Sam Wall is helping to shape the future of the hair industry by creating one of the UK’s first hairdressing membership services with the launch of 5:AM, a subscription available at a monthly or annual cost, giving members access to services, products and discounts, offering significant savings against paying face value.

Through this membership package, clients will be able to secure priority bookings for sought-after appointments with Sam at his base in Hidden Heights Creative Studio in Gateshead, alongside regular discounts.

Sam said: “The value of a great haircut or style cannot be underestimated, but the hairdressing industry needs to innovate to make sure they’re making that accessible. In these very challenging times, we need to make sure we’re offering both excellent service and value, and giving our clients the incentive to come to us as often as they would like.

“I created 5:AM…so it works for the client and the stylist alike. I have spoken to a number of leading names in the industry prior to its launch and they agree this is highly likely to be the future of our profession and membership will probably soon become commonplace in the UK. Already, in the first few days of 5:AM, the response has been phenomenal. It’s great to be at the forefront of this emerging phenomenon in UK hairdressing.”

To find our more, visit mrsamwall.co.uk

The official industry charity – Hair & Beauty Charity, has seen a staggering 78% increase in requests for financial support during the COVID-19 crisis.

With thousands of hair, beauty and barber salons closed and industry professionals unable to work for three months, there was a tremendous increase in requests for help from the industry charity during this crisis, “although we’re grateful that the hair and barbering sector can return to work on 4^th July, there are still thousands of beauty professionals in limbo, not knowing when they can start to operate and start working again. We’ve helped a huge amount of people over the last 3 months, but we aren’t over the crisis and the need for urgent financial help yet. The charity was established in 1853 to help those in financial need and never before have we had to support the industry in such a manner.” explains President, Samantha Grocutt.

The charity has been working tirelessly to help those who need it the most through unprecedented times. Even though the charity has experienced a major loss of income with several of its fundraising activities and events being cancelled, it has been able to support beneficiaries through setting up a Relief Fund that has currently raised £30,000 during the crisis.

During April to June 2020, the charity saw an extraordinary 78% increase in requests for help. In the first month of lockdown the charity saw its monthly expenditure rise by 105%. Financially, the charity has distributed over £60,000 to beneficiaries during the crisis; an increase of 75% year on year.

The Hair & Beauty Charity was first established in 1853 as the Hairdresser’s Orphan Fund and has continued to support hair and beauty professionals who have been affected by illness, disability, bereavement, or financial hardship. With over 300 applicants requesting help each year and an increase in requests during the current crisis, the charity depends on support of the industry to enable help for those who need it most.

“The stats speak for themselves; this time last year we were helping 94 beneficiaries but we’re now helping 167 beneficiaries, which is a huge increase for a small charity, especially as fundraising is very hard to do during the crisis. Although we expected some of the new beneficiaries to be short term, we are already seeing the need to extend the support, especially to those working in the beauty industry as they can’t return to work yet. It’s a very worrying time. It’s been wonderful to see the support the charity is getting from the industry and we’ve been grateful to companies and people who have donated to our Relief Fund so far, but the crisis is still happening and we will continue to help our industry as we have for over 150 years, ’” concludes Hair & Beauty Charity President, Samantha Grocutt.

The Hair and Barber Council has announced a new list of affiliates, including BarberEVO, who are working together for the sole benefit of the industry moving forward.

These new affiliates include IHAA, HABIA, MHFed, British Master Barbers, British Barber Association, Good Salon Guide, The Professional Hairdresser and Hairdressers Journal International.

These affiliates, along with the council’s members and sponsors, are 100% committed to supporting The Hair and Barber Council and its beauty partner, BABTAC (British Association of Beauty Therapy and Cosmetology) in their campaign and cause to get the hair, barber and beauty industry legislated, but lobbying the Government to amend the current voluntary Act of Parliament (held in statue by The Hair and Barber Council to mandatory.

Registrar of the council, Keith Conniford, said: “I am absolutely delighted that these organisations are working together with us, they are huge supporters of the work we do, and already help us in many ways, whilst adding more strength and status to ‘shaping the future together’ for our incredible industry.”

