About Katy: 
Dad is a hairdresser andalways had his own business, Mum was a high school teacher until she died of a brain tumour when I was 13. Me and my sister lived with my dad. I think that definitely pushed me into things he was interested in. He’s a musician as well and I love singing.
As an adult I get told I’m a lot like my mum. I’m not an academic but I love the formality of school I like writing, I love story telling. For me creatives are people that are constantly painting and drawing I feel like they are people who go and search out and I’m not that.
But I love listening to podcasts and to people speak.
I grew up in Lincoln in the UK.
I got my start as a Saturday girl in the salon with Dad as a tea and tidy around 13. I had been a dancer but when mum died I lost my passion for it. I left school at 16 and started my apprenticeship and by 18 I was on the floor as a stylist. Come 19 Iwas bored. It was the late 90’s and Dad said well it’s either Toni & Guy or Vidal Sassoon. Dad was thinking to maybe open a Toni & Guy franchise in Lincoln so we both went down to London to meet with Tony Mascolo. It was a great meeting and we were both very inspired by Tony as a person.
Dad decided that it was not perhaps for him but I loved the whole idea of Toni & Guy and all it had to offer and the art team. I went down to London 6 weeks full time passing with a distinction. When you finished the course you did a presentation of all the haircuts as well as a creative presentation. Mine was very theatrical using big butterflies and glad wrap around them and then they ripped it off.
I worked in Covent Garden for a bit and then South Wimbledon.
Living in a big city didn’t really suit me so I went back home to Lincoln and Dad decided to open a small salon space in the local country club. I went on to run that salon and learn all the daily running’s of the salon and staff etc.
I met my partner, travelled Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Once in Australia I met Dennis and started working in Toni & Guy in Manly. I love the beaches. Every chance I had I was at the academy and art team I just wanted an in. Dennis taught me so much about presenting and gave me a lot of confidence and opportunities. Hairdressing wise it was Maria Covac and Jane Stacey amazing strong women role models.
I moved up to art team and I brought some shares in the Manly salon. Not long after I was offered the opportunity to buy and take over the whole salon.
I learnt so many lessons owning a salon. I was in the artistic team and doing as much as I could saying yes and putting my hand up. I believe you should always say yes first and ask questions later.
I then stepped back a little to have my kids but as all business owners know you never really step back.
Touring Australia with the Toni & Guy creative team our front man at the time decided he had had enough so I was asked to step up, when returning back to Sydney Dennis asked me to be the National Creative Director for Toni & Guy Australia.
I said yes and then fell pregnant with my second child. We planned ahead and I carried on with the role for the next 6 years.
Eventually I felt that I wasn’t able to give so many hats my best self emotionally or physically. I gave away the salon and then dived right into my role completely as the National Creative Director at Toni & Guy.
I love supporting people and I hope that they never stop calling or messaging even having left the company. I don’t think it stops those great friendships and being able to have a nice chat and mentor them is great, and if I can even give them one little bit that inspires them then I feel like I’ve done a good job!
I have had the opportunity to travel a lot and educate throughout the world. I have had the most amazing career with Toni & Guy.
Turning 40, I had a big evaluation of where I was at and what I wanted to achieve moving forward.
I had to be honest with myself and it was time for a big change. After 16 years in Australia I was terrified to leave but it was time.
I joined Professional Use to develop and write all their education for all their brands.
Now 2020, I am launching Katy Reeve Education!
I also really missed working on the salon floor so now I’m going to be working a few days at Academie salon and educating the other days.
I am open to new opportunities and collaborations.
What do you love about cutting hair?
I specialise in cutting. You know why? because it’s quicker than colour! I find I lose interest in colour. I love that with cutting you can map something out, I quite like structure and building. You can cut one section of hair and straight away it changes everything and I like that because it’s quick and exciting!
Who’s hair would you like to cut and why?
I would like to cut my mum’s hair, because other than the 60’s she had the same hairstyle, always a box bob. She had very thick hair with a fringe like Anna Winter that was her hair. It was naturally very curly and she would straighten it before hair straighteners always. I would love to have given her a different style.
Why did you get into education and what motivates you to educate?
