AWARD FOR INNOVATION 

Rewarding the creation of an original initiative, product or service, benefitting hair professionals and/or the industry at large 

Sponsored by Schwarzkopf Professional  

Naomi Brooks, for The Hair Sanctuary Training Group CIC 

Working in partnership with local councils and private foster homes, Naomi’s innovation – which won this title in 2023! – provides specialised hands-on training for foster carers and residential staff in foster homes. The goal is to ensure Black and mixed heritage children in care get the right support to look after their textured hair. The latest phase? Extending that education to stylists to increase skills around curly and Afro hair.  

Finalists: Ben Barkworth, for FASTFOILS; Anna Cofone, for HAIR & CARE; Chris Foster, for Salon AUTO.MATE AI; Nancy Stripe, with Grey Empowerment Education

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BEST CLIENT EXPERIENCE 

Rewarding outstanding customer service  

Sponsored by Kérastase  

Kitch Hair, London  

Founders Luca Jones and Scott Humphreys wanted to create a fun, comforting, and nostalgic place where clients can truly be themselves, and they’ve done just that with Kitch. Nods to the 1950s abound with pinks, pastels, and faux Golden Age advertising, making the cosy salon a positive and sunny atmosphere for clients to really feel part of a community.  

Finalists: Curated Hair, Thornham; Neville Hair and Beauty, London; Supply 91, London; Tuckwell & Co, Nottingham 

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BEST LOCAL SALON 

Rewarding a salon at the heart of its community    

Sponsored by Revlon Professional 

Craig’s Barber Shop, Bolton 

Salon owner Craig Henderson, aka the Neuro Divergent Barber, has worked hard to create the right environment for non-verbal autistic and deaf clients, especially children. Community outreach includes school visits to help local specialist education units as a mobile hairdresser, and the service has been recognised by the NHS. Craig has also won the Greater Manchester Integrated Care and Partnerships Award for Community Champion. 

 Finalists: Fusion Hair Co., Laceby; Nashwhite, Warwick; Phoenix Hair, Abergele; The Head Gardener, Inverness 

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BEST NEW SALON 

Rewarding a new or revamped space with a unique sense of style 

Sponsored by GLOWWA

Dylan Bradshaw, Dublin 

A radical renovation sees Dylan Bradshaw’s Dublin space up for this award. Oak, marble, brass and deep green tiles lend an air of sophistication and timeless style to the space, featuring shapes inspired by the masonry at the front of the 18th Century townhouse. Stylist units, desks, shelving, and even the coffee area are handmade, and striking booth seating provides a focal point for client relaxation. 

 Finalists: Brooks & Brooks, London; Rawlings & Rawlings, London; Stället, Manchester; Stā Studios, London 

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 BEST SALON TEAM 

Rewarding teamwork at its best 

 Sponsored by Salon Smart 

 Bebop, London  

Steering a tight-knit team that thrives on creativity and collaboration, bebop co-founder Pont Smith encourages staff always to develop their skills and inspire one another. A collaboration with Kickers gave team members the opportunity to take part in an exciting event while boosting morale and professional growth. It’s exactly this kind of partnership that reflects this crew’s values and commitment.  

 Finalists: Billi Currie, London; Creations Hair Salon, Chichester; Manifesto, London; The Gallery Hairdressing, Tunbridge Wells 

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 BUSINESS THINKER 

Rewarding an owner or a director demonstrating a fresh approach to business 

Sponsored by Vagaro

Samantha Cusick, Samantha Cusick London/ Stā Studios  

“Kindness, empathy, and a people-first approach can redefine what it means to be successful in hairdressing,” believes Samantha, and the stats don’t lie. She’s seen a healthy turnover in the past 12 months, boosted by diversifying into a new approach to co-working and empowering independents. Her digital newsletters alone have brought in £140k this past year. All evidence, Samantha argues, that “putting my team’s happiness at the forefront” is the secret to success.  

