HAIR COUTURE.

WITH AKIN KONIZI.

Following in the footsteps of British hairdressing legends including Trevor Sorbie, Nicky Clarke, Anthony Mascolo and Charles Worthington, Akin Konizi who creatively heads up the hob salon group was recently (for the second year running) named British Hairdresser of the Year. Just reward for this new guardian of contemporary creative hair fashion, who, in addition to his artistic role within hob salons runs the hob academy, inspiring the company’s 250 staff to the latest trends and techniques. We get up-close-and-personal with Akin, who has also just been appointed Global Brand Ambassador for ghd.

culture // Akin you must be very proud – two years now dubbed British Hairdresser of the Year. Yet for many years you were nominated but unsuccessful… what kept you motivated?

Akin // I have always believed that winning an award would happen when the time is right, and in the interim I simply focus on working hard, learning from my experiences, pushing my boundaries and enjoying the journey. I am highly motivated and very committed to what I do and being surrounded by hairdressers who are so talented ensures I am constantly inspired and progressing.

hob Salons clearly has massive depth given the hat-trick for the second year running, with Darren Bain picking up the London Hairdresser of the Year and the hob team winning the Artistic Team of the Year Award. What do you put this success down to?

The success hob Salons has enjoyed is without a doubt down to a great team! From the business acumen and support of my two business partners Clive Collins and Paul Simbler, through to the innovation and creativity of the hob Creative & Education Team, down to the salon staff across our 20 branches, each and every member of the team has helped us get to where we are today. Having a strong brand has also been essential, a dedicated PR team has been key and a focus on education and training has been fundamental to ensure the highest of standards are upheld company-wide.

Your work is so sharp it hurts and you clearly are a man of architectural emotional response in the application of your craft to hair. Has fashion caught up with your crisp, geometric colours and cuts or do you need to tone some of the styling down for the typical High Street client?

I like to think that my collections combine strong geometry with other looks that are a lot softer and more commercial. As a hairdresser, my collections don’t just reflect haircuts, but also work with a lot of styling and dressing of hair to give another dimension to the work I create. These collections have both images that are more creative and directional and those that are more wearable, however I believe that with all the looks, the public can take elements of these styles and use this within their own hair looks. Whatever the hair cut, style and colour, my aim has always been to create beautiful hair.

What drives you and your team creatively?

Creative inspiration can really start from anywhere. The team and I take inspiration from fashion, what is happening on the catwalk, what other hairdressers are doing but also very importantly, what is happening on the streets and within youth culture. London is so culturally rich and diverse, so just being in a city like London is a constant source of inspiration. Jamming sessions as an entire team always keeps us inspired too, allowing us to feed off each other and adapt the trends we are seeing to create beautiful, wearable hair.

Recently you commented that perming will make a comeback over the next couple of years – with hair getting much bigger again. Is this imminent or are we still channelling some other major hair fashion directions?

Hair is definitely getting bigger and is really embracing a trend towards greater movement and texture. This can be seen everywhere, from the AW10 catwalk shows such as Giles Deacon, through to celebrities including Mary-Kate Olsen and Sienna Miller who are all sporting looks with lots of volume and body. This movement trend has transcended into hair-up looks too, with styles becoming a lot softer and less static with low-slung plaits, dishevelled knots and delicate waves. Accessories are another big trend for 2010, worn with textured locks for an understated finish.

You’ve just been appointed Global Brand Ambassador for ghd, and part of your role will be to mentor the new ghd creative art team. What do you see this entailing?

Such an exciting role, this position will see me working on a whole host of projects including mentoring the new ghd creative art team, consulting on creative ventures and art directing shoots. I will be delivering prestige education in the ghd Leeds-based Style academy as well as at the hob Academy in London and on a global level, in addition to being a press spokesman for the ghd brand.

How did the recent auditioning process to find the new ghd creative art team go?

It was fantastic to be involved in the ghd art team auditions. Held at the hob Academy in Camden, London, the day showcased some of the great new talent coming through the industry. Watching the competitors at work, it was fantastic to see how motivated and driven the younger generation is about hairdressing and the skill and technique that was demonstrated on the day was very encouraging. Being able to work with those coming through the ranks and help to progress them is my passion, pushing them forwards and driving their training and education.

Who are your hairdressing heroes?

Vidal Sassoon and his vision makes him one of my greatest hairdressing heroes, as well as the great hairdressers Stacey Broughton and Anthony Mascolo, who are masters of their trade and great inspirations for me.

Any plans to tour Australia in the near future?

hob Creative and Education team members Claire and Sean Dawson visited Australia at the end of 2008 to do some platform work and I was also there in 2008 for the Australian Hair Fashion Awards too, where I was honoured to receive the British Masters Award. At the moment, we have been so busy at the hob Academy, teaching various hairdressing groups from around the world, in addition to flying out to countries including Italy and Russia and continuing the on-going training of our internal staff that we have not had the opportunity to return as yet. I was due to potentially come to Hair Expo this year with ghd but unfortunately the dates clashed with another project I am working on, so not this time. However, bringing hob to Australia again is definitely something we would love to do more often and will hopefully happen when the right time and opportunity present itself.