Adventures of a global hair ambassador

After finding his passion for hairdressing aged just three years old, Jonathan Andrew's love for the hair industry hasn't wavered since. What has been your career journey so far? At 14, I worked at my uncle's salon and by 17 I had left school and moved to central London to work full time. I stayed in the family business for six years until my next role in the Jamie Stevens salon, where my passion for men's hairdressing came alive. I went freelance in 2018 and haven't looked back since! What do you do in your role as Fudge global ambassador? My role is unique. It involves areas such as product development, creativity – including art direction for campaigns and shoots – attending events, and education for distributors in the UK and Europe. You're now a freelance hairdresser, how did that move come about? It was an interesting move for me. Although I've been self-employed for most of my career, I was always working in salons for someone. When my daughter was born, I had the realisation that I need to provide for someone else. It got me out of my comfort zone and pushed me to make the move I'd been dreaming about. What are the career challenges you've faced? My first challenge was progressing from behind the chair to do more shoots and education. I feel that there are two worlds within hairdressing – the hairdressing stars (before social media) and the new generation of experts who are known through social media and their huge followings. Also, when you have ambassador commitments, maintaining your client base can be a challenge. What's next for Jonathan Andrew? We're planning our next series of 'In the Chair' and I've just finished a pilot hair-based celebrity podcast with a mainstream national media company. I'm currently working across three television shows that will air over the coming year and I have lots of travelling and education lined up in my diary too! See the full article in the June issue of HJ. Did you catch our ‘Adventures of a Product Alchemist’ with Paul Windle? What about our 'Adventures of a New Salon Owner' with Marney Lian from Gritt London? Stay tuned for more 'Adventures of a...'