BarberEVO is delighted to support The Hair and Barber Council as an affiliate. Over the course of lockdown, it has been an honour to host Keith Conniford, and a number of other representatives from this affiliate list, to our EVOLive sessions and our Round Table, which have prompted some fantastic discussions surrounding regulation and the other issues facing our industry. We look forward to continuing to provide our support wherever possible.

Unfortunately, due to the extended lockdown imposed in Leicester, Barrie Stephen Hair will be unable to reopen on Saturday along with other barbershops.

Luckily, Barrie is keeping positive, re-deploying team members and clients to bring further extension to his opening hours in his other locations that, whilst in Leicestershire, fall outside of the boundary for lockdown.

Barrie said, “It was pretty devastating for us as we were just all so pumped up to open across the whole group and of course we have had to cancel thousands of appointments and try to reschedule and accommodate them elsewhere within the business.

“But I’ve got an incredible team and somehow we are managing (my consumption of red wine went up fairly sharply at the weekend!) but I am working hard not to let it dampen my spirits for the rest of the group!”

Elsewhere, to keep business booming and his clients taken care of during lockdown, Barrie has been focusing on online retail, bringing a boost to business while providing his clients with easy access to salon-quality luxury products.

To find out more about Barrie Stephen, visit www.barriestephenhair.co.uk

Stephen Price has been appointed Managing Director of Takara Belmont (UK) Ltd as of Wednesday 1st July, as current MD Takashi Hoshina returns to Japan to take on an international role within the corporation. Stephen previously held the position of Director since 2006.

Mr Hoshina said: “During my tenure here at TBUK, we have achieved many things and made great progress… We have had to adjust our strategy for Brexit and today we are facing huge challenges with the Coronavirus, but we will come through this together. My new job in Takara Belmont is to integrate to our international business in USA and Europe, which I am optimistic towards because of what I have learned from the UK in the past 8 years. We are fortunate to have someone of Stephen’s calibre and experience to lead Takara Belmont UK. Stephen has a solid understanding of our products and markets, a proven track record and is strong communicator with deep leadership capabilities.”

Stephen added: “We are at a critical moment and we need renewed leadership to successfully implement our strategy and take advantage of the market opportunities ahead.”

We wish both Stephen and Takashi the best of luck in their new roles.

For the past 100 days, Adee Pheelan has been collecting and donating £870,000 retail products to 46 NHS hospitals across England, but this week marks the last of ‘Phase One’ of his programme.

For his final week, he has created brand new gift boxes honouring his beloved Liverpool Football Club, personally delivering gift sets to Aintree Hospital and Liverpool Royal.

As Phase 1 comes to an end, Phase 2 begins! The second phase will involve opening four pop-up shops in Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and London, with the London shop due to open on July 13th. The pop-ups will provide haircuts to NHS staff completely free of charge, with over 3,000 stylists already signed up to work for free across the pop-ups.

Although the rent for the pop-ups is free, there are a number of other overhead costs involved, so Adee is looking for sponsors to help support him bring his mission to life.

To find out more about the project or if you think you could provide sponsorship, get in touch with Adee via Instagram @adee_phelan_5 or if you can spare a few pounds, donate via his Just Giving page here: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/adee-phelan-nhs-pop-up-shop

A recent update from the NHBF has announced that the local lockdown imposed on Leicester has resulted in a delay to barbershop reopenings in the local area.

Shops in Leicester will now NOT be able to open on the 4th of July as with the rest of England. More information can be found on the Leicester City Council website here.

At present, the lockdown is to be extended for at least two weeks due to the peak in cases in the area.

It has also been announced that Northern Ireland will be adopting the official UK government guidelines for safe reopening of salons and barbershops, while Scotland and Wales are yet to announce if they will be publishing their own.

John Mosley, also known as Popular Nobody, has built an incredible career for himself as a barber and international educator. Now, he is using is influence to give back to the community by launching his own foundation, which will help support aspiring beauty professionals as they set off on their new career journey.

“It is our mission to ignite the power of tenacity and humility by creating opportunities for successful careers in the beauty industry and beyond,” says John.

The Nobody Way Foundation believes in a future where your place in the fashion and beauty industry is determined by your talent and not your zip code. Where access to top-tier education and industry-leading mentors is limited only by your own work ethic. Where communities prosper because dreamers and do-ers discover a career path that matches their passions, and where the humble and tenacious are the innovators of our future and the champions of our communities.

