British Hairdresser of the Year Efi Davies argues that sharing skills and knowledge is essential to maintaining high standards across the profession.
Published:British Hairdresser of the Year Efi Davies is calling on the hairdressing industry to make mentoring the next generation a core responsibility, arguing that sharing skills and knowledge is essential to maintaining high standards across the profession.
Davies, International Artistic Director at TONI&GUY and current Avant Garde Hairdresser of the Year, believes one of the greatest measures of success for an experienced hairdresser is seeing a student surpass them.
Having started her own career as an assistant to TONI&GUY founders Toni Mascolo and Anthony Mascolo in the 1990s, Davies has gone on to train and support the next generation of hairdressers, passing on the skills and knowledge she has developed throughout her career.
This block is currently empty. Please add some content.
For Davies, education and mentorship are fundamental to the future of hairdressing.
“We are so lucky to be doing what we are doing – making clients feel amazing about themselves, working in the salon, becoming an image creator, working on shows and shoots, expressing our creativity through avant garde work; the possibilities are endless,”
– Efi.
Davies describes hairdressing as an “inherited craft”, with each generation building on the standards established by those before them.
She believes today’s hairdressers have a responsibility to leave the industry stronger than they found it, rather than simply protecting their own knowledge and techniques.
View this post on Instagram
With young hairdressers increasingly exposed to social media, Davies believes professional mentoring has become even more important.
“A high number of likes doesn’t mean you are a good hairdresser,” she explains, highlighting how quickly online recognition can appear and disappear.
While she understands why experienced stylists may be protective of their techniques, Davies believes gate-keeping ultimately weakens the profession.
“If we want hairdressing to grow, we have to be willing to make the next generation better than ourselves. We don’t lose anything by doing that, we raise the craft as a whole.”
Create a safe environment where young hairdressers can experiment and develop their own ideas. Davies encourages experienced stylists to act as a sounding board, while remembering the excitement they felt when they were starting out. Encouraging individuality can help emerging hairdressers develop confidence and discover their own creative identity.
Share your techniques, experience and knowledge rather than keeping them to yourself. Davies believes that helping the next generation become better ultimately raises the standard of the entire profession.
Technical precision is important, but effective education should also cover discipline, client care and professional pride. These qualities are equally important in developing a successful career.
Set a high benchmark and support students in reaching it, even when that takes additional time. Davies believes maintaining professional standards should remain a priority throughout education.
The fundamentals of precision, creativity, technical excellence and client communication will outlast trends, filters and follower numbers. Building these core skills can give young hairdressers the foundations for a long and rewarding career.
Davies regularly travels internationally to promote TONI&GUY’s education philosophy and acts as an ambassador for its LABEL.M haircare range. Follow her @efidavies on Instagram.
Read Now: Why Investing in Apprentices is Investing in the Future of Hairdressing.
View this post on Instagram
