From leaving school at 14 to launching an internationally recognised hair extension brand – we sat down with Hadley Yates to find out all about his career journey…
"I left school at 14 because I just wasn't into it at all – it wasn't for me," Hadley Yates tells us as we chat about his route into hairdressing. What followed was the beginning of a career that would see him progress from a local salon in Essex to eventually becoming a salon owner and founder of a hair extension brand. Let’s rewind...
Hadley's fascination with extensions started early. "My mum was wearing hair extensions when I was working in my local salon at 14, and I used to watch her go and have them done. That's when I just fell in love with hair extensions," he shares. In fact, as soon as he qualified in hairdressing, Hadley completed a course with Great Lengths and began specialising in the service.
At 18, Hadley moved to London and joined Daniel Hershesons, where he built both his clientele and industry connections. Following lockdown, he made the leap into freelance work, travelling across London to visit clients at home. “I found the amount of time I was travelling to different areas of London, I could fit another two clients in so that’s when I decided to open my own salon with my business partner.”
Together with his business partner, Hadley opened his first salon – a small unit with just four chairs. Within a year, they had already outgrown the space. Today, the salon has expanded significantly, with nine sections.
But while opening a salon was a proud achievement, stepping into leadership came with some big challenges. “I've always just been doing hair,” Hadley says. "I never had to think about a team, having staff or any of the business side of things. Learning how to manage people was probably one of the biggest challenges." But, despite the steep learning curve, Hadley tells us: "I absolutely love it. The team we've got are literally like family, so I adore having a salon."
And as if owning a salon wasn't enough, Hadley soon identified another opportunity in hair extensions. “I worked with different hair brands throughout the years and I wanted to start sourcing my own hair,” he tells us. “It went down so well with the clients that I said, let’s turn this into a business.” That decision led to the launch of Curated.
"I remember the day we launched," Hadley recalls. "Me, my business partner and Val, who works for us, were sitting in the salon surrounded by parcels everywhere. It was a really proud moment." Since then, Curated has expanded globally. "I think we've sold into 50-something countries now," he says, "which is quite amazing!"
A typical day in the life now? No two days look the same. Between running the salon, overseeing Curated, attending shoots and preparing clients for television appearances, you could say Hadley’s life is fast pace. "Some days I can be up at 5am, in London by 6 or 7am, then in the salon all day with clients," he says. "I love that no day is the same. It's always different things going on, and that's what I really enjoy."
When speaking about advice, throughout his journey, one piece of advice has remained constant. "The best piece of advice I've ever received is: don't stop learning," Hadley shares. "I think that's the biggest mistake you can make. Hairdressing is so fast-paced and always changing. It's important to evolve, learn and not be afraid to try new things."
And when offering advice to anyone considering a career in extensions or developing their own products: "It has to be something you love," he says. "You work with people on such an emotional level, especially clients with finer hair or confidence concerns. Keep learning and invest your time into it."
Which brings us to ask, what’s next? "The next couple of years for me are about growing both businesses, expanding the hair extension range and looking into new innovations and products," he explains. "Our range is all about catering to people with finer hair or hair issues, so it's about finding out more about what people need and improving what's already out there."
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