Amy Sultan, Stylist from Francesco Group, has just won the Salon Stylist Award at this year’s British Hairdressing Business Awards and herself and Mia Dellicompagni, Francesco Group’s Director of Hairdressing have finalised for the British Hairdressing Awards for the Wales and South West Hairdresser of the Year category. Read on to find out more about them. 

DIRECTOR

What do you look for from a stylist?

Commitment, enthusiasm, passion, personable, team player and a good communicator with a positive attitude

Has finding a good, loyal stylist become harder? If so,

I think it has always been difficult to recruit stylists when you have a strong culture and high standards from outside your company. At Francesco Group, we try and grow our own and invest heavily in training and development so we always have the next star coming through the ranks.

Could the industry do more to promote hairdressing and if so how do you think the best way is to do so?

I feel the industry has as a whole improved how hairdressing is promoted, however, I still feel there is a generation of parents that still lack the true understanding of what an amazing career their child could have as a hairdresser and there is still a slight snobbery as to what type of apprentice we take as a whole . Gone are the days where the school leavers without any qualifications only go and do Hairdressing. Hairdressing needs to be recognised more seriously as a rewarding career that competes highly with top earners in other industries. From salon owner, franchisee, a career in teaching, to the creative side, the avenues are endless and very rewarding.

How long have you and Amy worked together for?

Amy and I have worked together for around 3 years.

What made you notice her talent and to work on a photographic shoot together?

When I first moved to our southern division I was keen to find any hidden talent as I had always worked with our creative team in the Midlands. Amy shone through very quickly and made herself known to me immediately. Her determination to work with me within the creative side was relentless. Amy has always put herself out, given up her own time, worked on her own initiative and above all, remaimed humble . She is constantly trying to develop herself and is very self critical. The shoot came about after we both worked with our 3rd years doing an Xposure entry with a local photographer; Philip Veitch. The 3 of us got chatting and realised that as a team we were strong and enjoyed working together. 

What are the next steps for you?

My next steps are to keep the passion going in the South and seek out more talent. I enjoy developing up and coming people and watching them grow and of course Amy and I will keep our creativity going and keep persevering for the British Hairdressing Awards title!

STYLIST

How did you get into hairdressing and what attracted you to become a stylist at Francesco Group?

I started in the hairdressing industry as soon as I left school. I was attracted to the industry because it had so many opportunities.

Where did you start out and how did you work your way up to become a stylist at Francesco Group?

I started in a small salon in a small town near were I lived in Fordinbridge. I started my apprenticeship here then went on to further my education in a bigger salon in Salisbury, ‘HANS Hairdressing’ and after getting a couple of years experience I went and worked as a barber on cruise ships for a few years. When I moved back to the UK I wanted to work for Francesco Group then Scissors at the time because of everything they had to offer. My goal was to become a Creative Director, enter competitions, become the best stylist I could be to the highest standard, and to inspire and share my knowledge with fellow hairdressers. I started in the Francesco Group Ringwood salon 7 years ago as a stylist and have worked my way up to be a Creative Director and educator within the salon. I have achieved so many of my dreams so far and I just want to keep going and keep progressing.

 

Were there any challenges?

I believe that if you want to push yourself and better yourself in your career or in any situation for that matter, you need to challenge yourself. I have been entering competitions for a few years now and each year I work on improving my skills and perfecting my work. There are highs and lows throughout the competitions but whatever the outcome I always learn so much and that’s what I love. I run a full column within my salon 5 days a week, as well as being involved in training our apprentices. The biggest challenge for me is finding the balance between everything I do and finding the time to fit it all in. 

How did you make the most of your learning from her?

Every time I would do any creative work for a competition I would ask Mia to critic it. I run my ideas past her, which for me I found a great confidence booster to have someone listen and understand my vision. Whenever I would get my feedback from competitions we would sit down together and discuss what I needed to do for next time.  I find it really easy to talk to her and when I went to events and seminars I would always chat to Mia about what I’ve learnt, even now I still call her after I’ve been somewhere to teach and tell her how it went. Mia has always encouraged me, helped me gain confidence in my own work and always let me be true to myself in the work I produce.

How has your career progressed since you started working together?

Since working with Mia I’ve tried to take on board as much advice I can. Last year I won Bronze UK for Creative Vision at Wella Trend Vision. This was the most incredible experience and I learnt so much! Mia was my mentor and helped support me throughout my journey. I also feel so honoured to have won Salon Stylist of the Year 2017!

What are the next steps for you?

I have recently become an educator at our academy in Poole, which I am doing alongside working in the salon. I’m really excited about this new chapter in my career and where it will take me. I plan to keep running a strong column at the salon and keep building my skills and knowledge, enthusiasm, passion and drive. I want to continue learning and myself and Mia to keep going and hopefully one day we will win the title British Hairdressers of the Year for South West and Wales.

You can find out more about the Francesco Group here.