Building the umberto giannini brand

Not only was Umberto Giannini the youngest hairdresser to ever win British Hairdresser of the Year in 1999, but he also instilled a sense of belief in everyone who met him that anything was possible. However, his life was cut short when tragically he died a year later at the age of 32, leaving behind a hairdressing legacy. "When Umberto died it had a huge impact on the business and the group did wonder if it had a future," says his former head of sales and marketing, Philip Sharp. Umberto opened his first salon in 1990 in his home town of Kidderminster. This was quickly followed by other salons throughout the Midlands. Enjoying success with a host of awards to his name, Umberto launched his consumer product line, Umberto Giannini, which continues to enjoy success today. "The designer ranges of products in Boots include the country's top names – John Frieda, Charles Worthington, Trevor Sorbie and Nicky Clarke – and our products are up there with them," explained Philip. "This shows the dedication and passion of everyone in the company to continue building the brand." Umberto recruited and trained his own team, many of whom have gone on to become stars within the group, as well as Lisa Shepherd, currently British Hairdresser of the Year, who left to open her own salon. "People who worked and trained with Umberto are now our successful franchisees and remain very loyal to his memory, continuing his work and ethos," Philip explains."He had incredible influence and leadership skills. He injected energy and enthusiasm into everyone he met and he inspired the young people who worked within the company to push themselves that little bit further and achieve the high standards he set. "The people who trained with him have carried on that philosophy and have taken the business from strength to strength," Philip says. So what advice would he give a salon that has lost its mentor, either through tragedy or by a move to another salon? "You have to work out if someone is worth keeping and if they are then you must do what is necessary to hang onto them. It's important to nurture talent from within and make everyone feel that they are part of the bigger picture. Salons lose their figureheads to other salon groups and survive – it happens all the time." There are now 10 Umberto Giannini salons, nine in the Midlands, including the flagship salon on the fourth floor of Selfridges in Birmingham's Bullring Centre, and a salon in Knightsbridge, London. While its home-grown franchisees continue the business success, its art team travels the world raising its profile. "We were an official sponsor of the Clothes Show Live last year, we have a team behind the scenes at London Fashion Week and catwalk shows as well as working on television and magazine shoots and advertising campaigns," Philip says. The team continues to enter awards and regularly attends industry events to continue raising its professional profile. A recent project is in association with Trevor Sorbie, offering a wig-cutting service to people suffering from hair loss. "The fact that Trevor asked us to be part of this initiative shows the business is still highly respected within the industry and with consumers and the hard work and determination by everyone involved has continued to raise awareness of the group," says Philip. Philip’s job is to continue this work, and he plans to expand the group to 50 salons in the next five years. "I want to create a brand that is a force to be reckoned with on the high street and artistically is seen as one of the most creative teams in the industry." And with that passion, determination and focus, Umberto can rest assured that the future is in good hands.