Hairstylist and colourist to the stars, Jo Hansford MBE chats to us about her 30th anniversary in the hair business, building her luxury brand, and her career highlights to date.
Coiffeur to celebrities, beauty aficionados, and those in the know, Jo Hansford is the place to head for elegant cuts and timeless, tailored colours that suit their clients. Cue everyone from Carla Bruni and Naomi Campbell to Angelina Jolie, Sienna Miller and regular Liz Hurley who have called upon Jo’s expertise.
Jo has built up a strong reputation in the industry that includes her eponymous brand, which is currently celebrating its 30th anniversary. Over this time, we’ve seen the success of the original Jo Hansford flagship salon located in Mayfair, an opening within Harvey Nichols, Knightsbridge, and also an MBE along the way. Jo, who also colours the hair of Queen Camilla, chats to us about her journey into the world of hairdressing, the building of her brand, and the future goals for her company.
Tell us about your background, how you got into the world of hairdressing, and the setting up of your company?
I left school at 15 with no qualifications and was desperate to become a make-up artist. I applied to a competition on TV with the BBC and won an apprenticeship with them, but I had to be 19 to start it. They said they would hold the position for me and advised me to train as a hairdresser in the meantime as that would work well alongside the make-up. I joined a salon in Mayfair, having no idea where Mayfair was or how prestigious the area was and discovered a passion for make-up on the hair rather than the face! The head colourist at the time was incredible and I learnt so much.
After qualifying I moved to Vidal Sassoon and never looked back. It was the most amazing experience and some of the best memories of my life. After that, I was approached to go into a partnership with another hairdresser to create a bespoke colour salon and I stayed in that role for 13 years before it ended acrimoniously. At that time my children were in secondary school, and it felt the right time to branch out on my own. My husband was in property and always wanted me to work for myself, he had huge belief in me and gave the confidence to step out of my comfort zone.
We originally found premises on Mount Street where there was no passing trade, but it was a beautiful area, and we wanted a very specialist destination salon. Thirty years later we are still in the area but now have double the space, (4300 sqft) and are based on South Audley Street.
What are the brand pillars of your brand?
We are a worldwide authority in hair and specifically hair colouring and are always forward thinking and looking for the next innovations in our field. Providing a bespoke, professional and detailed service is at the heart of what we do. Alongside this, we highly value our team and clients and our retention rate on both sides is much higher than industry standards. We are constantly working towards being as sustainable as possible and looking at how we can adapt to achieve this and are currently working with ‘green salon collective’.
How did you ensure the evolution of the business remained true to your brand and its values?
Evolution has been to ensure we provide exceptional training for our junior apprentices to continue to create the next generation of hairdressers in our salons and industry. Over the last 30 years, we have grown our team from eight to 90 and many of these have started with us as young assistants who have qualified with us and become part of our core team. We have been open to the changes in systems and software and were one of the first salons to have a website and a booking system. HR was originally viewed as a challenge, but it has enhanced what we do and allowed us to offer a work-life balance that benefits both our staff and the business.
We have never rested on our laurels and always continue to drive the business forward in an ever-changing environment. We have very open communication channels and an open-door policy with our management team which means we are in touch with our staff and our clients and can continue to provide the highest level of care and service to both sides.
You’re known as the go-to for hair colour, do you intuitively know what hair colour someone should be?
Knowing what colour will suit someone comes with experience and the eye. Like a chef with ingredients or an artist with his palette, it is quite instinctive. It is also lovely to have a team of expert colourists around us in the salons who are all incredibly passionate, we are constantly talking colour and never get bored of it!
What are the foundations of a good cut and colour?
Foundations of good cut and colour are in the detailed consultation with both stylist and colourist. Every client should have a consultation at each appointment, and you should never assume you know what someone is thinking. I have had clients come in who look quite ordinary but want something incredibly bold and different! Good colour is always easier to achieve on hair that is in good condition, so this is also something that is vital to discuss and include in the conversation.
You’re celebrating 30 years in the hair business, what have been your career highlights to date?
I have been incredibly fortunate to work on many films, and commercials and with several celebrities and high-profile clients. Although this ages me (!), I worked with Richard Burton in his heyday which was a complete privilege. I also looked after Angelina Jolie for Tomb Raider and Liberty Ross for her Vogue front cover. I always find the bigger the star, the more lovely they are and people such as Sophie Dahl and Erin O’Connor are a complete joy. Looking after the current Queen’s hair for the last 40 years has also been a very special experience and I feel so lucky to be in a role that I enjoy every day.
How have you seen the world of hairdressing change over the years?
Hairdressing has changed like fashion. Anything goes for colour and style now for the younger generation, but bespoke classic cuts and colours will always be for those who want to look glamorous and chic much like the little black dress! Products have changed enormously, and the quality is fantastic now and you can achieve so much more than you used to be able to without compromising the quality of the hair.
What do you have in the pipeline?
We have been approached for some very exciting projects that may come to fruition in 2025. For now, we are continuing to grow our salon in Knightsbridge which is in its third year and working towards our next sustainability goals for our Mayfair salon and developing our younger team to be stars of the future!
Factbox
Addresses:
Jo Hansford, 48 S Audley St, London W1K 2QB. Tel: 020 7495 7774
Jo Hansford at Harvey Nichols, 109-125 Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7FJ. Tel: 020 7112 1493
Website: johansford.com
All imagery credit: Jo Hansford
