In conversation with kevin murphy

Hairdresser and entrepreneur Kevin Murphy was in Amsterdam this weekend presenting his #onetooneevent. We caught up with him to talk business, trends and men's hairdressing. 1 The importance of sustainability Hairdressers are toxic avengers and use chemicals and hot water all the time. So they need to be as sustainable as they can be. Baby steps to start with are easy and can make all the difference - not using plastic cups, a water filter rather than plastic bottles, changing light bulbs, closing blinds to keep the heat out rather than air conditioning. The environment is important to everyone - people need nature, but nature doesn't need people. 2 Wearable hair We start work on our collections six months before the shoot day. Our priority is to create client-friendly hair, that suits the clothes they wear and their lifestyles. Curls are making a comeback and product use is really important. However the silhouette is smaller than previous seasons, - big hair doesn't work with the detailed necklines and larger lines we are seeing in our clothes. It's time hairdressers put down the irons and  started embracing curls. 3 Product development The favourite part of my job - I love sitting down and coming up with names for our products. My products are always made up of two words - one that is descriptive, one that tells you what it does, such as Free.Hold, Easy.Rider. Product names have to be simple otherwise clients will be confused and won't buy them. There is such an opportunity for salons with their retail displays, and eyecatching, interesting products can start a conversation. 4 Male grooming Male clients don't like change and when they find something they like they stay with it. The men's hairdressing market is really exciting right now, and salon owners need to be looking at their service menus to ensure they are offering products that are easy to retail.