AWARD FOR INNOVATION
For an original initiative benefitting hair professionals and/or the industry at large
CATEGORY SPONSOR
Naomi Brooks
for The Hair Sanctuary Training Group
The Hair Sanctuary provides knowledge and skills around textured haircare for children in foster care, working in partnership with local councils and foster homes. “When children are placed with foster carers from different ethnic backgrounds, they struggle to care for their hair, and carers struggle to advise and support them due to lack of experience,” Naomi explains. The company’s aim is to ensure that Black and mixed heritage children in care feel accepted, encouraged, and proud of their identity.
Category finalists: Louis Byrne for I Can I Am and I Will; Tom Chapman for The Power of Pop-ups; Maddi Cook for Boss Your Profits; Ruth Lundstrom for The Freelance Suite
BEST CLIENT EXPERIENCE
For outstanding customer service
CATEGORY SPONSOR
Linton & Mac
Aberdeen
Launched in 2015 by Jenn Linton and Joanna MacDonald, Linton & Mac prides itself on offering a “uplifting, contemporary and vibrant” salon experience. Complimentary prosecco, cocktails of the season; all can be enjoyed by customers and each appointment includes added time for a consultation, which gives stylists the opportunity to give clients styling tips for home and targeted advice based on their hair and lifestyle. When can we go?
Category finalists: Edward James London, London; Samantha Cusick London, London; STIL, London; YOKE, Plymouth
BEST LOCAL SALON
For the pillar of a local community
CATEGORY SPONSOR
The Head Gardener
Inverness
At this hot spot in the Scottish Highlands, you’ll find promises on the wall for clients including messages of kindness, patience, and compassion. The Head Gardener has a decade-long relationship with the Highland Hospice, which the salon supports through fundraising and in-patient hair services. There is also a ‘VIP room’ with a private entrance for vulnerable and anxious clients and an annual charity fashion show has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds to date. This salon truly gives back to the community.
Category finalists: Buller and Rice, London; The Hair Base, Gorleston; McGills Hairdressing, Edinburgh; Medusa, Edinburgh
BEST NEW SALON
For a new or revamped space with a unique sense of style
CATEGORY SPONSOR
Massarella + Jones
Leamington Spa
The brainchild of owners Jordan Massarella and Ben Jones, Massarella + Jones, first opened its doors in Warwick in the midst of lockdown but just 16 months later, with clients flocking through the doors and a growing team, the duo began expansion plans and in December 2022, they relocated to a bigger Leamington Spa location. In a nod to its period surroundings, the interior sports Regency-inspired details but with a contemporary twist. Eclectic, homely, cosy and comfortable with a flair of fun, the touches throughout the salon have been carefully curated to make those that enter feel welcomed and leave inspired.
Category finalists: Buller and Rice, London; douce, Cambridge; Haug London Haus, London; House of Bad Apple, Birmingham
BEST SALON TEAM
For teamwork at its best
CATEGORY SPONSOR
Ena Salon
London
Ena Salon was opened in 2009 by Johnny Othona and Pedro Inchecko. Last year, they introduced a Kindness campaign to change salon culture and improve wellbeing. It included life-coaching for the leadership team, teaching them how to lead their teams with passion and purpose, in-house nutritionists, financial advice, and much more. Ena also offers ways for the team to connect and grow physically via activities such as hiking and wild swimming.
Category finalists: Architect Hair, Leeds; Bloggs Salons, Bristol; Fry + Dean, London; Samantha Cusick London, London
BUSINESS THINKER
For the owner or director demonstrating a fresh approach to business
CATEGORY SPONSOR
Lee Nash-Jones and Rob White
Nashwhite
Lee Nash-Jones and Rob White started their brand Nashwhite in 2010. Fast-forward 13 years and they have two destination spaces in Warwick and Stratford-upon-Avon, 30 employees and a turnover in the millions. Their largest space, the Heist House opened in 2021 as the “ultimate community destination”, it’s a space where stylists, clients, freelancers, and locals mix. A synergy of hair, coffee, yoga, events, photography, work, and hair education, it’s the community that creates the space, and the fresh concept has boosted business profits, too.
