Anne Veck: Lawless

The reality of diversity within the hair industry has been pushed to the forefront in the past year. Though huge strides have been made throughout the industry, there is still work to be done. Award-winning stylist Anne Veck believes that in 2021 there is no excuse for hairdressers to not be trained in textured hair.

When Anne opened her salon, Anne Veck Oxford, in 1991, she became increasingly uncomfortable and frustrated to admit that she could not deal with every type of hair:

Imagine always hating your hair because of how people treated you at school, and then looking for a local hair salon as an adult, only to find that they do not cater for you. It is completely demoralising and unacceptable. We as salon owners need to do more. I strongly believe that if you call yourself a hairdresser you need to be competent in all hair types.

Having said that, Anne understands it is a journey – not only to acquire a new skill, but to get to a place where stylists feel confident enough to charge for that service. Anne recognises that for a lot of stylists it is not that they are not capable of learning how to cut textured hair, but a lack of confidence to commit to a new skill.

Anne’s journey has helped her to establish a successful salon that offers an extensive range of services and is inclusive in its approach. More recently, Anne’s work with textured hair has been recognised in HJ’s British Hairdressing Awards 2020, securing her a finalist place that put her in the running to be named Afro Hairdresser of the Year.

Anne Veck’s collection, Lawless which gained her the finalist place for Afro Hairdresser of the Year, celebrates the beauty and strength of black women and black hair. Anne feels so strongly about offering services that cater for all women with afro hair, she states that it would be like not offering services for clients with red hair:

If the past year has taught us anything, it’s that hair salons must be ready and willing to adapt while responding to the needs of society. We have seen first-hand the value of community support and how knowledge and skill sharing can keep the industry moving forward. I will continue to bang my drum on the necessity of textured hair services in salons because it is just not an option to think otherwise.