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Hairdressers With Honours
Posted by
Kate
Dated: November 8, 2008 2:39 PM
Being recognised for the work you do is always nice. Whether it is a client commenting on the hairstyle you've created, or a manager pointing out your achievements to the team.
For some hairdressers that recognition goes one step further, when the Queen honours them for outstanding achievement.
In recent years, a number of high profile hairdressing talents have been recognised for the work they have done, but earlier awards include an MBE awarded to former managing director of Goldwell Ray Roberts in 1998, for services to the hairdressing industry.
Toni Mascolo
Toni co-founded Toni & Guy 45 years ago with brother Guy, and has gone on to make it one of the most successful salon groups in the world, with more than 7,000 staff worldwide. He will received his OBE in October 2008.
Why do you think you will receive the award?
It was a great honour to receive my Italian Knighthood, but to be granted the OBE is an even greater privilege, as I have lived in the UK since I was 14. I have been lucky to have had a long, exciting and successful career and to be honoured for my contribution to an industry I still feel so passionately about - really is quite overwhelming. Toni & Guy employs more than 7,000 staff globally and is a British brand recognised all over the world. I believe this, along with being the first hairdressing company to franchise and share the success I found with my staff, is why I have been nominated.
What did you do to get it?
My wife Pauline and I set up the Toni & Guy Charitable Foundation in 2003. It is currently raising £700,000 to refurbish a ward at the Variety Club's Children's Hospital, King's College Hospital, London. We also help an orphanage in my native home, Italy.
How did it feel when you found out?
It really is a privilege and I am delighted to have received such an honour.
Is it important that hairdressers get recognised?
Absolutely! Hairdressing is a huge industry that employs thousands of people in the UK alone. I think hairdressing has finally been recognised as a serious career choice and as a business that makes a crucial contribution to the British economy.
Who would you like to see get an award?
There are many talented hairdressers that deserve recognition, but if I could nominate anyone, it would be my daughter, Sacha. She is an inspiration to me and her energy and enthusiasm are endless. To achieve success is hard, but to stay at the top of your industry is infinitely harder.
Nicky Clarke
Why do you think you received the award?
Officially it says for services to the industry, but I'm not sure what for. It came completely out of the blue and it's nice because it's not something you can work towards. We had a work experience girl opening the post and she rang my partner Lesley and said Downing Street had written offering me an OAP! We worked it out and couldn't believe it!
What did you do to get it?
I have contributed to helping change people's perceptions of the industry and helped people understand that British hairdressing leads the world. It's odd to think that people like Vidal Sassoon have never been honoured, even though we know how much he did for the industry. It is only recently that hairdressers have been recognised.
How did it feel when you found out?
I was very proud and very nervous. You don't expect a boy brought up in a council house to be presented to the Queen. I took my mum with me, which was great as my dad had been awarded the military equivalent after the war and she hadn't had the chance to go with him.
Is it important for hairdressers to be recognised?
It's great to receive industry awards, but to be recognised by the public is something special. It wasn't just for me, it was for a movement of people - Leonard and Vidal Sassoon changed hairdressing, as did Raymonde before them. Attitudes have changed and it is normal for hairdressers to be part of the community.
Who would you like to see get an award?
Leonard and Vidal Sassoon because most successful hairdressers started their career with them. They both had a distinct look and from them came the likes of John Frieda, Daniel Galvin and Trevor Sorbie.
Trevor Sorbie
Trevor Sorbie was made an MBE in March 2004.
Why do you think you received the award?
For my services to and promotion of the British hairdressing industry through my shows, seminars and charity work.
What did you do to get it?
It was the biggest surprise in my hairdressing career. I really didn't think that I would be worthy of an honour from the Queen but happily others did.
How did it feel when you found out?
I don't actually open my mail on a daily basis, I do it from week to week, usually every Saturday. I have a fear of the mail box, thinking it will contain bad news which is why I leave it. When I received the brown envelope from the Prime Minister I thought I had done something seriously bad, only to find out that my name had been forwarded for an MBE. I nearly fell off my chair. To think that a little boy from Paisley, Scotland, was even considered for an MBE! I was truly flabbergasted.
Is it important that hairdressers get recognised?
It's important that this industry has been recognised, particularly as hairdressers put so much time and dedication into developing their skills. It's fantastic when people acknowledge the skill and passion some people have put in to this creative industry.
Who would you like to see get an award and why?
I wouldn't like to say at this moment. I think it will be a few more years before I could recommend someone that would deserve such an honour.
Charles Worthington
Media favourite Charles, who has four salons in London, was made an MBE in 2006.
Why do you think you received the award?
