We caught up with Mark Hayes, International Creative Director at Sassoon to talk about his earliest memories of Salon International and what makes it so special
When did you first attend Salon International?
I think it was around 1981 or 1982, when the event was still held at the Wembley Conference Centre. The first time I went, I was actually an assistant backstage. I’d only been at Sassoon for about three or four months and was asked to help out. I remember looking at the stage and seeing two of the creative team cutting hair and there was this crowd of people leaning over each other to see what they were doing. That was the first time I really understood what the creative team did beyond the salon. I remember thinking very clearly: that’s what I want to do.
What do you love about Salon International?
The opportunity to be purely creative. Being able to present your work and share your ideas in that environment is incredibly powerful. Now my role is different, but Salon International still represents that moment where creativity takes centre stage. It’s one of the few times in the year when the entire creative team is together in the same room. It gives us the chance to take all the inspiration we’re constantly collecting and distil it into a single presentation.
Talk us through what Sassoon brought to the show in 2025.
Last year we worked in a slightly smaller environment, so we deliberately pared the presentation down and focused on clarity and technique. The show combined live hair cutting with visual elements such as head sheets and diagrams to explain exactly what we were doing. It was part demonstration, visual presentation and narrative, with the team sharing their ideas and inspiration throughout. One of the most special aspects for me was working on stage again with Richard Ashforth. It was the first Salon International we’d done together in more than 20 years since he rejoined the company, so that was a lovely moment.
Do you have a standout memory from previous Salon International shows?
The first time I stepped on stage will always stay with me. I was so nervous I couldn’t even hold the microphone, someone had to hold it for me while I cut hair. After that, working alongside people like Christopher Brooker, Roger Thompson and Tim Hartley was hugely formative. Tim, in particular, brought a strong fashion perspective to Sassoon in the late ’80s and ’90s, which was an incredibly exciting period creatively. Later, when I eventually took over from Tim in the early 2000s, that was another big moment. Suddenly I wasn’t just on stage, I was responsible for the entire presentation. Standing there decades after my first appearance and realising that was quite something.
Have you started planning for 2026?
In truth, the creative process never really stops. You’re constantly gathering ideas from everywhere. For example, I went to see David Byrne perform recently and was fascinated by the way he staged the show. It was very stripped back but incredibly well curated, and it made me think about how presentation can shape the way people experience something. Eventually, closer to the event, we start refining everything and deciding what the show will become. That’s when you take a bit of a leap of faith and put it out there. With a brand like Sassoon, there’s always a balance. You want to push things forward and surprise people, but you also have a responsibility to maintain the DNA of the brand. So the aim is always the same: to stay true to that identity while presenting it in a fresh, perhaps unexpected way. Hopefully when people leave the show, they’ll feel inspired, and maybe even a little surprised by what Sassoon can do.
Sassoon are returning to Salon International 2026 - here's everything you need to know...
