KH hair salons are due to hold their annual awards in person for the first time in three years. The awards celebrate the best in local creative talent among their stylists.
The company will be giving out the 2022 awards after the pandemic caused long delays. The annual award ceremony will finally be held on June 12 at the Metronome on Huntingdon Street.
The competition is split into categories such as Individual Retail Award, Highest Turnover Award, Salon Colour Award and the Rising Star Award. However it is the creative award that causes the most competition among stylists.
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Group Managing Director, Darren Messias, 49, continued to deliver the awards during the pandemic but is excited to see the in-person awards return.
Darren said: "We've running the internal awards for at least ten years although the pandemic stopped us from holding our usual event we give out 23 awards during the evening. This year, life is returning to some form of normality so we are heading back to our awards for the first time in three years."
The salon has around 22 different locations across the city including a training academy. It is one of the most established and best-known chain of hairdressing salons in the Country.
"When we started the awards, we underestimated how competitive the awards were. Its very motivational and it means a lot for people to win these awards. We are really excited about being back together again - all 250 members of staff."
Some of the winners have been announced as: Salon Highest Retail Award for KH Hair Nottingham, Individual Retail Award for Steve McEntee, Individual Clients Award for Erica Miller at the Sutton in Ashfield branch and Master Colour Award for Joanne Read at their Ilkeston location.
"The categories are massively varied and we have individual awards such as the stylist who has achieved the msot turn over or stylists who has the most client. We then have team versions of that where the salon can win and we award our apprentices too. It's very motivational for the apprentices to have that moment of recognition," Darren said.
When it comes to creativity, the salons are given free-reign to design their own look for a photoshoot. These images are judged and the most creative one selected as image of the year.
"About five years ago, I looked at the awards we were giving away and realised that they were all numerical-based. I realised that we are a hairdressing company yet we were not giving anything away for creativity. It seemed a little odd so we introduced a new category where each salon produces a model and we get all the images judged independently."
"Its the most hotly contested one but its completely up to their imagination. It could be a cut or colour or they might want to do something a bit more commerical. Some stylists do really avant-garde looks that stretch their skills and anything goes."
The pandemic has meant that sourcing models to create photoshoots or do training on has been difficult. Stylists also use students sourcing them from outside of university buildings which meant there was a lack of available models as everyone studied from home.
"When the pandemic hit, there was nothing happening in terms of models or photoshoots and its only now that it feels like normality again. When we were first allowed to open, it was very alien because we were all wearing masks and the only time they could come off was when the model was in front of the camera, Darren explained."
The pandemic also changed the way people approach their hair in terms of colours, cuts and trends. Some of the hottest looks include embracing natural greys and express colour treatments.
"We found that a lot of people who would have traditionally coloured their hair let the colour grow out. The clients discovered they liked their natural colour or their grey coming through. We started to develop express colour treatments which is something you can have done quickly and is a more natural shade that enhances your own colour without a lot of commitment."
Not all of the trends are for quiet colours or the natural look. Some of the salon's younger clients are fully embracing the trend for mullets which are making a comeback.
"Mullets are creeping back in. I've been hairdressing for thirty years and I remember them the first time round. Its interesting to see it come back. Its now a tamer, calmed down mullet and not the one I remember from the 1980s which was not a great look. Its paired back and subtle now. We see it a lot with our younger clients."
