Rainbow room international's scottish hairdressing scene

Rainbow Room International is Scotland's biggest salon group, with 15 locations and more than 200 staff in their employ. Founded by Alan Stewart in 1979, the company's memorable name came from Alan's belief that colour was integral to beautiful, bespoke hair - a belief that sees in excess of 30,000 colour clients across the group each year. The first salon opened in Glasgow's Buchanan Street shopping district, followed by a second salon and academy headed up by Alan's wife, Linda in 1984. As the business grew, the salon became too small to house the flourishing Rainbow Room Education and in 1993, a 6,000 sq ft four-storey building housing an academy, shop, studio, salon and beauty spa opened. The first franchise followed in 1996 in Clarkston, a suburb of Glasgow. Today there are 11 salons spread across Glasgow, Stirling, Ayr, East Kilbride and Uddingston, as well as two academies in Glasgow and two beauty salons. Alan and Linda have enjoyed numerous wins at HJ's British Hairdressing Business Awards and a lifetime achievement award from the Scottish Hair & Beauty Awards. It goes without saying that Rainbow Room International have their finger on the pulse of Scottish style, so we grilled international creative director - and HJ's former Scottish Hairdresser of the Year - Suzie McGill, about trends and triumphs north of the border. What’s the most popular service in your salon? At Rainbow Room International we consider ourselves to be Scotland’s colour experts and as such colour services are hugely popular here. Whether it be an on-trend pastel toner or a full head of highlights to blend away greys, it's all about colour with our clients. As colour experts, can you identify your current most popular colour request? The ombré/baylage trend tends to still be our most popular request in the salon. Baylage with contrasting colour through the ends and pastel tones, lilacs, baby pinks and baby blues have all been very popular this summer. What makes you proud to be a Scottish salon? As Scotland’s largest hairdressing group, we are proud of our achievements within the British hairdressing industry. Our commitment to training and education really sets us apart within the industry. Being a Scottish salon also allows us to have that friendly banter with our clients which gives us the chance to develop a more honest and open relationship with them. Why do you think there are so many talented hairdressers in Scotland? The quality of hairdressing in Scotland is equal to the quality of some of the greatest hairdressers in the UK. Our commitment to hairdressing and training along with our work ethic is second to none. Which celebrity gets your gold medal for style? Tilda Swinton. Her style is amazing. She always looks fabulous and isn’t afraid to experiment with styles and be a bit more daring.