In 2017, as our contract with one of the big 5 product houses was ending, we started looking at other suppliers. In fact, for the first time ever, some actually looked for us! With a growing Social Media output & recognition from the industry, we were an attractive proposition for the right company. Not since our early days with Schwarzkopf had anyone recognised that we didn’t just train people, what we did was create the next generation of ambassadors for that particular product.

To explain, some 60 plus years ago I trained with L’Oreal. To this day I can still remember their colour range & their numbering system. It was for this reason that some of the top brands contacted us. In the end our choice was made simple, but it was a choice totally out of the blue. Edward had created a wish list that included free supply of product (in his dreams) in return for social mentions, use of space in our Schools & also he would be available for Presentation Skills & event hosting. I liked the idea, but who would bite?

At an industry event, by chance we were sitting with someone from the Alan Howard organisation. To cut a long story short, he loved the above (most of it, but not the free bit) & we made the decision to change. The colour product range we chose is not mainstream but of the highest quality as well as being perfect for training. Because the range we chose was smaller than the mainstream big 5, it therefore makes the student more aware of the need to think about choice of colour rather than pointing to a chart with hundreds of options. It also gave us the ability to buy all the odds & sods needed for training i.e. capes, gowns etc. They appreciated the industry links we had & in fact were going to create their first pop-up wholesale business in our London Hair Academy.

The basic idea being that by co-branding our Schools, both London & Ipswich, we could change our wet-lines quarterly, stimulating the team and students & therefore Alan Howard had the opportunity to test the market & offer their Southern hairdressing salon customers an address to see their products & try them out. The partnership started perfectly. Edward hosted one of their brands’ annual conference to which we were both invited as guests, & preparation for the makeover of our London School was preliminarily booked. And then this thing called Covid came knocking. (But that’s another chapter!).