Founded by Brett MacDonald and JR Slane, we catch up with the CULt team to talk about the CULt concept and their visions for their forthcoming salon. 

Tell us about CULt? Where did the name come from and what is the meaning behind it?

CULt. is about cult people in society and culture. Musicians, writers, activists, mothers and leaders. The image, people and styles of cult women in society are continually changing over the years and CULt.’s hairdressing and education is simply an updated reflection of that. 

Did you both play a part in choosing the name?

CULt came from my word association. John Ross was worried about the negative religious connotation that surrounds the word cult however it just fitted everything that contributed to our idea. What we were really not keen on was our surnames or the name of the business being about just the owners. CULt. is about the people that create it, not just a few at the top.

You are both renowned for your educational skills, both within the UK and internationally. How did you both end up on the educational path within hairdressing?

I was heavily influenced from my early days at Vidal Sassoon and teaching within their academies. I also did a lot of education for Mahogany and SACO so it’s just something I’ve always been involved in.

Is there a difference between the UK and International education markets?

I believe so. The UK is quite spoilt for choice and because of this sometimes people feel they can learn what is needed without even undergoing training and that can be a shame.
Many international markets have very limited to no ability to even travel to obtain education and because of this they really appreciate and want to learn as much as they can if given the chance, I can assure you they are SO hungry to learn!

Do you tailor your courses to suit the needs of the those who have enquired or do you provide a package of courses?

We absolutely do. Our motto at CULt. is ‘Educating With Purpose.’ We are ALL about our clients getting as much effective education as possible from our courses so we try and tailor all of our education. An example of this is a course we offer called ‘Educational Infrastructure’ – something many academies refuse to provide because they worry clients will stop coming if you give them tools to build their own education. At CULt. we believe educational infrastructure is essential to long term sustainable growth and development to people and salon businesses so we love this sort of education.

Where do you see CULt in the next 5 years?

We LOVE education and development, not only in hairdressing and ourselves but also in the CULt. team so that is a major goal for us. Creating a team of people around us that believe in education, learning and bettering themselves in not only, technical work but also dressing styling and long hair work, and also as educators and people.

Quick fire questions

• Biggest inspiration in hairdressing = Passion of the youth
• Your biggest achievement = Forming CULt.
• Favourite style to create = Creating the absolutely perfect fringe for a clients face/ hair texture & personal style.

For more info on the brand, please visit CULt London here.