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EVOLive with Whitney VerMeer

We were joined on EVOLive by global award winning published artist Whitney VerMeer on Monday 8th March.

We discussed industry inspiration, creative output, business focus and so much more in this hour long discussion!

You can view the full discussion below. Enjoy!

Whitney VerMeer

Hair And Beauty Charity Records 227% Increase In Requests For Support

Following the budget announcement, the recognised official charity of the professional hair and beauty industry, Hair & Beauty Charity, has released its current support figures, “Since the third lockdown this January, we have seen a worrying 227% increase in requests for financial support during January and February, based year on year.  Even after today’s announcement and the 12th April opening date in the roadmap, we know that our support will be required for months to come,” explains Hair & Beauty President Samantha Grocutt.

Hair & Beauty Charity was first established in 1836 as the Hairdresser’s Orphan Fund and has continued to support hair and beauty professionals who have been affected by illness, disability, bereavement, homelessness, domestic violence, or financial hardship.  During 2020, the charity saw an extraordinary 148% increase in requests for help and increased the financial contributions to those in the hair and beauty industry by 70%. 

“Today’s budget announcement has some positive news for our beneficiaries – especially those who were self-employed in 2019 and have been part of the three million who have fallen through the net of government financial support to date.  Approximately 62.5%* of the professional industry is working in a self-employed capacity. Our charity has been vital to support for them, so we’re pleased that there is now financial support available for those who need it and who meet the requirements for qualifying.  However, we also know that many of the beneficiaries we are helping with financial support still may not qualify for the new self-employed support as many were self-employed in July 2020 either by losing their jobs or having their employment status altered.  We have ring-fenced funds to continue supporting them.

“Further, the news that the sector’s lobbying for a VAT reduction to 5% has not been accepted will also affect salon owners who have been significantly impacted with almostnine months of salon closure.  This cut was previously awarded to the hospitality sector and has now been extended, despite the hair and beauty industry being 1/3 of the size and VAT paying salons employing half of all those people working in the sector.  The charity is still very much a life-line for our industry and will continue to help those in financial need as we have for more than 180 years,” concludes Samantha.

*From Office of National Statistics July 2019-June 2020.  Hair & Barbering is 60% and Beauty 65%

To donate visit: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/relieffund

One-Off Cash Grant available for Personal Care Businesses

The NHBF has released a statement welcoming the support for the hair & beauty sector in Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Budget as a success for its lobbying efforts over the past year.

Personal Care is one of the only sectors due to re-open in Step 2 (currently expected from 12th April) where businesses will be eligible to receive a one-off cash grant of up to £18,000. Details on how to apply will be announced in the next week.

Salon owners will also be supported by:

  • Furlough (Coronavirus Job Support Scheme) being extended to September 2021 across the UK. 
  • A new UK-wide Recovery Loan Scheme to make available loans between £25,001 and £10 million to help businesses of all sizes through the next stage of recovery.
  • Small and medium-sized employers in the UK will continue to be able to reclaim up to two weeks of eligible Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) costs per employee from the Government.
  • In England, business rates relief of 100% until the end of June and then a discount of two-thirds until the end of the year.
  • Corporation Tax will remain at 19% until 2023, staying at this level for those with profits of £50,000 or less. It will then be tapered, with only those generating £250,000 or more in profit being charged 25%.

For self-employed hair & beauty professionals:

  • The UK-wide Self Employment Income Support scheme is being extended to September 2021, and everyone who filed a tax return in 2019-20 is now able to claim for the first time. 
  • Those whose turnover has fallen by over 30% can claim 80% back and those who have lost less than 30% of turnover can claim 30%.

Local authorities in England will also be given an additional £425m to support businesses who have fallen through the gaps in support and may not be eligible for restart grants.

Richard Lambert, Chief Executive, National Hair & Beauty Federation says, 

“We welcome this budget. We’ve worked hard to inform and educate the government about our sector, particularly through our recent report, An Industry at The Sharp End.  Their improved understanding is reflected in the whole package – above all, in securing the higher grants for Personal Care.

“We were worried that the most vulnerable in our sector would find it hard to survive to re-open, but both the Restart Grant and further funding for the self-employed have thrown a lifeline to struggling businesses and professionals.

“We will continue to press the case for a short-term reduction in VAT to help the hardest-hit hair & beauty businesses to recover.”