I’ve always wanted to educate, I wanted to teach when I was at school. I wanted to teach PE , I remember when my mum died we were young we were only 13. The school where my mum worked they invited us down to show us they had made a bench as a memorial to her. We went to see the bench, I remember people coming up and telling me what an amazing teacher she was. Students told me that she was my favourite teacher, really vividly I remember them telling me she just understood us and she listened. I felt this was really powerful. She was very connected and wanted to find a way to teacher people. My father is also a great teacher and very personable still to this day running a salon and teaching the new apprentices. He was taught by Gianni Scumaci the youngest ever Creative Director at Sassoon’s, he trained my dad.
So from a very young age I wanted to teach and be able to have that connection with people.
When I was at school and I had to decide what I wanted to do. It was between hairdressing and teaching PE. Then dad and I had a chat and he said why don’t you be a hairdresser and you can teach as well.
Career highlight so far?
I’ve had lots of amazing opportunities throughout my career so far, that have either come naturally or that I have set up in my path and I’ve made sacrifices to make that happen. I love being on stage, I feel so energised, I remember being on stage in London with the guys at Salon International where the stages are massive. Seeing a project through to the end as well working with a team to get a show off the ground and then seeing everyone enjoy that same buzz that’s very rewarding.
I’m still blown away by winning the Australian Hair Fashion Awards NSW/ACT Hairdresser of the Year, I hadn’t been shooting very long and getting that validation was amazing.
If you could educate anywhere in the world where would it be?
I’d quite like to go back to London and do some education. I find London really cool for finding models and being able to really showcase creative hairdressing.
I find it really difficult in Australia because you have to use a mannequin, whereas being in London we can have more creative models open minded for haircuts.
A piece of advice from Katy for those who want to work back stage on fashion shows?
Don’t be embarrassed to ask questions, if you’re not sure. I’m more than happy to answer people’s questions anytime. Say yes if there’s even a slight opportunity just say yes, work it out later. Be ready to do things in your own time, because we’ve all had to do that.
Practice some basic classic skills to have in your skill set for fashion week. If you don’t know ask, don’t make your own decisions on shows. Back stage is not salon hair and there is a process and there’s a reason why it’s being done that way.
Mentor or idol in the industry or other?
There’s a few my Dad’s always been an idol, He’s a hairdresser and all of that but my favourite thing with my Dad is that he is very gracious. I always really respected that. Dennis Langford has definitely had a massive impact on my career from how to present and to so many different things. My phone inspires me as that’s where I get to watch and see what everyone is doing. Frank Apostolopoulos, Renya Xydis love her styling, love the 70’s right up my alley.
I am genuinely inspired by hairdressers. I’m not inspired by wood! I’m conscious of keeping it as inspiration and not copying as I think this can easily happen when you are inspired by other hairdressers.
Laurie Creasy is also a great inspiration to me, she’s so smart and a good friend of mine. I’m inspired by her brain.
The most valuable education Katy has attended
It gets quite hard when you become an educator to please educators. For me it’s personal connections and stories. I would love to be in the same room as people like Guido Palau and Frank Apostolopoulos. I’d love to just sit and watch their hands work. I’d also love to just sit and chat with some of the guys and I’ve also never met Eugene Souleiman. I’d love to chat with him.
What is in store for Katy Reeve Education 2020?
It’s 3 courses one Fundamental Cut, one Creative Cut and one Editorial Styling.
Editorial Styling will be a full day course where you will learn 5 looks. From a blow dry and a dress out to a snatched ponytail and a braid. It’s grass roots not creative editorial. Basic stuff that you can use to be successful in the salon and to understand the foundations of long hair. If you want to work backstage having basic understandings of how to put a tong in, learning which products to use, when and why.
“I want to be able to give people the confidence to do something a bit amazing!”
Each class is one day, however, if I go into someone’s salon it can be very bespoke as the stylists are not all going to be at the same level. I would love to be on a retainer for some salons and go in and train peoples apprentices for a whole year. I’m very flexible and open to ideas creating and educating salon teams.
Also potential for some Look and Learns to give some inspiration. I know a full day can be a big commitment for some. There could also be a presenting course in the works in the future. All the information will be on my new website and also happy for people to reach out about collaborating or bespoke education as well.
Thank you Katy for an incredible interview we can not wait to see more from you and Katy Reeve Education in 2020!
X Alisha
|
|||||