SASSOON

FUTURE CREATIVES

Mark Hayes began his 30-year love affair with hair as an apprentice at the Sassoon salon on London’s South Molton Street in 1977. Today he is International Creative Director, responsible for the education and development of the next generation of Sassoon Creative Directors; here he shares his insights and talks about the Sassoon philosophy.

What is Sassoon Future Creatives?

The Sassoon Future Creative team is a group of young stylists and colourists who have completed their initial apprenticeship with Sassoon, have a strong clientele in the salon, and experience in demonstrating teaching skills within their unit. They have also established themselves as a team member on the salon floor or as a teacher in our Academies, for a period of no less than two years. These individuals aspire to have greater involvement within the company by becoming a member of the International Creative Team in either a cutting or colouring capacity, as Sassoon is based on a specialist philosophy.

How does the programme break down?

Initially, the Future Creative programme will require a great deal of commitment from the individual. They have to eat, breathe and sleep hair 24 hours a day, seven days a week. At Sassoon, there are always castings

for shows, seminars, shoots etc, that require models to reflect the latest Sassoon collections. This is the first step to having the Future Creatives’ own work recognised and brings them to the attention of the Creative Directors. At this stage, depending on the individual’s commitment, drive

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and talent they will be given the opportunity to work backstage on Sassoon events. This is a good indicator of whether they are a good team player, which is obviously a huge part of becoming a successful Creative Director.

Alongside this creative journey the individual will be placed on a specific leadership training programme that will educate them in all aspects of the craft. These subjects include people skills, art history, fashion and design, appraisals and marketing.

This period of training generally lasts for 18 months to two years, depending on the ability of the individual, after which a formal Assistant Creative Director presentation is set. This involves presenting and delivering a collection of models to the UK Creative Director, Bruce Masefield and UK Colour Director, Edward Darley. This presentation encompasses a strong hair theme incorporating storyboards, makeup ideas and clothes styling. Upon successful completion of this presentation the individual is promoted to either Assistant Creative Director or Assistant Colour Director dependent on their area of specialisation.

This process is perpetually in action through the company internationally at various stages and ensures that the Sassoon Creative Team is an ever- growing, continuing story.