BABTAC, British Beauty Council, NHBF and UK Spa Association have been working as part of a COVID Coalition to make a case to Government for the need for targeted support for our sector. This has included formulating a robust and fully costed proposal for an immediate recovery fund for the personal care sector and a cut in VAT to five per cent once reopened in order to counter the effects of working at reduced capacity due to social distancing requirements. The Coalition continues to work together for the good of the sector to campaign for improvements in recognition and support for our sector now and going forward.

Full details of the budget can be found on the Government website.

American Crew Introduces The 2021 Collection

HQ A trend offering that takes old-school barber techniques to new heights

American Crew®, the Official Supplier to Men, introduces The 2021 Collection: HQ, a new collection of techniques that fuse clean editorial silhouettes with dramatic, exaggerated shapes. HQ, short for Height Quotient, is inspired by the military crew cut while paying homage to the nineties film and music eras.

 Embodying the perfect harmony between austere aesthetics and solid fundamentals, the curated program consists of six cuts and offers styling options for various hair densities and textures. With a focus on tapered barbered fades, HQ capitalizes on height as a level for disciplines and diverse creative expressions.

 “Men’s style is constantly evolving. By taking a step back from the meticulously groomed look, we are seeing a resurgence of dynamic shapes and texture—and our HQ Collection celebrates just that,” said American Crew Founder David Raccuglia, “HQ is a bold barber-centric collection that allows stylists to adapt any texture or type of hair to achieve the style their client desires. I absolutely love the fact that the shape of a haircut can cross into so many cultures.”

YAH YAH

Highlighting Yah Yah’s incredible texture, this cut features a strong square and tall technical shape throughout the front whilst focusing on a curved silhouette and a blown out, non-textured finish. The razor fade exaggerates a clean blend of skin to hair in the perimeter for strength and scalp exposure.

Product used: American Crew® Ultra Gliding Shave Oil, Lather Shave Cream, Revitalizing Toner and Prep & Prime Tonic

 ANDREI

Andrei’s silhouette driven cut is a 90’s movies styling journey. Inspired by iconic looks featured in Rocky and Top Gun, and utilizing American Crew Boost Powder for extra volume, the hair is styled using an upward momentum to create the dramatic shape.

Products used: American Crew® Prep & Prime Tonic and Boost Powder

VIN

Vin’s structure contains a concave interior to recreate an editorial version of the traditional 50’s flat top. The strong silhouette helps build the exterior, exaggerating the clipper over comb enhanced interior, while the texture and separation results in a structured yet broken finish.

Products used: American Crew® Prep & Prime Tonic, Firm Hold Gel and Molding Clay

To learn more about the looks from the HQ Collection tune in to the digital launch on March 1st, 2021. Details to be released on @AmericanCrew on Instagram and Facebook, and www.americancrew.com

American Crew is also hosting a Facebook event HQ Collection / 2021 Trend Collection Launch at 4pm UTC www.facebook.com/events/168410511587858/)

Proraso’s Social Campaign ‘What’s Next’ launches in the USA

The historic Italian shaving brand Proraso launches social media videos in the United States to capture and celebrate the authenticity of the barber-client relationship and establish leadership on the US market.

‘What’s Next’ is the new US social campaign by the Italian shave brand Proraso, intent on attaining a leadership position in the US market and the world.
Proraso was founded on core brand values based on tradition, loyalty, respect, comfort and trust… synonymous with the relationship individual clients have with their barber. Like an artist’s brushstrokes, the barber’s every gesture is precise and methodical, almost rhythmic – establishing much more than a mere routine, but rather a grooming ritual, the steps of which the client then comes to expect in same order every time, always knowing what’s next.
For the initial launch, some of the best barbers and barbershops – not actors or studio sets – in Boston, Los Angeles, New York and Salk Lake City were selected to be featured in the videos. Even their “co-stars” were chosen from among they loyal clientele. Moreover, all the barbers involved were already enthusiastic about using Proraso shaving products in their trade on a daily basis.
These stories are intended to remind us that barbers are the heart and soul of the shaving industry. Real people, real products, real feelings… dedicated to making men look their best and feel good about themselves, restoring self-confidence and re-energizing them for a day’s work, a special occasion, an important business trip, a vacation, or just a relaxing day at home. After a perfect shave, you’re always ready for What’s next….

proraso-usa.com/new-york-city
proraso-usa.com/los-angeles
proraso-usa.com/salt-lake-city
proraso-usa.com/boston
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PBA Fights To Keep West Virginia Professional

The Professional Beauty Association (PBA), is strongly opposing House Bill 2325 which would deregulate licensing for hair, skin and nail services in West Virginia. This bill has been fast tracked without a thorough understanding of what this means for both the professional beauty industry and consumers.

