Eastern hairdresser of the year 2011 - terri kay

Terri Kay entered the Hall of Fame as a three-time winner of the Eastern Hairdresser of the Year at HJ's 2011 British Hairdressing Awards.

We quizzed Terri about her boundary-pushing collection and what it takes to win one of the prestigious Awards.  

Why did you enter the British Hairdressing Awards?

Having won Eastern Hairdresser of the Year twice I was really keen to win it a third time and secure my place in the Hall of Fame. It was a massive personal goal of mine and one of my lifetime achievements that I had always dreamed of.

When did you start thinking about your collection?

I am constantly thinking about themes and ideas that would make a nice collection. This particular collection had been a collaboration of ideas which I had been gathering for many months.

What was your budget for the shoot?

My directors set a budget aside every year for shoots and photographic work, and this covers all the awards we decide to enter. I then work closely with them when planning the shoots, but I personally don't sign off the final cheques, so I wouldn't like to guess how much the end cost would be! However I do know that the PR coverage and momentum that our photographic work builds has had a great impact on the business. 

How did you find a photographer, stylist and makeup artist?

Mark Leeson Hair Body & Mind does a lot of shoots throughout the year, so we are lucky to have a great team of photographers, make-up artists and stylists that we have worked with in the past. I have worked with this team before and they are just incredibly inspiring and really understand my vision.  

Tell us a little about your models. What do you look for in a hair model? How did you source them and how much did they cost?

At Mark Leeson, we always use the best professional models we can possibly find and great hair is the first thing I look for. The going rate for models is around £400 for half a day plus 20% agency fee - so it's not cheap!

How long did it take from the day of the shoot to sending off a collection you were happy with?

To be honest, I was so happy with the shots on the day it was not a long process at all. I don't like to retouch my work - I think sometimes images can be too retouched. When you work with someone like Andrew O'Toole who is a brilliant hair photographer, I find that I hardly need to retouch anything at all. 

How did entering the British Hairdressing Awards effect life in the salon - did your team get involved and did it mean you had to be away from the salon a lot?

We did two shoots over a two-day period and used a studio in London, so I had to be away from the salon for a couple of days and had a couple of assistants from the salon with me too. So in many ways it did have an impact on regular salon life, but it was fantastic experience for the juniors to be involved in. 

What three tips would you give to people considering entering the British Hairdressing Awards?

• Use the best models you can possibly find and always use professionals.
• Don't just copy what has been done before. The judges are looking for something new, so don't be afraid to break the mould.
• Ultimately you need to create a collection that you will get a lot of use out of regardless of whether you win. We get a lot of PR coverage out of our collections, which in turn drives a huge amount of business to the salon, so it's always money well spent. 

How, if at all, will you be marketing your win in the salon?

I have done interviews with the local press and radio, our PR has circulated them to trade and consumer magazines around the world, and we've secured a lot of editorial coverage as a result. It's been incredible and has had a hugely positive impact on the salon.

SEE TERRI KAY'S EASTERN HAIRDRESSER OF THE YEAR 2011 COLLECTION!