The Final Cut with Anne Veck
A multi award-winning stylist and London Fashion Week regular, ANNE VECK is also a green champion.
Happy Accident
I fell into hairdressing by mistake and completely unexpectedly, too. My family situation forced me to leave school at 16 and get a job. My mum’s hairdresser was looking for an apprentice… the rest is history! I love all aspects of the job, but I’m a competition junkie.
Green Leanings
I’ve always thought that running a business should be done fairly and transparently. Over the last 10 years I’ve realised that business also has a responsibility to be more sustainable and our clients agree. Unfortunately by the nature of our business, hairdressing is not very green, so we decided to make a special effort to reduce our impact. Being green is good business. There are growing numbers of salons following a sustainable and ethical direction. However, I would like to see more salons switching to green energy, and serious subsidies from the government to incentivise all businesses to change.
International Inspirations
I am influenced by the art team at Haute Coiffure Francaise. The work of Alexandre de Paris is classic but timeless; and X-pression, three very talented Spanish guys who think out of the box.
Hint of a Hue
I love the faded pastel hair trend because it’s more of a wash of colour, as opposed to a saturated full tone. It’s less of a commitment and looks just like a little blush on the hair. Model Ariela Soares rocked a light-blue hue for the Marc Jacobs Spring 2019 runway show, I love it!
Cruel Cut
My worst hair mistake was cutting a guy’s hair too short as I thought ‘over the ears’ meant off the ears (he did have big ears!). I’m from France and had only been in the UK six weeks at that point.
Managing expectations
Social media has a hugely positive impact on the way salons and individuals market themselves. However, it can also be negative because clients’ expectations can be very unrealistic because some of the hair images are impossible to achieve in a normal salon appointment. It’s important to manage people’s expectations as they can bring unrealistic and heavily filtered pictures that they have seen on Instagram. It is crucial to conduct a really thorough consultation with every client to include every aspect of the service including timing and price, and outline expectations clearly.
Lateral Moves
My daughter, Chloe Mellen, is a jeweller and together we have designed a range of hairdressing tools: a sectioning ring, a magnetic cuff to hold your grips and a bracelet to hold your elastic band. I didn’t plan it, it just happened, and that’s where the most beautiful partnerships and ideas come from! You can see what we created at dirtyfrenchgirl.com.
Raising Standards
In the UK, anyone can be a hairdresser without having to attain a certain level of qualification. I would like to see mandatory licensing or state registration for every single hairdresser in the country in order to give consumers more reassurance that any stylist they book in with is reputable and of a nationally recognised standard. I would like to see hairdressing recognised as the great profession it really is, rather than a last resort for under achievers! I have travelled the world with it and have been able to earn my living each time I arrived in a country where I didn’t speak the language.
Facing Forward
2016 was my biggest year so far. My collection Silhouette won every single competition I entered: AIPP, British Hairdressing Awards, Revlon Professional Global Style Masters. As for the future, I plan to do more oversea shows, travel the world and meet other creative like-minded artists. anneveckhair.com