 Finalists: Nuala Morey, Nuala Morey; Lorraine Naughton, OB-1 Hair; Lee Nash-Jones and Rob White, Nashwhite; Graeme Snell, @66 Hair and Lifestyle 

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COLOUR EXPERT 

Rewarding a colourist demonstrating brilliant skill and vision 

Sponsored by Wella Professionals 

Grace Dalgleish 

The winner of this award in 2022 and 2023, star colourist Grace is hoping to bag a third award in a row and turn her work into the stuff of Most Wanted Legend. Alongside her usual duties as a colourist and educator for brands all over the world, not to mention creating exquisite new colour styles for shoots, this year she has been developing her own colour line, too. Brilliant! 

 Finalists: Casey Coleman, CHAIR; Marlon Hawkins, Brooks & Brooks; Zoë Irwin, John Frieda; Nancy Stripe, Stripe Colour Studio 

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CREATIVE TALENT 

Rewarding an art director or a senior team member leading the creative direction of the business 

 Sponsored by L’Oréal Professionnel Paris 

 Richard Phillipart, The Boutique Atelier 

This salon owner is a true hairdressing luminary. Best known for his work behind the scenes at London Fashion Week, so far 2024 has seen Richard branch out into Paris too. Major fashion brands and magazines want his services, and he still finds the time for private clients and to lead hair trade shows across Europe. Add a 2023 L’Oréal Colour Trophy hair team lead, and it’s clear Richard’s creativity knows no bounds. 

 Finalists: Adriano D’Astolto, Radio; Steph Gamble, Ashley Gamble Hair Salon; Danilo Giangreco, Danilo Hair Boutique; Marlon Hawkins, Brooks & Brooks 

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 EDUCATION EXPERT 

Rewarding exceptional hairdressing education  

 Sponsored by Allilon Education 

 Lisa Farrall, WIG London  

TV star and proud advocate of making hair texture neutral, Most Wanted Texture Expert Legend Lisa is all about inclusivity in education. WIG London is a curated, creative safe space that caters for all those on the creative spectrum, and Lisa’s recent training endeavours have seen her go to the ASOS studios, create photography masterclasses, and she even took two students with her on a photoshoot to help style Burna Boy for a G-Star Raw advert!  

 Finalists: Siobhan and Philipp Haug, Haug London Haus; Sarah Louise Keane, SLK Education; Laura Leigh Kerr, Rainbow Room International; Anne Veck 

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HAIR TREND 

Rewarding the best trend-led image of the year

Sponsored by Redken 

Giuseppe Manco, Giuseppe Manco 

Giuseppe’s winning image which depicts a laid-back, softly layered 70’s-style ‘shag’ haircut, contrasted with sharp, tailored high-fashion styling and cinematic-like photography. Scoring big marks with the panel, it was described by judges as both “effortlessly cool” and “so YSL”.  

 Finalists: Errol Douglas MBE, Errol Douglas; Lisa Farrall, WIG London; Adam Garland; Danilo Giangreco, Danilo Hair Boutique 

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 INDEPENDENT STYLIST 

Rewarding a freelance hair professional with a first-class profile  

 Sponsored by Stā Studios 

 Lauren Bell  

From assisting Guido and Sam McKnight to being Richard Phillipart’s first assistant, Lauren’s trajectory is seeing her talents heading stratospheric. She was named It List Editorial Stylist in 2022, and can be found in Elle, Vogue and Gay Times, working regularly with Bimini, Self Esteem and Sephora. She’s not slowing down, however, and now she’s looking to the industry to offer help to those on the way up.

 Finalists: Louis Byrne; Laura Chadwick; Adam Garland; Ross Kwan 

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MEN’S HAIR SPECIALIST 

Rewarding trailblazing work in men’s hair 

 Sponsored by Mr. Q 

 Tariq Howes, Avenue Barbers  

Founder and owner of Avenue Barbers in Cardiff, Tariq is no stranger to high fashion men’s looks. His work has been spotted in GQ, Vogue, and Rollacoaster, and with brands such as Hugo Boss, Fred Perry and Tommy Hilfiger. Currently the texture specialist for Jody Taylor’s session team, Tariq loves working in the community, offering opportunities to young barbers (when he’s not styling major stars like Callum Turner!).  