House Bill 2325 was substituted on February 22 to prevent the Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists from regulating the use, application, or administration, by unlicensed persons whether for compensation or not of hair, nail, skin, and other beauty products that are commonly available as retail, consumer products.

Salons throughout the United States were shut down due to Covid and many are still only open with a reduced capacity due to health and safety. HB 2325 disregards these measures. West Virginia’s phase two reopening plan placed a standard of protocols to re-open and operate safely. As part of the WV reopening plan the following is stated:

It is acknowledged that all services within the [beauty] industry carry some risk in this viral environment due to the nature of the services provided and the inability to maintain social distancing. With that said, licensed or certified professionals have been trained to mitigate these risks significantly through the use of proper infection control standards required by the state regulatory licensing rules and regulations.”

Small businesses in the professional beauty industry are looking for support, especially as they continue to try to recover from the devastating impact of COVID- 19. Licensed beauty professionals’ education and training are more important now than ever as their mandated education allows them to provide a safe salon environment and safe services to clients.  

Instead of supporting the recovery of small beauty businesses, 73% of which are owned by women, House Bill 2325 will ignore training and education that keeps clients safe by allowing anyone that can purchase a beauty product to provide beauty services for compensation. The mandatory training and education that is required in all 50 states for licensed beauty professionals is in place to protect clients from the spread of bacteria and diseases.

Help PBA oppose this bill and take action to send a notice to your legislator*. Visit probeauty.org for more details.

*Please note only West Virginia residents may take action on this alert. The messages are editable and may be changed to reflect your role in opposing the legislation. You may also change the email subject line and we encourage you to do so. Please share this campaign with your friends and family.

England and Scotland: Barbershops and Salons Allowed to Reopen in April

Boris Johnson’s Road Map to announced yesterday suggests salons and barbershops may be able to return after April 12th, 2021.

In Step 2, which is projected to start on 12th of April, hairdressers and other personal care will be allowed to reopen, as well as non-essential retail, and outdoor dining and pubs.

The second step will also allow weddings to increase in size to up to 15 people.

The government suggests that as of May 17, indoor searing can resume in pubs and restaurants, indoor entertainment such as cinemas and theatres can resume, and weddings will be able to include up to 30 people.

Johnson’s 4th step suggests a return to complete normality as of June 21.

For Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon has just announced that salons and barbershops to be allowed to reopen on April 26th.

A specific date for Wales to reopen salons and barbershops is yet to be announced.

This means, however, salons and barbershops in England and Scotland may be able to hesitantly begin their plan to reopen and get their schedules in order, so the public has time to get their lockdown hair sorted before pubs reopen.

Team Talk: Live with WAHL

Wahl (UK) have launched Team Talk: Live with WAHL, to support the barbering and hairdressing industry, focusing on the teams and individuals behind the salons and shops.

Wahl’s initiative offers salons and shops a free 1 hour, dedicated and personalised session to engage with each other and an industry expert from the WAHL UK Education & Artistic Team. It provides an opportunity to ask questions about the industry, hair cutting techniques, learn about products or seek advice on building your business and your team. Most importantly, it’s a chance to motivate your team and re-connect with each other.

“The idea behind Team Talk is for me and the Wahl team to meet all the wonderful barbers and hairdressers in this difficult time of Lockdown. The goal is to share some knowledge, raise a smile and feel united together!” Says Simon Shaw, WAHL Global Artistic Director.

Wahl’s Team Talk hopes to help you re-energise, re-focus and re-connect with your team.  Each session will be tailored to your team and completely personal. The sessions also offer an opportunity to motivate your team, re-energise and feel good about the future. As well, Team Talks will provide free advice and education from industry experts on haircuts and techniques, tool maintenance, industry insights and business improvements.

Applications: To find out more and apply for a Team Talk Live with WAHL, head to WAHL.CO.UK. Media enquiries: Nicola.Barnes@wahl.co.uk | 01227 744327

Industry crisis predicted without Government support

The findings of a recent report by The National Hair & Beauty Federation (NHBF) shows that salon and barbershop revenue fell by 45% in 2020, compared to 2019.

The report, titled, Hair, beauty and the pandemic: An industry at the sharp end. The impact of coronavirus on business vulnerability and the potential for mitigating measures, found that the hair and barbering industry are some of the most affected sectors since the pandemic restrictions hit.

Commissioned from independent analysts Pragmatix Advisory by the NHBF, the report details the current situation for the industry, the strength of the sector prior to the pandemic and the urgent measures required to ensure that the majority of the industry survives, which long term, will cost the Government very little.

