Darren ambrose - an inspirational icon

Darren Ambrose is globally renowned for creating beautiful avant-garde hair - a talent which has gained him a place in HJ's British Hairdressing Awards Hall of Fame, after three wins in the Avant Garde category. Darren's enviable abilities, vision and reputation have also helped him develop a successful salon business - D&J Ambrose in Pinner, Middlesex - alongside wife, Jackie. At the root of all his achievements is a sound training which began as soon as he left school. What reaction did you receive from family and friends when you announced your intention to be a hairdresser? My family were happy that I had a focus and knew in which direction I wanted to take my career. My school, however, took a less positive attitude. When I told my teachers I wanted to go into hairdressing I was met by disbelief and expressionless faces. I think the industry is still lacking in communication within the career system. Tell us about your own training. My training, both theory and practical, took place within a company that had an in-house academy - all its training met NVQ standards. The most important lesson I learnt was to stay focused, absorb as much information as possible and remember that the more you put in the quicker you become a stylist on the salon floor. What are your earliest memories of the industry? My earliest memories are of the 80s when I was working nationally and internationally with Terry Calvert (owner of the Clipso salon group). It was an incredibly creative time and everyone was open to experimental change. Some celebrities looked fantastic, while some got it hideously wrong. What important lessons did you learn about being a good stylist during this time? I learnt that communication through consultation is vital to understanding your clients and growing your business. Who inspired you back then? When I was young, the person who stretched my creativity was Robert Lobetta. He took hairdressing to another level and made me think out of the box. What advice would you offer someone starting out in this industry? Focus on your training, absorb all you can - creativity is everywhere. Make sure the company you choose to work for will take you where you want to be. A company that arranges its own seminars, shows and collections, will offer more chances for you to realise your full potential and experience what an amazing career hairdressing can be. At what point did you realise you loved avant-garde hairdressing? The very first time I entered HJ's British Hairdressing Awards I entered the Newcomer category and was lucky enough to win with a very commercial collection. I then won Eastern Hairdresser of the Year. Having gained a bit more experience, I decided to take on more challenging creative concepts, including photographic, session and catwalk work. As my experience grew, I naturally gravitated towards avant garde. How does your reputation for creating stunning avant-garde hair help your business? If you keep avant-garde hair beautiful and somehow wearable you will connect with a bigger market. We have definitely helped to boost business by displaying canvasses of creative work within the salon. Describe a working week in the life of Darren Ambrose? I work five days a week in the salon - sometimes more, depending on how many seminars and shows I am booked to do nationally and internationally. What motivates you? Many things - my work, my family and having a busy schedule - I like to be busy, it's very motivating to have a full column. How do you pass on your knowledge to the next generation of hairdressers? Through my Look and Learn seminars and through in-house seminars, both theoretical and practical. What common misconceptions about hairdressing annoy you? The narrow-minded view about what the job involves and what can be achieved; and the lack of enthusiasm from the board of education and government towards encouraging young people to enter the industry.