The fame team: 21 years of hairdressing talent

Since its incarnation in 1993, the Fellowship for British Hairdressing’s FAME Team has seen 90 students pass through its year-long programme – the majority of whom have gone on to become household names in the hairdressing industry. Providing talented young stylists with the ­opportunity to hone their skills under the watchful eye of hairdressing greats, the ­Fellowship Academy for Merit and Excellence has always been a platform to watch. As well as ­providing A-list mentoring and inspirational education in all aspects of the craft, the team also gives young hairdressers experience of ­platform work by thrusting its stars on to the stage at every given opportunity until their showmanship skills are second-to-none. “The FAME team was created to spotlight and champion young people in the industry,” says current Fellowship chancellor Karine Jackson. “They enjoy a busy and fulfilling year-long mentoring programme from the industry elite, including photographic shoots, media publicity, fashion shows, seminars and events. Above all the team hone their skills and are given a unique platform to shine.” Looking back on the FAME team alumni is akin to reading a who’s who of British hairdressing. There are A-list salon owners like Zoe Irwin, Adam Reed, Sharon Peake and Lisa ­Shepherd; there are international brand ambassadors like Antoinette Beenders, Errol Douglas and Jamie Stevens; and there are super-cool session stylists like Kathryn Dartnell, Chris Appleton and Paul Merritt – and that’s just a handful of the names that have passed through the FAME team’s illustrious doors. See the full list of FAME Team member since its first year below: 1993: Umberto Giannini, Carolyn Newman, Robert Masciave 1994: Errol Douglas, Antionette Beenders, Darren Messias, Philip Todd, Matthew Taylor, Samantha Shepherd-Gardener 1995: Julie White, John Gillespie, Mark Harrington, Franco della Grazia 1996: Fiona Connelly, Amanda Wardrop, Julie McGuire, Paul Falltrick 1997: Daniel Neaves, Yesmin O'Brien, Paul Merritt, Sharon Peake 1998: Zoe Irwin, Nick Williams, Lisa Shepherd, Edward Clegg 1999: Sean Dawson, Kieran O'Gorman, Adam Reed, Steve Taylor 2000: Daniel Taylor, Simon Parsons, Anna Sjoberg, Rebecca Read 2001: Alison Smith, Brett Ryan, Tina Farey, Alan Simpson 2002: Claudia Ma, Justin Smith, Phill Gallagher, Sharon Landmann 2003: Robert Eaton, Suzanne Ives, Lisa Wilde, Dimitri Loizi 2004: Katie Marshall, Franco Vallelonga, Nathan Jasztal, Sam Burnett 2005: Harriet White, Jack Smith, Tim Wright, Andrea Beers 2006: Amy Donaldson, Nadine Francis, Skyler McDonald, Jamie Stevens 2007: Leonardo Rizzo, Joanne Brown, Zoe Bennett, Ashley Gamble 2008: Kate Hubbard, Vicky Turner, Megan Zarabi, Adele Simpkins, Carly Aplin 2009: Kathryn Dartnell, Chris Appleton, Katie Mulcahy, Indira Shauwecker 2010: Ben Moth, Kim Rance, Ross Taylor, Olive Tucker 2011: Joseph Ferraro, Leah Walton, Altin Ismaili, Natalia Maxwell 2012: Rebecca Hunt, Isabella Hyde, Ashleigh Hodges, Ryan Harris 2013: William Ackerley, Joshua Goldsworthy, Matthew Sutcliffe, Jake Ungar 2014: Leigh-Anne Regan, Simon Tuckwell, Ellenora Dean, Dafydd Rhys Thomas