This week we were thrilled to present our Learn ABout evening of information and inspiration that heralds the return of our much-loved LAB event for 2024. Running on demand since 2018, we love to gather like-minded hairdressers to share, and inform, educate and motivate each other.
The premise of the LAB (made from Learn ABout) is to invite forward-thinking professionals for all walks of hairdressing, both creative and business-minded, to share thoughts on whatever they want. From the important and timely, to the conceptual or entertaining. We offer a platform to simply be what you want to be. We have small audience and invite our guests to take 15 minutes in the spotlight and share what’s on their mind. We don’t set the agenda – the magic is in inviting great speakers who between them, create a compelling conversation.
The LAB: Hammersmith 19 June
For the first event of the year, we invited 7 different guest to share a platform. The evening was hosted by Respect For Hair and sponsored by Vagaro. it’s important to have open-minded, dynamic sponsors for an evening of free speech, and Vagaro were totally onboard. After all, like Respect For Hair, Vagaro is a brand which is synonymous with building community. Vagaro is an online platform for salons, spas and individuals to promote their business. Delivering innovation and practicality directly into your hands – they could be your partners to a brighter future. Just like us!
Hosting the evening for Respect For Hair, Nicky Pope introduced our speakers as follows. You can click the links to share what they said – and we hope you’ll agree it was quite a line-up.
Darren Ambrose
Darren Ambrose is the epitome of a creative hairdresser. Since joining the industry in the 90s, he and his wife Jacki have taken the D&J Ambrose brand to some of the most exciting and inspiring events; from designer shows, to massive arena stages around the world. At their salon in West London they have nurtured many more great hairdressers, too. At the LAB this evening, Darren talked to us about his take on authenticity in creativity.
Edward Hemmings
Edward Hemmings is our go-to for information on education in hairdressing! Edward is creative director and director of education at the Alan D academies in London and Ipswich. He joined The LAB to talk about students and how to understand what it means to be an apprentice these days. It’s quite a firey topic but Edward was clear, kind and enlightening.
Billi Currie
Billi Currie is a name of repute in hairdressing. He spent 25 years with Vidal Sassoon, and then has for the past 18 years run a boutique salon with his wife Debbie, in London’s Fitzrovia district. Billi has proven himself a person of substance, impressing with his ability to negotiate change and pivot – to coin a phrase. As a salon owner, he has accepted the interest of hairdressers in many new ways of working from session styling, travelling for education, becoming freelance. He joined The LAB to talk about running a salon in 2024 and what this means.
Hair & Care
Hair & Care is a CIC (a community interest company) which benefits a community rather than private shareholders. It was established, and is run, by Anna Cofone – a session stylist most often associated with the likes of Lana Del Rey and Dua Lipa. She is devoted to helping the Visually Impaired (or VI ) community and has set up a Hair & Care workshop programme offering blind or partially blind women and s help in personal grooming. Anna needs hairdressers to grow the network, and money to underpin it. Her team at The LAB was led by Fiona Quinn who shared how we can all help.
Jo Irving
Jo Irving is a gift. A hairdresser and session stylist, a salon owner and educator, Jo has become a seriously amazing person to know for mental wellbeing. Not just because she’s delightful, but she’s evolved to become a meditation teacher, business coach and retreat host. She empowers hair professionals to know themselves better and manage this mad world more robustly and happily. Listen to her talk about the importance of well-being in hairdressing.
Charity Hudnall
Charity Hudnall is a fierce marketeer in the best sense of the word. Despite living in the States, over the past 12 months, she’s showed up in UK hairdressing here there and everywhere in her desire to get to know our industry. This woman is unstoppable. She’s super interesting and personable, too so we were thrilled to have her on our roster. Representing Vgaro and expressing the brand’s passion, she reminded us how you can partner with a salon brand to build yourself a more secure future.
Nicky Clarke
Our final guest was Nicky Clarke OBE. He needs little introduction, as we all know him well. Or do we? As a guest at The LAB NIcky was super-interesting for the many stories and recollections of being hairdresser who looks after celebrities and has become one himself. Over the past 4 or more decades, Nicky has been at the top of his game. We talked with him about reinvention and keeping it real in such a mad world. We all learned a lot!
THANK YOU
The LAB is about community. Coming together and sharing. It’s this simple. Our evenings presenting The LAB require our great sponsors – thanks again to Vagaro. And our audience on the night. Thanks to the likes of Cos Saakas, Andrew Jose, Jamie Brooks, Sean Hanna and many others who dropped in for a chat and to share the experience. And to you for following us online and on our socials. Together we are stronger! Search #RespectLAB24 for more.
If you’d like to attend a LAB evening, drop us a note info@ihaa.co.uk
And if you’re a brand who’d like to sponsor and evening then do send an enquiry to Nicky@ihaa.co.uk
For more of the latest industry news click here
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Respect is a hub for UK hairdressers of all ages and stages to find out what We Love, We Hear and We See as the best product launches, styling advice, hairtools, education training and seminars and hairshows! Sign up to our newsletter which is sent fortnightly direct to your email, so you stay up-to-date with salon styling information, trends in session work, advice on presenting on stage or progress in educating- whatever your interest, whether you’re a trainee or creative director, an educator or team leader, you’ll find all the opportunities and ideas on www.respectyou.me
