Conversations on colour: alan edwards

Alan Edwards is the art director of his eponymous salon in Glasgow and a former winner of both HJ's Scottish Hairdresser of the Year and the L'Oréal Colour Trophy. Alan is also a member of the L'Oreal Professionnel 20:20 Colour Collective; an elite group of colourists from across the UK. Here, we find out more about his life in colour. 1. What do you love most about being a colourist? I love the evolution of colour and how it has developed from when I started hairdressing in 1977. I love how colour has been embraced by the consumer. 2. What do you think are the biggest challenges facing professional colourists in 2015? Box colour. The more that a colour house like L’Oréal Professionnel invests in professional colour and the more that hairdressers create something in the salon that cannot be done at home, the more power we have to stop it. 3. What do you think is the most exciting thing about being a colourist in 2015? The creativity of colour and how you can completely personalise it. 4. What colour trend or technique are you most excited about for 2015? Bespoke colouring as opposed to a technique. The understanding of bespoke colouring and how it can become unique to a person, like a fingerprint. 5. What one piece of advice would you give to trainee colourists who would love to be where you are now? They need to have an open mind, passion, dedication and understand that they have to experiment. Also, what is absolutely key, is practice, practice and more practice!