So, how is the foundation helping to create this future? By partnering with top-tier educational institutions to offer scholarships and structured opportunities for aspiring barbers and cosmetologists and by building strong support and mentorship opportunities for aspiring barbers, cosmetologists, and the broader community members it serves.

The unifying focus of the Foundation is community. It exists to build a community that celebrates the hard-working and humble who are dedicated to moving their communities forward – together.

To find out how you can support the foundation, visit https://www.nobodyway.com/

Today marks a great day for our industry, as barbershops across the Republic of Ireland have been able to reopen their doors for the first time since lockdown was first imposed back in March.

Clients have finally been able to visit their barbers for some much needed cuts, trims and fades, albeit with new safety measures in place to protect both clients and barbers.

WAHL Artistic Team member and owner of The Asylum Barbershop, Andrea Lynne Raymond said: “It’s been really exciting but nerve-wracking at the same time! We have a good system going for cleaning and sanitising between customers and its worked well so far! We have completely rebuilt one side of the shop – taking away the waiting area and coffee dock and replacing them with more stations. We have extra tools and gowns so we can alternate between customers too. We are doing temperature checks and both customers and barbers have to wear masks. So far, it’s been great, with everyone respecting the policy and an overall great buzz in the shop!”

Meanwhile, Chris O’Riordan of ST4Men, said: “It’s fantastic to finally reopen after being off for so long. We have all our usual measures in place i.e. cleaning and sanitation, but all these measures have been bumped up that bit extra. All stylists are required to wear a face covering and all clients are being asked to wear them during their service. We are also adhering to government guidelines including social distancing and hand washing, to name a few. We are also utilizing a contact tracing app to ensure the safety of our clients and staff. Clients are scanned in and out of waiting seats and our barber chairs so we have a full log of where everyone has been seated and when the seat has been cleaned. It’s a bit different now, being the first day back, but I’m sure after a week it will feel totally normal!”

We are so pleased that the first shops are able to reopen, and we look forward to hearing from England’s barbershops as they return to work on Saturday 4th July.

With the recent publication of government guidelines and the first barbershops in the UK set to reopen their doors on Saturday 4^th July, PPE, for most, has been high on the list of priorities. Although the use of disposable gowns and towels is not set to be mandatory, there will be some expectation from clients and staff. Providing disposable gowns shows your client that their safety is paramount, but what about all that extra waste? Easydry have the solution. 

Made from medical-grade fibre, the Easydry disposable towels are single-use and more hygienic than multi-user cotton towels and traditional laundry. This gives both you and your client peace of mind that you are offering the highest hygiene standards possible. 

Made using eco-friendly processes and without the use of chemicals, they remove the issue of sustainability when it comes to disposable products. Many barbers are keen to shy away from disposable towels and gowns due to the increase in waste, but with Easydry, barbers and shop owners can breathe easy knowing there is a biodegradable solution. 

To reassure your customers, with every Easydry purchase, you will get a specially created hygiene sticker to place in your shop window, showing that your shop uses disposable towels and can offer a clean, fresh towel, every client, every time. 

In addition to their towels and in even higher demand in barbershops are Easydry’s  new long, black, 100% compostable disposable gowns! 

Currently celebrating 15 years since the launch of its’ very first eco-friendly, hygienic towel, CEO and founder, Anne Butterly, has been listening to her customer needs during this time of crisis. 

“I always listen to the feedback and listening to salons over the past few difficult months, I clearly heard that salons need and want a gown that is both hygienic and eco-friendly,” she explains. 

So, to address these needs and as part of the anniversary celebrations, Easydry is launching their very own 100% compostable long black gown. Many barbers have been concerned about the use of disposable gowns and the extra waste they will create, but, as with their towels, these gowns are eco-friendly and just as effective.  

The full-length gown is ideal for all services, providing protection for the guest and the barber, with a soft material that provides the client with both comfort and reassurance. After use, the gowns can be easily composted, so you can reduce your carbon footprint while simultaneously protecting your staff, yourself and your clients. 

Find out more or purchase yours here: https://www.easydry.com/gb/