Expert advice for launching an international career
Published
03rd Mar 2013
by rachael
Working abroad can be an amazing opportunity for any hairdresser, helping to grow your career on an international scale and see the world at the same time.And you don't need to have the backing of a huge chain to see your career go global - we spoke to three stylists from smaller independent salons to find out how they got involved with flying the flag for British hairdressing across the world.
Robert Eaton, Russell Eaton salons, Yorkshire
How did you start walking with Wella Professionals on an international scale?
I have been working with Wella Professionals since November and have been very fortunate to work for them on projects both in the UK and internationally.
I have worked in Berlin with them and I'm also part of their Global Fusion project which means I will be working on hair seminars with a team from Germany and Italy. We'll be producing a hair show in each country that illustrates our unique styles of work and how they differ - this will combine not only artistic inspiration for the audience but also business ideas from each country as well.
I have worked my way gradually to the position I am now in where I get the opportunity to work internationally and as I have gained experience and knowledge in this area I have been asked to work on these events more.
My first ever opportunity came when working with Sebastian Professional when I was around 18 - I went to America to learn from mentors there and gained advice from Robert Lobetta. After becoming part of the FAME team in 2003 I began to gain more experience of international work when as a team we presented in Italy, Estonia and Australia. I've also worked with L'Oreal Professionnel in Paris.
How hard is it to balance your salon work with presenting internationally?
It can be difficult as our main focus is always our business, but it's great to work outside the salon and gain inspiration from others salons, hairdressers and countries. It's all about getting the right balance of salon work and creative opportunities.
Is your international travel something you promote within the salon?
Yes we always talk about it to clients and they love to hear about things we do as a team and events I have worked on. It really helps to raise the profile of the salon and our reputation in our area and being able to work with large brands is great for our clients to hear about.
How does your work abroad motivate the other team members?
It really helps to inspire our team and creates a real buzz in the salon when we have a show or seminar in the UK or abroad. For us it's very important to develop a culture of creativity and for our team to have goals to strive towards - such as working with Wella Professionals on events - really helps us achieve this.
How do you think your work abroad has helped your career?
It has developed my skills as hairdresser and presenter a lot and given me a great knowledge of how different hairdressers work in different countries. All of this has then filtered back into our team making our business stronger.
Angelo Vallilo, Zullo and Holland, Nottingham
How did you become an international artist?
A mixture of luck and hard work. The guys from Salerm saw me perform on the Fellowship stage at Salon International last year. They did some research into Zullo & Holland and my career to date and fortunately, seemed to like what they found. I went to meet them a few times in Barcelona, culminating in a trial show. Then they asked me to do some shows for them.
To get this far has taken years of slog; working hard and developing my own signature style that is original enough so other hairdressers want to watch. I don't think anyone, even at established London salons, gets opportunities like this handed to them on a plate. You have to accept it takes hard work.
Which countries have you travelled to with work?
So far, just Spain. But I'm off to Latin America later in the year.
How hard is it to balance your salon work with presenting internationally?
That is tricky. You're building a brand at home and you can't compromise on that for the excitement of overseas travel, however tempting it is - clients have to come first. Besides salon work, I also do education for Sebastian UK, which I love, so I plan everything meticulously to avoid conflicts. You can't leave everything to the last minute. I start planning my shows the minute they are booked, even if they are months away.
Is your international travel something you promote within the salon?
I promote everything I do within the salon; our clients are interested in what we get up to and they are more confident in us knowing that we do education, shows and shoots. It proves to them that we are as good as we say we are and that, as well as good service, they are going to get the best cut and colour at Zullo & Holland.
How does your work abroad motivate the other team members?
There's always the chance that one of the team will come with me to assist when I travel, which raises the stakes a bit. But just being part of a team that does things like London Fashion Week, as we do, is motivating. And I guess they have a real-life example in front of them of what you can achieve with commitment to your craft and relentless hard work. Knowing guys like Akin Konizi and Shay Dempsey has certainly motivated me.
How do you think your work abroad has developed you as a hairdresser?
It's another string to your bow and it keeps you on your toes. You can't ever get complacent at international level. It's also good for the Zullo & Holland brand. It's early days yet, so I don't know where it will lead, but I've been given this opportunity. I'm grateful and I'm going to make the most of it.
Kelly Scott, Strands Hairdressing, Portsmouth
How did you become a Redken international artist?
It all came about at one of our annual awards ceremonies. At the time, we were collaborating with a few local salons to help motivate our staff and held a group event. I was working together with two other stylists to create promotional pictures and at the awards we presented our work with models to the guests.
We'd invited the general manager and education manager for Redken and they approached us after the ceremony and asked us to help out on shows in our local area. Following on from this, they asked me how I felt about getting more involved in education and I jumpe
d at the chance. They taught me how to facilitate and express my ideas and it really all took off from here.
After being involved in seminars and educating in the UK, I attended the Redken Symposium in Las Vegas and met a lot of amazing people over there, talking about the work I'd been doing and as a result, they requested me to go abroad and work with them. Once you start travelling internationally and getting jobs abroad, you begin to be requested for even more work and it develops from there.
Which countries have you travelled to with work?
I've done a lot of work in the US, especially in Las Vegas and New York which is great! Europe is another destination that we work in regularly - I've educated in Switzerland several times along with Sweden and Spain. We also did a week long tour of South Africa, which was incredible.
How hard is it to balance your salon work with presenting internationally?
I'm really fortunate that Pauline, the founder of Strands Hairdressing, is incredibly supportive of my international work. What's great about Redken is that I usually get all my dates at the start of the year, so I plan my diary and my clients around when I'm going away. Luckily my clients are also really excited about my international work so if I have to call up and rearrange appointments they're completely understanding. It does take a lot of commitment and hard work when you're working nights prepping hair, travelling on Sunday and working through the night but it's something I absolutely love doing so it's not work for me!
Is your international travel something you promote within the salon?
Absolutely - Pauline and the team are really passionate about what I do and it helps make our salon stand out. I'm naturally quite humble so it isn't something I'll shout about but all my clients are aware of my work abroad as inevitably I'll have had to call them and reschedule an appointment because I'm travelling! They're all really enthusiastic about my work and constantly asking where I've been and where I'm going next and I think it excites them that they're having their hair cut and coloured by somebody who's worked internationally doing hairdressing.
How does your work abroad motivate the other team members?
The team appreciate having somebody in the salon that they can work with who works internationally because the information, the knowledge and the experience I bring back is invaluable for them. If I learn anything new, I'm always really excited to come back and share it with the team. They gain that extra knowledge and it also raises the profile of the salon nationally. Because I work internationally with Redken colour, obviously if they have any questions about formulations or if there's something they're not sure of, I'm always their first port of call.
How do you think your work abroad has helped your career?
I love Strands, I love the team and I love working with my clients but experiencing different cultures, different countries and getting the chance to meet amazing people plus work with amazing talents is an incredible thing. Educating abroad has definitely helped me grow as I've had the opportunity to work with amazingly talented people - it's also made me more confident and competent as an artist. Travelling alone to South Africa could be quite an intimidating thing but having the opportunity to do it helped grow my confidence. I really believe the experience has developed my skills and made me a better hairdresser. The fact that Strands Hairdressing is a small salon group in Portsmouth but that our work as a team and my work internationally mean that we're known in the industry and on a national level is really rewarding.