Winning wisdom with jamie stevens

Jamie Stevens at Jamie Stevens Hair won HJ's Men's Hairdresser of the Year at the 2014 British Hairdressing Awards. We caught up with Jamie to find out what a win meant to him. How did it feel to have finalised for the awards? Its always a massive honour to know that you’ve finalised in your specific entry as one of the top six specialists in the country. Waiting for that letter to turn up is still one of the hardest days of the year; the constant sick feeling of nerves never leaves me, even after all these years of doing it. Fortunately enough, this year, we had finalized for two awards and I was also nominated for British. How did it feel when your name was announced as the winner? This year, more so than any other, was the best feeling I've ever had in my career to date. This was my third time winning Men’s Hairdresser of the Year which meant I go into the Hall of Fame. I’m one of the youngest people to be in the Hall of Fame and the only individual Men’s Hall of Fame winner. To top it off, and make it even more special, I had 30 people to come and share the amazing experience with me including my parents, my wife and all my amazing staff. Without them it wouldn’t have been the same! What is the value of winning a British Hairdressing Award? You can't actually put a value on winning a British Hairdressing Award because the rewards are endless. Just to be able to put on our social media, salon window, website e.t.c. that you are the best Men’s Hairdresser in Britain is exceptional. Since my first win in the Men's category, my male clientele has increased by well over 300%, which is a massive increase in revenue. It has also helped raise my profile as a men's specialist within the industry, which enables me to do more courses, shows and education, not just in the UK but on a global scale. What advice would you give to others when thinking of entering the awards? Fail to prepare, prepare to fail. Do your research on current and future trends, make sure you have a good make up artist, photographer and clothes stylist. We would take about 4-6 months for preparation before we get to the shoot date. The key thing to remember is even though it is a hair competition, you can be the best cutter/styler in the world but if you can’t transfer that into an image your are not going to do as well. Make sure and stay true to your brand values.

See the winning collection from Jamie Stevens below!

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