The MBE was awarded to me for services to hairdressing. I have always recognised how important it is to give back in life, and share your knowledge with others. This is something I have done with my team, so I share this great accolade wholeheartedly with them.
What did you do to get it?
You are not informed of why, but I'm sure it must be a combination of many things that I have done and been involved with in our industry.
How did it feel when you found out?
I found out on my birthday, while on a beach in the Turks and Caicos. The letter was presented to me over breakfast, so to say I was lost for words is an understatement. I had to read it through a couple of times before it sank in and was overwhelmed with excitement and shock. The frustrating thing is that when you first find out you are not allowed to tell anyone until it is made official, which is really difficult!
Is it important that hairdressers get recognised?
British hairdressing has been a huge part of my life and I believe passionately that our industry is the best in the world, therefore any recognition that heightens the profile of British hairdressing is a great thing.
Who would you like to see get an award?
I work closely with the charity Look Good Feel Better and recently filmed a DVD for them. The work the team do there is selfless and the ladies who agreed to be a part of this project to help and support other cancer sufferers like themselves were truly inspiring. They are the unsung heroes in my eyes who deserve all of our recognition.
Beverly C
Beverly is the only woman to win HJ's British Hairdresser of the Year title twice and is in demand around the world. She was made an MBE in May 2008.
Why do you think you received the award?
No-one ever really knows why these awards are bestowed, which is part of why they're so special, but I'd like to think it's because of my commitment, achievements in hairdressing, and my role in pushing women to the forefront of our industry. I think I was one of the first women to make people sit up and take notice.
What did you do to get it?
To be honest it's all a bit of a mystery. It's not something you can apply for, or particularly work towards, so the exact reason is never clear. Obviously, I have been active in changing the way women are perceived in our industry, involved in charity work, helped raise the public profile of the hairdressing industry as a whole and I'm committed to educating and mentoring wherever I can - in the UK and globally.
How did it feel when you found out?
Amazing! I was totally staggered but completely elated. I think I was in shock for a while though, and I even thought the initial call might be a wind-up.
Is it important that hairdressers get recognised?
It's important that anybody who works tirelessly in their chosen career gets recognised and appreciated - whether they are teachers, hairdressers, doctors or dustmen. A person who puts 100% into everything they do, not just for personal gain, but for the greater good, deserves to be applauded. And, of course, anything that recognises hairdressing as an important profession is extremely valuable.
Who would you like to see get an award?
The kind of characters the successful businesspeople meet on Channel 4's The Secret Millionaire. They always astound me in their selflessness and generosity to others. People who spend their free time and often their own money helping those less fortunate, like the homeless, disabled children, the elderly. If they don't deserve a medal I don't know who does.
Errol Douglas
Errol Douglas, from Errol Douglas salon in London's Knightsbridge, received an MBE in February this year.
Why do you think you received the award?
I think it was for my commitment to education, charity work and endless shows abroad.
What did you do to get it?
I was never aware it was on the table - it was the furthest thing from my mind. To be honest I'll probably never know exactly why I got it or even who put me forward for it.
How did it feel when you found out?
I was in shock for about three or four days. It took a long time for it to sink in. When the letter arrived with the Queen's emblem I thought I was in trouble with the Revenue!
Is it important that hairdressers get recognised?
Of course. For me to receive this is an incredible boost to the industry. It's not an award for Errol Douglas, it's an award for the industry and something that's great for all of us. Hairdressers are an integral part of the community and should be recognised as such.
Who would you like to see get an award?
Anthony Mascolo, for his undying love and energy for this industry.
Graham Webb
Founder of the Graham Webb salon chain and product company, Graham was made an MBE in 2005.
Why do you think you received the award?
I can only go by the citation - for services to business and charity work. I have often wondered what was the actual trigger as I am a Kent ambassador appointed by my county, and was co-founder of one of America's biggest haircare companies, so perhaps there was a recognition there for me as an international entrepreneur?
What did you do to get it?
I assume it might have been for my financial contributions from my autobiography sales to a number of charities. I was also the chairman of the Appeal for the NSPCC 'Full Stop' campaign in Kent, and have been a trustee of the Kent Association for Spina Bifida & Hydrocephalus.
How did it feel when you found out?
Shocked, amazed, proud and emotional! My final school report stated, "Lazy, silly, bone idle... and apparently content to remain so!"
Is it important that hairdressers get recognised?
Yes. It may help to sway those usual perceptions of people in our great industry.
Who would you like to see get an award?
Joshua Galvin. He was integral to the touring and exporting of British hairdressers to other countries.
- Which hairdressers would you like to see honoured? Have your say on the My HJi hairdressing forum
- Full details of the honours nomination process
Tags: Beverly C , Charles Worthington , Nicky Clarke , Toni Mascolo , Trevor Sorbie
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