London hairstylists train continuously

Press, 26 February 1977, Page 8

London hairstylists train continuously

British hairstylists cannot | afford to let success go to’ 1 'their heads, according to? I Ron Brooks, a Christchurch i hairdresser who has just re-b [turned home after two years' I training in London. He found most ex-' perienced hairdressers' : attended refresher courses ;| ’regularly to maintain their I '“library of styles.” h I All the better salons ini .London held regular evening ; 'sessions which all staff had ' Ito attend. The staffs worked i as teams. Individual ' strengths and weaknesses I were studied and worked on. i Ron Brooks spent most of 1 his time abroad working at • 'one of London’s very repu- ■ table suburban salons.? 1 'Cosmo, in the Surrey suburb? 1 of Surbiton is owned and managed by an Italian hair-1' ■dresser, Leno D'Aprano. He!' :has coached the British team!' competing for th? world cup!' in hairdressing for many! I years. One night a week it wash back to class for the staff!' until 10 p.in- All stayed ;i behind cheerfully. In Lon-' don’s competitive world of!' ' hairdressing, everyone had' to work to keep up stan-I ■ [dards. Leno D’Aprano was al 1 tough taskmaster and a veryl ■ good teacher. “The stylists [' .would bring in a model for I the evening session and we; 1 would discuss the style we;' wanted to do with him. If J you did anything wrong it 1 ' had to be done again, and he' l made no bones about telling 1 you,” he recalls. < Ron Brooks also attended ;the three top hairdressing < schools in London for one- t week refresher courses, i Many of the students were experienced salon operators, t The classes were cosmopoli- t tan, with considerable inter-It

jest shown by Asian hair'dressers. At Allan's School he. I gained a good grounding in' I geometric cutting. This is' Ithe school’s speciality,! ’teaching a technique of-cut-1 'ting at angles, rather than in! layers. Another week was spent? 'learning to deal with long? ihair — anything from chin? I length — at the Morris! 'school. “Many salons in' | New Zealand have lost the : ability to style long hair be- j cause we have been doing so? much cutting and blow wav- ; ing,” he says. He felt the course was! necessary’ to add to the? range of his experience. | Now he has the theory for; long hair design, from a, 'simple chignon or twist to' [more elaborate styles. But he does not expect' Ivey long hair to be back in I' ! vogue in the immediate fut-j iure. “Women want hair! styles they can manage! 'themselves,” he says, “al-? ! though in England there is i 'definitely a move back to? ;softer, more fluid, moving? 'Styles. The courses were con- i central ed. Gften there was ' no time for a lunch break, and sometimes he worked ; into the evening. Of the three, the Vidal Sassoon ■academy course was the most? ' memorable. Run continuously, the 1 courses are much in demand, ■and expensive. Ron Brooks? ? had to wait four months for!’ 1 a vacancy. The cost, which' included the organisation’s; most experienced tutors, was; about $3OO for the week. Many of the overseas hair-;' dressers — Japanese, Ameri-!' cans, Israelis, Australians — were sent by their employers. ■ He describes the tech- t niques as “very high fashion 1 work.” The fashion perming, I colouring, and cutting wash

done on the hair of fashion 'models. Some wanted way--out looks, others just needed ' regular, specialised hair care. Although much of the ■ work was not everyday hair 'fashion. Ron Brooks found ■the experience of doing j purely creative work invariable. One of the styles he ? particularly remembers was [a poodle-look perm and cut. 'with some fancy colouring. ? The hair was wound on i pipe cleaners for a really 'tight, springy curl, and later I cut into shape. Then from a (bleached base giving a white 'background, the hair was ■coloured in shades of green ;and blue. A trained men’s hair--dresser, Ron Brooks had (some experience in women’s ■ hairdressing at the Miss ' Alexander salon before .going overseas. He is now ? back with the salon. New ? Zealand women, he believes, I are just as keen to be in - .' fashion as his London clients. The Cosmo clientele, he ' found, valued and trusted ; their hairdresser. The stylist 'could change a client’s hair- ! style when he felt it necessary. The women appreciated their hairdresser’s interest, and were ready to accept changes. Prices at the salon were a | little more expensive than a . salon of equivalent reputaItion in New Zealand. West ? End prices were much ihigher. Highlights commonly? I cost up to $4O. ? Ron Brooks thought the; ! work of good New Zealand : ; hairdressers would compare i i very favourably. It was the! [attitude of the staff which! ■ most impressed him. “Their work was really a [ vocation,” he says. “They enjoyed hairdressing and their standards never slipped because they worked hard at it.”