Category finalists: Pedro Inchecko and Johnny Othona, Ena Salon; Colin McAndrew, Medusa; Nuala Morey, Nuala Morey; Nicholas Nicola, Allertons
COLOUR EXPERT
For a colourist demonstrating striking skill and vision
CATEGORY SPONSOR
Grace Dalgleish
Grace doesn’t play by the rules with colour, instead favouring hue combinations that clash and stand out from the crowd. “I believe that we shouldn’t be limited to just a tint brush,” she says, which is how her Process Paint technique began. From London Fashion Week to editorial work, Grace always strives to create something new and dynamic.
Category finalists: Jordanna Cobella, Cobella; Daniel Couch, Russell Eaton; Harriet Stokes; Lydia Wolfe, Jack & the Wolfe
CREATIVE TALENT
For a senior team member shaping the creative direction of a hairdressing or barbering business
CATEGORY SPONSOR
Grace Dalgleish
Billi Currie
An editorial colourist, global educator, and creative director at Billi Currie, Grace’s mission is two-pronged: to help hairdressers open their minds to colour, and to tailor services to her clients. This has already been a huge year for Grace, who worked on Schwarzkopf Professional Essential Looks campaign and was named ambassador for yuv. Now, she has two Most Wanted wins to add to a major list of accomplishments!
Category finalists: Bartek Cass, Smiths Soho; Efi Davies, TONI&GUY Academy; Danilo Giangreco, Danilo Hair Boutique; Richard Phillipart, The Boutique Atelier
EDUCATION EXPERT
For exceptional hairdressing education
CATEGORY SPONSOR
Conor James Doyle
Conor James Education
Dunlavin-based Conor is on a mission to fix education for neurodiverse hairdressers. “I have found 55 per cent of our industry is diagnosed with, or can relate to, neurodiversity,” he says. He’s lectured at schools and industry events to talk about awareness, coping mechanisms and provides fun, alternative approaches to education so every stylist can learn, no matter what.
Category finalists: Chris Foster; Sarah-Louise Keane, SLK Education; Laura Leigh Kerr, Rainbow Room Academy; Harriet Stokes
HAIR TREND
For the best trend-led image of the year
CATEGORY SPONSOR
Anne Veck
If Ginger from Scarface embraced pretty pastels, this is the look she’d rock. Both iconic and forward-facing, it’s a finish you can predict will be all over clients’ Pinterest boards. The blend, the bevel-edged bottom, the beauty – Anne nailed it.
Category finalists: Grace Dalgleish; Adam Garland; Rudi Rizzo, Sanrizz; Darrel Starkey, Taylor’s Hair Studio
INDEPENDENT STYLIST
For the freelance hair professional with a first-class profile
CATEGORY SPONSOR
Chris Foster
Chris has collaborated with Vogue, Fendi, Gucci, Adidas, Christian Dior… the list goes on. He has a plethora of celebrity clients on his books, he’s a pro on the show circuit, and he’s made in-roads in movies, most notably Hollywood blockbuster, Suicide Squad. Big jobs aside, Chris’s story is, in his own words, one of “transformation” – a journey that took him from East London rookie to top celebrity stylist.
Category finalists: Louis Byrne; Laura Chadwick; Lisa Farrall; Adam Garland
MEN’S HAIR SPECIALIST
For ground-breaking work in men’s hair
CATEGORY SPONSOR
Chris Foster
From Hackney to Harrods, Chris has experienced many different hair environments throughout his career. Despite plentiful accolades, including working with top designers on shoots and runway shows, education and mentorship remain his personal pillars. “I believe in sharing my knowledge and experience with the next generation, fostering their growth and encouraging their journeys,” he says.
Category finalists: Charlie Cullen; Tariq Howes, Avenue Male Grooming; Dexter Dapper Johnson, TONI&GUY; Rino Riccio, Manifesto
SESSION STYLIST
For the most exciting hair professional working in fashion
CATEGORY SPONSOR
Adam Reed
He may have brought a new product range to market and a new salon to town, but Adam’s still found the time to uphold his session styling credentials. Editorial credits include ELLE, i-D, InStyle, Nylon, Sunday Times Style and Vogue, and he’s worked for big brands such as Agent Provocateur, Boodles, Diptyque, Erdem and Harvey Nichols. Add to the wow-factor collaborations with iconic photographers David Bailey, Nick Knight and Annie Leibovitz, and an A-list clientele listing the likes of Diane Kruger, Madonna, and Sarah Jessica Parker, and you have a first-class session styling stalwart.
