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Project X Spends the Day with Sassoon

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Mark Hayes and the Sassoon Academy creative team were the latest hairdressing industry heroes to donate their time to Project X; the Fellowship for British Hairdressing’s youth programme for emerging hairdressing talent.

Ahead of the day - their fourth educational opportunity of the year - the Project X team were set the research brief of ‘What does Sassoon mean to you?’. Each member of the team was encouraged to spend time looking into the heritage of the brand, the story of Vidal Sassoon himself and what the company looks like today and in the future. Research is an essential part of the creative process for hairdressers that want to produce editorial or session work, and a knowledge of the icons of the industry is equally important, making this a useful day for the team, both in terms of practical skills and the creative ones that will be essential throughout their careers.

On the day, the group gathered at the Sassoon Academy, Buckingham Gate, London and were introduced to Sassoon international creative director, Mark Hayes and his team. Mark shared his story so far with the team, explaining where he had begun, what he had learnt under Vidal and how he was carrying on the brand by combining heritage with a future-facing outlook. As well as sharing his story, he also provided plenty of advice - including the daily habits he practices to stay focussed and balanced.

A presentation from the Sassoon creative team followed, allowing the Project X team to learn Sassoon cuts and colours in an up-close environment, with a deeper understanding of the decisions that go into each style and the reasoning behind the looks. Once the team had got to know more about Mark and his team, it was time for him to hear from them, as they presented their mood boards and research into Sassoon. As well as putting into practice their research skills, it also provided an opportunity to brush up on their presentation abilities; something which is reiterated with each Project X training session.

In the afternoon the team put together everything they had seen and learnt over the day with a hands-on cutting workshop under the guidance of the Sassoon team. Donna O’Donoghue of Eclipse Hair says,

It was unbelievable to spend the day at Sassoon, where Vidal’s vision continues to blossom even after his departure. I learnt cutting techniques that were completely new to me, and I am sure the rest of the team felt the same. The Sassoon team were such good fun to learn with, and so thorough. It was a totally inspirational day. Huge thanks to the Fellowship and to Sassoon for enabling this day to happen; I am so grateful.