Nick arrojo on building his brand in america

For 15 years British hairdresser Nick Arrojo has been carving out a successful brand in the States. We caught up with the 'What Not To Wear' hairdresser to find out about how he has made a name for himself in America and what has brought him back to Britain.

How did you end up working in America?I did my apprenticeship with Sassoon and by the time I was 23, I was creative director and they created the role of seminar director for me. I'd always wanted to go to New York so when Bumble and bumble offered me a job as director for education and arranged sponsorship and papers for me to get into America. I seized the opportunity and haven't looked back. When I landed in the States, I didn't know anyone and no one knew me; but I think that my Sassoon education stood me in good stead.Do you keep up with the industry in the UK?I don't get back to the UK very often, but I do stay in touch with what's going on in the industry through the press. The biggest change I have seen is that the big companies have spread out further around the country and grown.What differences do you see between hairdressing in the UK and the US?There is much more razor cutting in the US. There is a special technique for razor cutting with a straight edge to create precision lines and they have taken that philosophy to the straight-edge razor. It's not better than the way it's done in Britain; just different. There is also a lot of good blow drying in the States because we see lots of clients with thick, course, curly hair. You've recently launched a product range, Arrojo, in Space NK in England. How did that come about?For the last six years, my goal has been to create a successful brand that encompassed all the key aspects of hairdressing: salon services; education and products. I had already done education and have a thriving salon so products were the next step. We've done the whole thing in-house, from funding to copy, to the packaging, to finding a chemist and developing the products that we believe in. Space NK came about because Nicky Kinnaird, the founder and President of Space NK, came to the press launch and was interested in the products; so I told her to take them on. When I started work on the products; I had two targets: a vague hope that I would make it into Space NK and to get the range on QVC, which is widely watched in America, and I have achieved both.What else are you up to?As well as working in my salon and the academy, I am still exclusively contracted to Wella Professionals and work for them most weekends. I do Trend Vision and represent them at the highest level.Before I launched my product range, I spoke to Wella and they were very supportive of me. I am grateful to them for that. I also have on-going work as the resident hairdresser on 'What Not to Wear'. Over here, the show lasts an hour and includes a hair consultation. So far, I've filmed over 100 episodes and it is going really well. I've also got a book for the consumer coming out in October. It is a guide to hair, hairstyles and brands. There are very few hairdressing books around because publishers usually see hair as sub-brand of beauty so I am really excited about it hitting the shelves! Do you see yourself coming back to the UK one day?It would be great if I could transfer the success I have had in America back to England. Now that I have launched the product range, I have an excuse to come back a bit more often. It would be very exciting to establish a salon in London and I currently have a stylist working for Taylor & Taylor it is something I can definitely look toward in the future; but for now I am firmly focused on building my brand in America.