DAY TWO: CHARLES WORTHINGTON – 30 YEARS A HAIRDRESSER #salonsmart17
Celebrating three decades in business, hairdressing legend Charles Worthington MBE was undoubtedly a major coup for Salon Smart 2017 – and his interview with Creative HEAD publisher, Catherine Handcock, went down a storm with guests! Genuinely one of the nicest people in the industry, Charles shared his story of how he turned his back on his previous dream career – he wanted to be an architect but hated the maths! – to be a hairdresser, having fallen in love with the passion he saw in his friends in the business (oh, and he used to be Tim Hartley’s model at Vidal Sassoon in Leeds!).
Having worked at Stage Door in London – where he was one of the first stylists to start combining salon work with session styling for London Fashion Week, thanks to client Betty Jackson – Charles and partner Allen Peters set out to find the perfect location for Charles’s first salon… an old fish shop in Fitzrovia that had to be gutted to eliminate the pong! They had just £9,000 to make it work, and so embraced a minimal aesthetic before it was fashionable to stretch their budget.
Two more London salons followed, as did the iconic product line with its elliptical bottles (a result of Charles doodling on a pad while thinking there was a gap in the hair care market). Then he opened the incredible New York salon to help push his product line in the US: “It doesn’t work if you just dip your toe into the US – they want to see you there,” he explained. “We were in THAT moment – the Sex and the City girls, Madonna, Britney…”. He even won over US Vogue editor Anna Wintour in the process, and got a double page spread in the issue (see left) and an invitation to the Met Ball, where he was serenaded by Diana Ross! Academy Awards, Golden Globes and Bafta styling followed (he shared an incredible story about Sharon Stone, whom he said was great fun – read Creative HEAD May to find out the details!) – all which he put down to tenacity, doggedly getting his name out there to editors and TV producers.
The salon brand is synonymous with amazing service and beautiful hair – Charles puts this down to his twin track training, which puts communications up there alongside the craft of hair. “The team are all rounders, and the clients really enjoy going through the whole journey with one person,” he said.
The lucky Lisa Faulk, winner of our Salon Smart selfie competition, receiving a bottle of bubbly from Charles
Following a clip of Charles receiving his MBE from the Queen (“In the craziness of the moment I turned my back on her – you’re not meant to do that – and I heard everyone gasp,” he winced, joking that he was worried about being beheaded), he was asked three questions: Greatest business challenge? “Setting up that first salon.” Biggest lesson? “Live in the moment and enjoy the journey.” A last piece of advice? “Always remember the client is king, and don’t take anyone for granted.” Bravo, Mr Worthington!