• Photographer - Viktorija Grigorjevaite • Makeup - Liz Collinge
THE W
L INTERVIEW
100 salons throughout the North West, which has been recognised by
OFSTED as Outstanding in our last three inspections. Dad’s services to
hairdressing were acknowledged in 2012 when he was awarded the OBE,
an extremely well deserved award for a legend within our industry.
Has hairdressing given you any unexpected opportunities?
I have been lucky enough through my work to travel all over the world,
meet Royalty, politicians and celebrities. But probably one of the least
expected opportunity was back in 1988 when Liz and I were invited to do
a make-over on ITV’s new daytime TV show This Morning. It was the first
week of the show which was then only a pilot series and it was tremendously
exciting to be broadcasting from the Albert Dock. There was immediate
interest from viewers and a huge rush of requests for make-overs which
resulted in us working on the show for 9 years completing over 500 makeovers. The show also took us to many unusual places but probably our
proudest was going to Bosnia at the end of the war there to do make-overs
on women and men from the IFOR forces for a special fashion show. We
were flown out by the RAF on a Hercules and met many truly inspirational
people, it was certainly a career highlight.
What’s the key to the success of a good salon?
I think it’s two fold; a talented, motivated team and a tremendously loyal
clientele. We are very fortunate to have both in our salons.
What new projects are you working on at present?
We recently launched a new product range called CO by Andrew
Collinge. Although there are many ranges to choose from, there is
nothing quite as exciting as developing your own range. The products
are all about empowerment - helping customers achieve their desired
hairstyle. The feedback we were getting from our own stylists and
clients has been that too much choice is confusing and also that our
clients don’t want to look or feel that they have product loaded in their
hair. So we have made a compact styling range, easy to understand and
easy to work with whilst keeping the hair natural looking.
You do a lot with charities, tell us about the forthcoming
Hive project you are involved with.
The Hive is presently being built in the centre of Birkenhead, it’s an
incredibly exciting project and will give all young people somewhere
safe and inspiring to go in their leisure time. The Hive Youth Zone
is part of the OnSide charity and I’m proud that Andrew Collinge
Hairdressing is to be one of the Founder Patrons and will be actively
involved. There are other Youth Zones already operating in towns
and cities throughout the North West and I have seen for myself the
fantastic facilities and opportunities they can offer young people. I have
no doubt The Hive will be brilliant for youngsters in Birkenhead and the
region, but will require as much support as possible from individuals
and businesses on Wirral - whether that be financial or volunteering.
With so many aspects to the business and keeping busy,
how do you relax?
We have recently moved to Hoylake and enjoy living there. Liz and I go
for long walks and never fail to be blown away by the stunning sunsets if
not by the wind! I have started to cycle, particularly along the coastal route
which is ideal for my leisurely cycling as it’s so flat. We both love the great
outdoors, earlier this year we travelled to Torres del Paine National Park
in Patagonia which was awe inspiring.
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