The highlight findings of the report were that salon capacity is down to 70% of what it was pre-pandemic, losing an average of two hours of appointment time per stylist per day. With reduced customer demand.

Full time employment figures have dropped by 21% on 2019, with the average cash loss to business for 2020 being £17,000, with those over the tax threshold taking an even bigger hit.

With no support from Government, the prediction is that many businesses in the sector are acutely vulnerable to failure in the next 12 months, as 2021 is predicted to be as tough as last year.

A worrying figure was revealed where 60% of businesses entered 2021 with no cash reserves, and one in 10 businesses did not return any income or dividend to their owners or managers in 2020. At this rate, without further support, most expect to survive two to three months (from January), if lockdown continues.

The report revealed that the crisis has had a disproportionate impact on women and those in deprived communities – hair and beauty business owners are 82% female with an 88% female workforce.

There is a higher proportion of Personal Care businesses than any other sector in the most deprived areas of the UK. The closure of these businesses poses greatest risk to those in the local community who are most likely to be employed in these salons and barbershops.

How the Government can help

By reducing VAT to 5% would add £16,000 to the average VAT registered business, closing the cash gap by one-third. This would reduce to 6% the proportion of businesses not returning anything to their owners or managers.

If 18% of the businesses which would have otherwise failed survive as a result of reducing VAT to 5%, then the policy pays for itself through the taxes they will pay.

Richard Lambert, NHBF chief executive says: “Whilst the future could be bleak for the personal care sector, intervention now and immediately following re-opening will have a life-changing positive effect. There’s nothing coming in, but the overheads still have to be paid. When we are closed, we are closed.  We can’t diversify into takeaways and online sales. 

“The Personal Care sector is calling for a specific grant to support businesses through the immediate cashflow crisis, in line with similar funds that have been afforded to many other sectors, including the arts, hospitality and leisure, and the aeronautical industry, among others.”

He continues: “We also need support after re-opening to keep cash in these businesses so they can recover. The bigger businesses have been hit the hardest and are now the most vulnerable to failure. A targeted VAT cut to 5% would allow them to re-build, invest in staff and apprentices, and once again be the heart of their high streets and communities.  We’ve shown this move will pay for itself, so it’s a cost-effective solution for the Government.

“Right now, it feels like we are last in line for support, flippantly disregarded within Parliament and overlooked by Government, despite the billions of pounds we contribute to the economy each year.”

The NHBF, working together with the British Beauty Council (BBC), British Association of Beauty Therapists and Cosmetologists (BABTAC) and UK Spa Association, has been lobbying the Department for Business (BEIS), the Treasury and the Cabinet Office for an urgent Personal Care crisis fund and a reduction in VAT.

The bush is the beard for lockdown 3.0

After the rise of the beard during lockdown in 2020, with many growing their facial hair for the first time, lockdown 3.0 sees a new trend; the bushy beard.

Popular in the 70s, the laid-back bushy beard is a classical style that can look dramatic if cared for. Already a favourite with George Clooney, Zac Efron and Michael Sheen, the bushy beard is easy to grow and covers a multitude of sins. However, they need to be looked after and trimmed so they don’t get totally out of control.

Session stylist and owner of Joe and Co, London, Joe Mills, says the bushy beard is the perfect anecdote to lockdown 3.0. “During the first lockdown, many men grew a beard for the first time, investing in beard trimmers and oils. I think this reflected how we all behaved – we embraced new skills, new fashions and new ways of working. People were enjoying embracing their natural texture, growing out their hair lengths or trying to cut their own fringes. However, for this lockdown, the feeling is more of frustration, boredom or being unfocused and so the bushy beard sums up their feelings.

“George Clooney, Hugh Jackman and Michael Sheen have all stepped out with bushy beards lately. The thicker the beard, the bigger it looks. This time round, rather than trimmed to round the face, it’s trimmed to make sure it doesn’t get out of control. And beard oils and serums ensure it doesn’t dry out or become too frizzy.”

Joe Mills top tips for lockdown 3.0 beards

1 Growing a big beard takes time – so you need to be patient.

2 Have a beard oil on hand – it can prevent breakage, and makes it look and feel healthier.

3 Daily grooming is essential so invest in a quality beard comb or beard brush. You also need to look at cleansing as well. Invest in a decent beard wash and conditioner as it will make all the difference.

4 Keep the moustache trimmed and shaped; big and bushy think Magnum PI, or short and neat AKA Freddie Mercury.

5 Trim it regularly with hair scissors to prevent it getting out of control and invest in a trimmer and take your time when trimming.