Creative HEAD’s Most Wanted And It List Grand Final Didn’t Miss A Beat

This year’s event at Drumsheds was epic!

by CATHERINE | CONNECT

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.