Founder of podcast Salon Confidential, Andreas Wild, chats moving to London, celebrity guests, and Claudia Schiffer’s German Shepherd…
“It’s actually quite expensive – nobody believes it’s expensive to produce a professional podcast,” Andreas Wild tells us as we chat about his recently launched podcast on the phone. From Alan Carr and Angelica Bell to Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Nigella Lawson, you could say the first series has started off strong. You may be thinking, how did he get here? So, let’s rewind…
Andreas grew up in a little village in Germany where he began hairdressing at the age of 16. Was the plan always to get into hair? “Back then I actually thought about working in a hotel, but some hairdressers convinced me to do work experience at my local salon. I was rubbish at the beginning; I even had to write an essay about washing hair because I was so bad at it!” A few competitions later though, and Andreas found he had the knack.
Around the age of 25, it was London that Andreas had his sights set on. “I quit my job in Germany, moved to London, and was taken on by a cute little Japanese hairdressing salon called MOGA,” he tells us. “I was there for around eight months – I learnt so much, but then I met a hairdresser on a night out who worked for Charles Worthington. I moved there for four years, then I worked at John Freida for 14 years, before I joined Larry King in Notting Hill five years ago, where I'm now self-employed.” And it’s here that Andreas records his new podcast, Salon Confidential.
“To be honest, I’ve never wanted my own salon,” he explains. “I just find the responsibility quite stressful. I’ve always wanted to do radio because I love to chat, and I met an amazing woman, and she said, ‘What about a podcast?’.” Next, Andreas met with friend Alan Carr’s producers and Salon Confidential was born. “At first, everyone thought I was going to do the hair of my guests while we chat, but I said no. I wanted to capture having a chat like I would have with my clients on a daily basis, so we booked some guests and were very lucky that John Freida sponsored it.”
From chats about affairs and hot gossip, to industry challenges and deep, honest talks, Andreas’ guests cover a whole host of topics. In fact, in one episode with Angelica Bell, she opens up about once being turned away from a salon because of her hair texture. Speaking on this, he says: “I think the answer lies with education. It’s not acceptable that we’re not trained on different hair types. I think this is definitely changing now, but there is a lot of work to be done, and the beginning would be education. I think it’s so important.” Speaking of importance, honesty is integral as a hairdresser. “I’m confident enough to say to a client, ‘I don’t think this is going to work’,” he tells us. But for assistants, it can be a challenge. “I think sometimes they overthink, and they stand in their own way. I try to remind them to be open, have a positive attitude, and that it’s not about your own ego. Confidence comes with experience and age.”
But Andreas has dealt with his own challenges. “Moving from Germany to England was a big challenge. I didn’t really speak English, and I was very successful in Germany. It was kind of like starting all over again – leaving everything behind financially, your clients, your safety net, friends and family. It was like a divorce,” he laughs. “My clients bought my presents, and my colleagues made me a shrine with my picture on the mirror!”
But with challenges come proud moments. “Claudia Schiffer was a big thing for me. I used to do her hair for a long time, and I remember when I was a 17-year-old hairdresser in Germany, she was the biggest deal on the planet,” he says. “I got a call asking if I could blow-dry Claudia’s hair and I nearly wet myself. I walked into her house and her German Shepherd nearly killed me; everyone was yelling ‘Get the dog! It was very dramatic! Then I phoned my mum from her bathroom and said, ‘Guess where I am – Claudia Schiffer’s toilet!’.”
More recently though, his podcast brings him pride. “This is the first time I’ve done everything myself. I’ve had to make the decisions about the music, picture, guests. This is me now, and it’ll be out there for the rest of my life.” What’s next? “We’re working on series two! We’ve got great guests lined up, we’re in talks with John Freida, and we’re going to be talking more about hair. It’s all about keeping the momentum going – and we’re on YouTube now!” he adds. We wonder, could Claudia Schiffer be the next guest…
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