 Finalists: Chris Foster; Oliver Hill, MaxOliver; Joe Mills, Woolf Kings X; Rino Riccio, Manifesto 

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 SESSION STYLIST 

Rewarding the most exciting hair professional working in fashion

Sponsored by BaByliss PRO

Ali Pirzadeh 

Regularly booked by brands such as Alexander McQueen, Louis Vuitton, Acne Studios and Nina Ricci Ali’s work has appeared in publications such as Another Magazine, D Repubblica, Dazed, Gentlewoman and Vogue, and celebrities such as Dua Lipa, Emma Corrin and Jennifer Hudson have him on speed dial. Represented by the Streeters agency, Pizhe is listed in the Busienss of Fashion’s BOF 500, an index of the 500 most influential people shaping the global fashion industry, and this year was named as global brand ambassador for Björn Axén. 

 Finalists: Paul Hanlon; Luke Pluckrose; Issac Poleon; Eugene Souleiman

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SUSTAINABILITY HERO 

Rewarding a business owner or director championing a greener way to work

Sponsored by Paul Mitchell

Lisa Phillips, Ora Hair 

The Ora Hair team hopes to transform its community’s attitude to sustainable living, through its guiding principles of environmental stewardship, cultural vitality, social responsibility, and economic resilience. Lisa’s salon is well on the way to hitting key targets, has reduced emissions by 50 per cent in the past eight years, and cut water usage by 81 per cent – driving change with data.  

 Finalists: Heather Baker and Chloe Wilson, Masters of Craft; Samantha Cusick, Stā Studios; Ashleigh Hodges, Mash Creative Studio; Lee Nash-Jones and Rob White, Nashwhite

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TEXTURE EXPERT 

Rewarding stand-out work in textured hair 

 Sponsored by Avlon 

 Claire Martin, Salon64 

Having been someone who fought her own coils in the past, Claire now teaches students that changing someone’s texture should be out of choice, not necessity. Her cLHAIR Academy runs a 19-tier module course explaining the ins and outs of caring for all hair textures while keeping the client in mind… and learners love it! A collaboration with Redken has also taken her How to Cut Textured Hair module to Scotland and Ireland.  

 Finalists: Errol Douglas MBE, Errol Douglas; Tariq Howes, Avenue Barbers; Richard James, Cyrl Cymru; Anne Veck 

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HAIR ICON 

Rewarding the most influential hair professional of 2024  

Sponsored by JOICO  

Gary Gill  

Regularly cited by young session stylists as an inspirational mentor, Gary has carved a niche in delivering the perfectly imperfect. His credits include a dizzying mix of heritage labels (Fendi and Balenciaga), experimental editorial (as contributing beauty editor at Beauty Papers) and long-term partnerships (Martina Rose – the audience was formed not of the fashion elite but the street cast models’ family and mates). Keep an eye out for an upcoming documentary about Gary’s career, three years in the making.   

 Finalists: Sally Brooks, Brooks & Brooks; Efi Davies, TONI&GUY; Errol Douglas MBE, Errol Douglas; Duffy; Nick Irwin; Zoë Irwin, John Frieda; Adam Reed, ARKIVE by Adam Reed; Cos Sakkas, TONI&GUY; Anthony Turner  

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LEGEND AWARD 

TEXTURE EXPERT 2021, 2022, 2022  

Lisa Farrall, WIG London 

Lisa Farrall has claimed the Texture Expert title every year since the category was introduced in 2021, only serving to further emphasise the sheer might of her talent. The session stylist, educator and founder of WIG London is resolute about using her platform to teach hairstylists how to be texture neutral, a trademark she has claimed. Regularly booked by salons, colleges and individuals to impart her knowledge and skill, she’s determined to “change the hair game” and is on a long-term mission to ensure every hair client is best served. Her braiding work is exquisite, her intricacy knows no bounds, and she always styles from scratch on set – no wonder, then, Lisa has scored big gigs with brands like ASOS, Virgin Atlantic, and E4, and music artists including Usher, Romy, Ed Sheeran, Burner Boy and Kendrick Lamar. Fiercely loyal not only to her craft and cause but also to the people she mentors, the fans who follow her, the brands she supports and the business she runs, Lisa is a no-nonsense force to be reckoned with – and now, she’s a Most Wanted Legend.