Up close and personal with andrew collinge - legends lounge

As the owner of a thriving eight-salon group as well as training academies for salons across the north-west as well as a recently released product range, two-times British Hairdresser of the Year Andrew Collinge had plenty of stories to share with his Legends Lounge audience at Salon International.     As a multiple award-winner at the British Hairdressing Awards, including two British titles, Andrew focused on the importance of competitions for making an impact in the hairdressing industry and explained that they were the reason his big break into television came about. At the time, This Morning was filmed in Liverpool and they contacted HJ to ask for a recommendation for a local hairdresser. Andrew was the current Midlands Hairdresser of the Year (would now be North West Hairdresser of the Year by today’s criteria) so he was invited in for a pilot show. He and wife Liz were given an hour’s slot for a makeover that included cut, colour and make-up. Realising this could not be achieved, they coloured the underside of the hair the day before and when it came to the big reveal they flicked it over to wear it the other way. The result was dramatic and led to them being given the makeover slot on a regular basis and receiving 4,000 letters from excited people wanting to be transformed. Later This Morning moved to London at which time Andrew and Liz opened a makeover studio in Harrods to cater for the demand of women looking for a change of image. Away from the glare of television, the salons and training academies are at the centre of the Collinge brand. Having been launched by his father Peter, who recently turned 90, it’s renowned as a family business and Andrew admitted that there was a bit of a concern as to what the next step was as none of their children had entered the hairdressing industry. But recently his son, Charlie, who was experienced in developing brands and their online platforms, entered the business and his vision and change of outlook that has already brought about change to bring the brand up to date in the digital era. Meanwhile education remains Andrew’s big passion. He’s immensely proud of his two graduate salons, where third year students work as they complete their education and nervous, but excited about the forthcoming changes to hairdressing education: “it’s going to raise standards and that has got to be a positive thing for the industry,” he concluded.