Where Rick and Zoe Roberts are concerned it’s more than you might think!

Together Rick and Zoe Roberts are multi-award winning hairdressers and they have built a brand that now travels the world for shows and ambassador work. Their work is deliberately as broad as it is deep, fully inclusive in all hair skills and work and this is as important for their shoots, shows and education as it is for their day to day work in their Beverley salon, Rick Roberts that launched in 2007 as a place that would honour hair identity.

This pledge made way back is a lived experience and it is reflected in each area of their working lives. Take Refraction. A collection named for its shape shifting light and of changing direction. It speaks to the hair work but also to where Rick and Zoe find themselves in their own careers and creative lives.

 

“It is always so much more than a collection for us when we shoot, it has to have a real meaning, something that plays out in our work, that shows up in our values in really honest ways”, 

– Zoe.

 

We poured absolutely everything into this and the results needed to reflect our constantly driving, evolving and growing creative development and change. We as a business, a partnership and creatives are continually refracting, propelling forward and changing. What we love about this collection is immediate impact and mystery. The pictures draw you in, and working here with diversity we see so many values: strength, vulnerability, beauty, boldness and discretion and each has a place to shine.

For a shoot we have a planned/unplanned approach if that isn’t a contradiction! We fix some things down but others we let move and morph as the creativity flows. We have found that if we are over-planned it can be counter productive, we have to allow some freedom for risk. So we set out our goals for a beginning, middle and end and then everything in between is where the risk and reward (hopefully) happens, but it is where uncertainty is and that makes it exciting and liberating.
 

 

Freedom and newness are important, I don’t like being put in a box! And I think sometimes people hear Rick Roberts and think, ‘oh afro/texture’ and yes that’s true, but it’s not all I am or do, and for this shoot we really wanted to move into a space we have not really focused on which is Asian hair and culture. We took ourselves by surprise in a sense bringing our own techniques, hair knowledge and our own cultures and values to this. We are always mindful as to whether its clients or models, that when we touch their hair we are touching their sense of identity so we always honour this.

The team is essential to this mindset, ultimately we trust the process but also have confidence in ourselves and everyone around us to make it work. I count photographer Richard Miles as a friend and it felt like the perfect partnership to try something out of our comfort zone within. Zoe was on a mission to find different and new models, it’s not always easy working with new girls but we worked really hard to keep a great environment on the shoot and gave them a secure space to work which brought the best out of everyone.
 

 

On a marketing level it is vital to shot that when we say for all, we mean for all. This material gives us a ready made campaign for the salon and also supports our ambassador work, for example profiling in Asian markets is great for our Hanza scissor work. So it is a fusion of business savvy + hairdressing values. For us both things have to be present to make it authentic and worthwhile.

So that is what is in a name. Everything. For us you have to have meaning behind the work, a real backbone to it. The best piece of advice that someone once gave me was when you are building the ladder of success make sure the ladder is leaning against the right wall, a wall with a great foundation, if not it will collapse. I’ve fallen off a few ladders but I think now we’ve found our creative foundations and formulas that we are feeling strong and good so we can adventure from a secure place!

Enjoy the journey everyone. Rick and Zoe xx
 

 

More Info 
Online: www.rickrobertshair.com
Insta: @rickrobertshair