Trend spotting in london

Spotting trends before they become mainstream has been the key to success for many, and for Paul Windle of the Windle salon in London’s Covent Garden, it has been instrumental to the development of his business. Trained at Vidal Sassoon in 1980, Paul opened his own salon in 1988, with an individual sense of style and only two other stylists. One of the first salons to bring shiatsu massage to the UK, he embraced customer service learnt from his time teaching in Japan – bringing beauty from the East to invest in the West.Cut to 1990 and the salon was attracting the attention of the consumer press after becoming heavily involved in editorial work – helped along by Eugene Souleiman, who was working from the salon and crediting it for his work. “Eugene was introduced to us by David Adams (now of Aveda), who was also working from Windle,” says Paul. At the time, most hairdressing salons were pitching themselves very heavily to the trade. However, for Paul it was about offering clients something different and he wanted to give them fashion-based styles with an editorial edge. “In central London our clients were very media-savvy and fashion focused, and we wanted to offer them the looks they were seeing in magazines such as Vogue,” he says. It was around 1994 that Paul met the founder of the US-based Bumble and bumble brand, Michael Gordon. “Michael was interested in what we were doing and felt we had a similar attitude towards bringing editorial work to the client. He felt this was in line with what his brand was doing stateside,” says Paul. After visiting the New York-based Bumble and bumble salon in 1997, Paul had his first taste of what the brand and concept was all about. “I saw a fantastically creative ethos and knew that this was where I would love Windle to be. It was like looking at the future of my business, and it was from there that we began plans to work in collaboration,” he recalls. Today, Windle is the UK-based flagship salon for the Bumble and bumble brand, embracing an exclusive attitude to the salons it supplies, which will reach 200 by the end of this year. “The ethos of the Bumble and bumble business was what attracted me. I never wanted to be involved with a product that was everywhere – I loved its exclusivity and I loved the idea of a New York cult brand that combined wonderful products with creativity,” continues Paul. The link between editorial work and a product range developed for the session styling scene has seen the business go from strength to strength, and the enduring popularity of the products on the session styling scene has resulted in the brand receiving the most consumer hair press over the past six months, according to UK Press Agency My Market Monitor. This has been helped, in part, by Windle’s collaboration with session stylist Neil Moodie. “We have worked with him for many years and he is carrying on the editorial tradition,” he says. “Neil is the editorial director for Windle and has now signed to become editorial stylist for Bumble and bumble internationally,” Paul says. So, what is the Windle experience all about? “We want to create fashionable looks, but our strength lies in suitability; and hair that looks sexy should be accessible to all,” he says. “This business is about art meeting commerce. From a creative point of view bringing ‘catwalk to kerb’ is a key goal for the business,” he continues. Today the Windle salon employs 40 staff, and Paul’s aim for the future is to continue to work with exclusive salons, sharing ideas and education, and working with hairdressers who share the same vision. “Michael opened his salon in 1977 and was one of the first people to work with and support editorial hairdressers; for me being involved in its infancy has been beneficial to the business and the brand,” says Paul. The Bumble and bumble success story has seen a steady, organic growth over many years. But with such a strong business blueprint, is expansion of the Windle brand on the cards? “I would love to grow and develop the business. I would describe our expansion as slow and deliberate; we didn’t aim for overnight success as so many people do today,” he says. With Windle, Paul has brought a bite of the Big Apple’s business ethos and creative culture to the UK – fusing trends and tresses to offer his clients hairdressing with an editorial edge.