The Cool Huntress

by CATHERINE | CONVERSATIONS

A self-confessed “hair nerd”, Zoë has always fully immersed herself in whatever task she set herself. She learned French so she could study hairdressing in France (her impressive chignon is what led Guido to invite her to join his team); she went to Milan to study trends; she signed up for Central Saint Martins’ Cool Hunting course and studied Fashion Journalism at the London College of Fashion. It has all paid off – handsomely. “In the hair world, being a creative director means you’re part of the art team, but for me, being a creative director is about creatively embellishing the salon. I realised quite quickly that if I learn about things, then I can design something, and with my press contacts I can get it published.”

And what success! For Headmasters, she launched the Kitten Haircut, featuring a new silhouette inspired by Paris Vogue shoots with Guido (Vogue, ELLE, The Sunday Times). For Hari’s, she designed Cobain Chic, a dip-dye colour treatment aimed at attracting a younger clientele (Vogue, Grazia); the Prada Laced Nail, based on the intricate dress designs of the season (Sunday Times Style); and Skin & Hair Salads, nutritional foods and juices targeting different hair types (Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Tatler and Grazia). Then, for Taylor Taylor in Liberty, it was the Tie it Up menu that breathed new life into the store’s heritage prints with strips of fabric woven into Frida Kahlo-esque up-dos (Tatler, Harper’s Bazaar). And for John Frieda, it’s been the Liquid Brunette mocha-noir colour service (The Telegraph) and the fawn-inspired Bambi Blonde (too many titles to mention – this one went stratospheric!), among others. But achieving so much press success doesn’t make life easier for Zoë: “When something goes big, it creates huge pressure for the next trend. John Frieda’s is a big name and I don’t want to let the team down. But [salon owner] Nicola [Clarke] is super-encouraging. We collaborate a lot on naming the trends and coming up with the right language to use around them.”

Staying relevant over a period of 40 years is difficult in any industry, but in Zoë’s role, the pressures become especially enormous. She’s mastered the art of spotting trends, but what about more practical things, like social media?  

“I feel like social media has come along and made everything very difficult because brands are just obsessed with numbers. It puts us under insane pressure,” says Zoë. “And what breaks my heart is that to satisfy the KPIs people want now is not necessarily about being creative. So, I can do a really beautiful shoot, and it will flop, while someone will film themselves clowning around, and it will attract a big audience. I know that’s how it works, but I just can’t bring myself to do that.”

“Five, 10 years ago, my Instagram used to represent who I was and I’d never lose the job. Now I feel like I have to produce work that I hope will satisfy some brands and I’m not sure I can do that while maintaining my integrity. I grew up doing beauty shoots with Tatler and Glamour and everything looked editorial and pretty, but that doesn’t work on social media. Things have got to be shot through a phone and look raw, and I think a lot of hairdressers of my generation really struggle with that rawness.”

Teaching and inspiring young hairdressers is a passion of Zoë’s – and one that has never diminished throughout her career. In 2002 she co-launched Project X for the Fellowship for British Hairdressing, a programme that encouraged aspiring young stylists to incorporate influences such as art and architecture into their work. Now, the Fellowship have asked her to return, in a new role that will see her look after the organisation’s colour teams.

“Initially they asked me if I wanted to go back into Project X, but I was like, ‘You know what? I want to do something different’. So, I want to do colour, but I want to do colour my way, and I’m really excited about it. I find education very fulfilling. I have people come up to me and say, ‘I did your class 25 years ago, and I still really love it’. And the other day someone came up to me from Headmasters and said, ‘Everyone wants you back for a seminar’. When I’m teaching people, that’s where my complete obsession with hair comes across.”

Having recently moved out of London to Hastings, where she’s been able to buy her home outright (“I had found myself taking on jobs I didn’t want to do because of needing money, so I decided to take away that worry”), Zoë is finding a sense of fulfilment in this new phase of her career, people-watching on her commute to work and studying life-coaching. “Things feel more peaceful,” she says. “I have the luxury of time to really look at things that I’m interested in.”

And when she looks back at her incredible 40-year career to date, Zoë feels nothing but happiness. “I feel like relationships are formed in hairdressing that are truly magical – we’re like a family that has basically grown up together. And this industry has always allowed me to go outside, explore other worlds, and then bring what I’ve learned back into the fold. It’s always given me the freedom that I’ve wanted, and I have never, ever been bored. I’ve been accepted.”