Jamie Stevens: Chip Off the Old Block

With generations being in the business, he has hair dressing flowing in his blood. Meet Jamie Stevens, the owner of Jamie Stevens Salons in London and Somerset, five-time consecutive nominee in the ‘Hairdresser of the Year’ category, who also has his own successful product line! Not surprising that his A-class celebrity clients include Stella McCartney, Hugh Grant, Emilia Fox, among others. The hair stylist par excellence is all set to build an empire with his undying passion for the craft.

- Shivpriya Bajpai

How did you get started?

I started out by following in my father’s footprints as a professional footballer, but an early injury cut short my dreams of sporting glory. My mother, grandmother and great-grandfather were hair dressers, so it was meant to be. As my mother had a hair salon, when I was young spent a lot of time in it. I loved the atmosphere. So I decided to venture into it and have not looked back! I have completed my NVQ level 1 and 2 at college and also done a barber’s course.

Where was your first job?

My first ever job was at my mother’s old salon. I started by helping out when I was 9 years-old and carried on till I took over when I was 19 years old. It was a six chair salon with three stylists and I loved it! The salon gave me the foundation to be the hairdresser that I am today. My mentor, too, was my mother. I learnt everything from her, both from a business and creative perspective. Even today, she is a huge inspiration for me.

What were the challenges that you faced?

When I first moved to London, my first job was tough, as they wanted me to re-train. I found it difficult at that time, since I had been hair dressing for six years, which now is very common amount of experience with bigger salons. When I moved, I was itching to get started in a London salon doing clients, but it did not happen and so this period was a struggle. After a couple of months, I realised this was not right for my career, so I moved onto a salon where I started to build my clientele straight away.

What is your forté as a renowned hairstylist?