The Hair industry is lucrative, powerful, entrepreneurial and resilient, with over £6.3bn spent in British hair salons and barber shops every year. And yet hairdressing is still perceived as a low-skill, ‘last resort’ career, rarely promoted as a viable option for school leavers.
THE INDUSTRY – A LIFE IN HAIRDRESSING is a short film documenting seven hair professionals and their career journeys. From a session stylist working for Prada to a colourist who’s become a social media sensation and a barber offering mentoring to kids in his Hackney neighbourhood – and with insight from Streeters agent Charlotte Alexa, Central Saint Martins MA Fashion tutor Louise Gray and session icon Sam McKnight, amongst others – THE INDUSTRY has been made not only to smash stigmas but also to inform, surprise and inspire a wider audience.
Meet the seven hair pros:
Anna Cofone – session stylist working with music stars like Dua Lipa and Lana del Rey
Darcie Harvey – stylist working at London salon Brooks & Brooks
Sophia Hilton – influential colourist and founder of Not Another Salon group
Mark Maciver – barber and founder of SliderCuts
Jody Taylor – award-winning men’s hair specialist
Anthony Turner – session stylist working in fashion featured in Vogue, Interview and V
Ky Wilson – founder of The Social and industry disruptor
THE INDUSTRY shows the reality of a career in hairdressing, highlighting the myriad paths that can be taken and the diversity of choice and opportunity that exists. It also gives important insight into the world away from the salon, revealing what it’s like to work with A-list clients and on big commercial projects.
The film was produced by Creative HEAD’s Special Projects Director Joanna Andersen and directed by acclaimed photographer and director Adam Slama as part of a wider project to address the recruitment crisis currently facing UK hairdressing.
Says Andersen: “It’s a calling card for an incredibly accommodating, varied and lucrative industry that provides huge scope and prospects for people of all ages, but most importantly for school-leavers designing their futures.”
In early May, Creative HEAD will also launch The Industry website (the-industry.co.uk), providing young people and their parents with everything they need to know about a career in hairdressing: the different routes in, the training required, and the world of opportunity that awaits once qualified.
For a taster of the website and to watch THE INDUSTRY documentary in full, please click HERE
Follow @theindustrysquad on Instagram
