Back in February 2017 I had the pleasure of completing a Kevin Murphy Session Salon course that had been held at Reuben Wood Creatives, the final part of which entailed presenting a look I had created to Reuben Wood and Karl Collins, followed by a short photo shoot with them. A couple of weeks later, after feeling so enthused by my time with them on that day, I joined the Reuben Wood team as an assistant, desperate to perfect the fundamentals of hairdressing.

Fast forward through a year of intensive shadowing and training nights, and I was preparing for a much bigger presentation; an opportunity to showcase my skills to my colleagues through a display of ten pre-prepared haircuts, varying from a precision bob to a freehand Afro cut. Given free reign on this project, from my selection of models to the make-up and styling, I wanted to make sure that my presentation was a reflection of my own personal style, and the diverse range of hair I love; relaxed and wearable, where attention to detail isn’t lost, and where not only the variety of textures in my models hair were enhanced, but their personalities too. Displaying my work to the team signified my transition to a stylist on the salon floor and celebrated what I love most about hairdressing, the mix of technical skill with creativity.

I was fortunate enough to have Karl capture images of my models after the presentation. To have gained a collection of images of such quality so early on in my career is something I’m so grateful for; they will be the foundation of my portfolio of work, as well as documentation of a very special day in my career to look back on in years to come.

Thank you to Reuben, Karl, Steve, and the rest of the Reuben Wood team for mentoring, inspiring and taking as much interest in my career as I do, and for offering me the opportunity to display my hairdressing ability through this presentation.