also a People’s Choice category, with a winner voted from the runners-up from the three main categories, giving everyone a second bite of the cherry…

Category nailed? Now it’s on to the fun bit! Choose your model (any gender, identity or hair type), land on a technique (it’s got to show off serious shine!), then capture it all in an Instagram Reel lasting a maximum of 60 seconds, with ‘before and after’ looks.

To grab eyeballs, your Reel should be brilliantly executed and include details of those vital formulas and techniques. The Gloss Boss Award judges – and that’s an impressive roster! – will be on the hunt for colour, technique and placement skills, as well as a jaw-dropping style and finish to seal the deal.

The look you create? It must be inspired by upcoming trends, while also reflecting all those pro skills that you have in your personal toolbox. And, as a pro, you know that it’s always vital to ensure your colour work maintains the integrity of the hair. Your final finish must gleam with a stunning shine and a healthy-looking lustre.

Now the tech bit. You’ve got your Reel edited to perfection with a great soundtrack – now upload it to the Redken Gloss Boss Awards portal. Done that? Excellent – now let’s share it wide! Post it to Instagram, and be sure to use the hashtags for your chosen category.

Lauren Roads, winner of the UKI and European Gloss Boss Brunette category in 2024 for her brunette old money bob, nabbed a trip to NYC! “When I submitted my UKI entry back in March, I never imagined I would win the European heat in Berlin and then get to experience ‘the city that never sleeps’!” she says. “Since winning, my passion for Shades EQ and my confidence have soared.”

And she’s got a top tip, too. “Don’t over complicate your technique. Remember, sometimes less is more! Have fun, and enjoy the process. This is your sign to enter the Gloss Boss Awards 2025 – you have to participate to win!”.

This year’s prizes include an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City for two to attend a signature class at the Redken 5th Avenue Exchange. Runners-up will receive complimentary tickets to a Redken Masterclass and Redken on Stage. Buzzing to be a Shades EQ Gloss Boss? Yup, it’s on – what are you going to choose…?

Which Gloss Will You Boss?

BLONDING BOSS

You love the lighter side of life, from beaming babylights to intricate balayages… and brilliance beyond! Whatever your choice, your blondes shine like a star, with 60 per cent of the end result between a level 7 and 10.

BRUNETTE BOSS

Like it a little darker, huh? We’ve got you covered. Tantalising toffee or mocha- infused coffee? Whatever mouthwatering option you land on, ensure you work on a natural base between levels 2 to 6 with an end result on a level 4 to 7.

TEXTURE BOSS

Love playing with pattern? Curls look bare without colour? This is for YOU!

Showcase beautifully tended textured hair between 3A and 4C that’s perfectly balanced with colour too, and with a result between level 4 and 10.

Enter Redken’s digital Shades EQ Gloss Boss Awards 2025 by visiting redkenglossbossawards.co.uk. Entries close 28 February. 

Who Went Home With A Trophy At The Headmasters Awards 2024?

Who Went Home With A Trophy At The Headmasters Awards 2024?

Who Went Home With A Trophy At The Headmasters Awards 2024? 

A night of flamboyant energy, glamourous attendees and huge prizes in celebration of a successful 2024 

by MADDI | INDUSTRY NEWS

Headmasters 2024 Awards, comm by Marsha Ramsamy

Headmasters 2024 Award, Creative and Art Team on stage, Photographer: Jon Bradley

The Headmasters Awards 2024 brought glamour and creativity to London’s Evolution in Battersea Park, honouring the talent and innovation that define the brand.  

Hosted by comedian Tom Allen, the event featured a stunning hair presentation by Headmasters creative ambassadors, inspired by dreams. The show opened with sleep-paralysis demons circling and taunting the satin-bonnet-clad dreamer, their hair styled into horn-like shapes and braided whips. The dream then took a sultry turn, featuring a sexy chocolate mop and a dramatic feathered headpiece, followed by a show-stopping Dolly Parton-inspired big blonde blowout. In the high-energy finale, the dreamer unveiled her Charlie XCX-esque dark waves, tossing her hair with electrifying energy. 

The evening concluded with the annual awards presentation, celebrating creative and business achievements across the salon group.

Headmasters 2024 Awards, hair show, Photographer: Jon Bradley

Headmasters 2024 Awards, Photographer: Jon Bradley

 

And the winners are

Photographic Awards 

Texture Image (Sponsored by Kérastase): Winner – Neda Petruseviciute, Tunbridge Wells; Runner-Up – Ellis Rashleigh, Soho. 

Barber Image (Sponsored by Redken): Winner – Ryan Ullah, Brighton; Runner-Up – Katherine Stevens, Balham. 

Best Makeover Transformation Reel (Sponsored by GHD): Winner – Ellie Tulett, Brighton; Runner-Up – Kat Jenner, Bromley. 

Headmasters Ultimate Image (Sponsored by Nioxin): Winner – Faith Ellis, Surbiton; Runner-Up – Johnny Shepherd, Bromley Market Square. 

Colour Innovation Image (Sponsored by L’Oréal Professionnel): Winner – Ellie Trinidad, New Malden; Runner-Up – Libby Scott, Brighton. 

Christine Sanders Future Star (Sponsored by Paul Mitchell): Winner – Daria Wargin, Richmond; Runner-Up – Emine Ozerkan, Shepherds Bush. 

Headmasters Ultimate Image (Sponsored by Nioxin): Winner – Faith Ellis, Surbiton

Headmasters Ultimate Image (Sponsored by Nioxin): Winner – Faith Ellis, Surbiton

Texture Image (Sponsored by Kérastase): Winner – Neda Petruseviciute

Texture Image (Sponsored by Kérastase): Winner – Neda Petruseviciute

Business Awards 

Busiest Retailer of the Year (Sponsored by Kérastase): Winner – Davide Simmaco, Paddington. 

Busiest Stylist of the Year (Sponsored by Nioxin): Winner – Dario De Marco, Windsor. 

Busiest Colourist of the Year (Sponsored by L’Oréal Professional Products): Winner – Chloe Gauntlett, Guildford. 

Charitable Salon of the Year (In association with Macmillan Cancer Care): Winner – Bromley High Street. 

Digital Salon of the Year (Sponsored by Shortcuts): Winner – Cobham (for the third consecutive year). 

Headmasters Salon of the Year: Winner – Headmasters Cobham. 

Every Colour Counts Live Raffle: Winner – Keeley Edwards, Wimbledon Broadway. 

 

Congratulations to all the winners! 

Every Colour Counts Live Raffle: Winner – Keeley Edwards, Wimbledon Broadway

Every Colour Counts Live Raffle: Winner – Keeley Edwards, Wimbledon Broadway

Headmasters Salon of the Year: Winner – Headmasters Cobham

Headmasters Salon of the Year: Winner – Headmasters Cobham.