Category finalists: Luke Hersheson; Eugene Souleiman; Rio Sreedharan; Anthony Turner
SUSTAINABILITY HERO
For a business owner championing a greener way to work
CATEGORY SPONSOR
Lorraine Naughton
OB-1 Hair
OB-1 Hair in Maynooth has deep-dived into its recycling this year, establishing individual bins for hair, PPE, plastic, metal, and colour. As a result, it has smashed its goal of sending zero waste to landfill. A €2 green fee across all salon services funds its sustainability journey and makes clients aware of green goals. Even hair waste is reused – being made into booms to clean up oil spills. Five green stars!
Category finalists: Stephen Buller and Anita Rice, Buller and Rice; Nicole Hewitt, The Salon Of Chi; Lois Mant, Muse Hairdressing; Laraine Rose, Twelve Hair Design
TEXTURE EXPERT
For stand-out work in textured hair
CATEGORY SPONSOR
Lisa Farrall
Lisa is on a hair equality mission, with the aim of seeing all salons and stylists educated in all hair textures. She’s passionate about teaching others how to work with every hair type through her brand WIG London, taking training into colleges and hair businesses all over the world. In addition to education, Lisa is in demand by some of the globe’s biggest names, having styled the likes of Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, and Harry Styles, is a regular on film sets and you may have even spotted her in front of the camera as a judge on E4’s series, The Big Blow Out.
Category finalists: Vivi Dague, Stanley Watts Greenwich; Rianna Henry; Tariq Howes, Avenue Male Grooming; Claire Martin
HAIR ICON
For the most influential hair professional of 2023
CATEGORY SPONSOR
Duffy
Duffy got his grounding in hair with a three-year apprenticeship at Vidal Sassoon – a start most budding stylists can only dream of. Thereafter, he was taken under the wing of stylist icon Eugene Souleiman, who showed him the work that can be achieved outside the salon doors, work that now includes countless international fashion week team leads and cover shoots, most recently for Vogue Italia and Dazed. Youth and subcultures inform Duffy’s acclaimed work, his muses are diverse. “Fashion is exclusive, but art is inclusive,” he says.
Category finalists: Sally Brooks; Errol Douglas MBE; Gary Gill; Cyndia Harvey; Syd Hayes; Sophia Hilton; Cos Sakkas; Anthony Turner
LEGEND
Anna Cofone
Independent Stylist winner 2020, 2021, 2022
Called upon by names from Lana Del Rey to Claudia Schiffer, publications including Vogue, Dazed, and Wallpaper*, as well as brands like Isabel Marant, Gucci, NET-A-PORTER, and Sephora, Anna’s wide-reaching artistry is nothing short of sublime. But that’s not all, her heart is as big as her talent – she recently launched HAIR&CARE, dedicated to empowering visually impaired individuals. An industry gem and now a Most Wanted Legend.
LEGEND
Jody Taylor
Men’s Hair Specialist winner 2018, 2020, 2022
Jody is a revolutionary talent in the men’s market, responsible for creating styles that become cult. He has an eye for the effortlessly cool, which has attracted brands such as JORDANLUCA, Vetements and Matches Fashion, titles from Interview to Man About Town and high-profile names including Emma D’Arcy, Jack O’Connell and Callum Turner. Fuelling the fire of other barbers and men’s hair stylists, he also set up Leftside Creative, a talent agency to give these artists a platform to reach their full potential in the fashion world. Proof that nice guys finish first, not last.
LEGEND
Eugene Souleiman
Hair Icon winner 2013, 2018, 2022
An artist in no need of introduction, Eugene limitless creativity has inspired generations of hair professionals, and every one of his creations is an art form, pushing the boundaries of sculpture, texture, and colour. In demand by the world’s most visionary names, including Jean Paul Gaultier, Maison Margiela, Yohji Yamamoto, and Off-White, and gracing cover after cover, and campaign after campaign with his unique aesthetic, Eugene is innovation personified.
LEGEND
Mark Woolley
Business Thinker winner 2016, 2019, 2022
Mark’s business brain is always a beat ahead. His brand, Electric, is supercharged by three salons, a London members club, education, products, and events, all bringing together creatives across the industry and beyond. Meanwhile the Falmer Court head office is a product lab, a farm for ingredients, a studio, and a source of water for manufacturing! A true forward-thinker, Mark understands how to keep things current, and that’s what makes him a Business Thinker Legend.