br and book
Devoted to your best hair
re i nventing hairdressing Welcome to the Michael Van Clarke brand and the family of brands that has grown from it.
Being part of the Michael Van Clarke team has never been more exciting. We are striving to change the face of hairdressing with our unique LLP salon business model, a revolutionary cutting system, and ground breaking professional hair care products. A refreshingly different approach that respects the individuality of each client, and challenges the industry status quo. Everything we do on our journey forward must align with a recognisable set of values that give a clear direction and consistent tone of voice. Here we explore our personality and values, and those of the other brands in our family. Why they’re important and how they can help us internally when working together, and externally when communicating with our clients.
It’s a pretty big deal, in a medium sized book.
1988 Established in
our heritage Michael embodies the experience, talent, and impeccable care that the salon has become synonymous with. He has looked after the most discerning clients, including nine Royal families, political leaders, models, rock stars and A-list film celebrities. He has worked with leading international designers for their catwalk shows, worked in photographic studios for the top magazines
getting his first Vogue editorial spread at just 19 and established his own unique systems to get the very best from hair. Michael’s photographic work and articles have regularly appeared in the major fashion magazines and national newspapers.
99 3000 31 Unmatched in an industry notorious for salon hopping by disaffected clients.
sq. ft.
%
Michael’s client return rate.
Marylebone salon. Luxurious and spacious. A firm favourite of the style cognoscenti.
British Hairdressing Business Award nominations in the last 4 years... a record. And has won 12. That’s more than any other salon... Ever!
Beautif ul Unique Lu xur ious
what makes us special? The Michael Van Clarke salon experience is built on an obsessive devotion to the clients’ best hair, in friendly and luxurious surroundings.
Our focus is on providing excellence. Quality and consistency are paramount.
We have built long term relationships and levels of trust with our salon clients, and we want to extend this trust to a wider of audience through our products.
It’s a relationship, not a transaction. We believe in retaining clients forever; building lifelong relationships NOT short-term fixes. Every client deserves to look A-List everyday.
We are taking the Michael Van Clarke philosophy, values and personality to ensure our strengths are reflected across the brand family.
Clients are at the centre of our philosophy. The personal service and product is designed to build long term changes in the clients’ attitude to caring for their hair. Looking good means feeling good.
what do people say about us?
“ Whenever I used to go to the hairdressers I cowered whilst
“ I’m usually a bit cynical about claims for products, but can’t praise
these highly enough. I put the pre-wash treatment on over Sunday night and couldn’t believe the difference after washing my hair yesterday morning - almost incredible. They’ve certainly rescued my hair and I’m so impressed.
they cut it wet and then over blow-dried it so unnaturally I always washed it when I got home. I was never happy until I came to you. Your dry cutting is just amazing, it makes such perfect sense.
”
”
JC
Jo Rothery, Observer Features Editor
The most professional salon in London Vogue Magazine
“ Thank you so much for the beautiful haircut which survived the wind and rain when the umbrellas ended up in the bin.
”
Julie Harris
“ What an experience, I am a total convert to the
Diamond Dry Cut. The more people that hear about Michael Van Clarke the better! I’ve had so many compliments for my haircut - what a first, it’s fantastic.
”
London Evening Standard
“ 3 More Inches has dramatically
improved the condition of my hair, preventing breakage and allowing my hair to become longer and thicker.
”
Fashion Monitor
re i nventing the haircut The last major hairdressing revolution, in the 1960s, established the cut as the most important part of the style. Up until the 1950s, the precision in haircuts was fairly irrelevant as most hair was worn up or set and dressed into very fixed styles. For instance, HRH the late Queen Mother actually had hair down to her waist, which was elaborately curled and gripped into a short looking style. Each person is unique, as is each head of hair. One size fits all hairdressing just doesn’t cut it anymore (excuse the pun!) and is a key reason why the majority of UK clients are looking for another stylist before the 4th haircut.
Our average client has been with us 7 years, many for over 30 years. This loyalty is due to our unique cutting method, ™ The Diamond Dry Cut .
The Diamond Dry Cut™ liberates the stylist to create an infinite array of personalised styles in 3D. This sculptural precision gives premium styles that look better, are easier to maintain, and stay looking great.
Michael’s Diamond Dry Cut™ is the game changing method for cutting hair and is exclusive to the Michael Van Clarke salon. Cutting the hair clean and dry allows Michael to work with the hair’s natural movement and texture, interpreted with face shapes and features, to create brilliant styles with an unrivalled level of precision and balance. This method is taught in his central London Salon Academy and, along with an exceptional teaching programme, has led to the salon winning multiple industry awards for training. The method is built on observations by Buckminster Fuller, the prolific inventor of the 20th century. He identified the geodesic dome as the way to properly divide up a curved surface. This has been a cornerstone of architectural design on curved structures and also relates to the area of the human skull covered in hair. We can see this diamond pattern in architecture like the Gherkin, the Epcot Centre and in the leather patchwork of a football.
The Diamond Dry Cut is not hairdressing gimmickry but a method based on the observations of nature and the laws of physics. It allows the stylist to push the structural mechanics, and engineer the shape to the nth degree in achieving the most flattering and wearable shape. If Michelangelo or Leonardo were alive today and cutting hair, they would use The Diamond Dry Cut method. Sassoon brought precision to cutting hair with his geometric bobs, Leonard of Mayfair sought fluid individuality. The Diamond Dry Cut brings absolute precision and unique personalisation together in a revolutionary method.
If I have seen further it is only by standing on the shoulders of giants Isaac Newton
Benefits Looks great until the next haircut. The style naturally feels like part of you, not something sitting on top of you. Beautiful wearable shapes that flatter your best features and draw attention away from any that are less so. Easy to maintain and style into different looks; daytime, night time, casual, professional or sporty.
re i nventing haircare Over the last 30 years, overuse of cheaper synthetic additives have distorted the hair care market. Silicones and plasticising polymers shrink-wrap the hair shaft to give a cosmetic illusion of health. This silicone sheath (dimethicone or cyclopentasiloxane) limits the ability of the hair to regulate its moisture balance through osmosis. Whilst giving a quick fix on the day, some actually age the hair more quickly. Overuse leads to brittleness and early decay. The hair shrinks faster encouraging the use of even more cosmetic products. In terms of long-term hair health these can be like junk food. Instant satisfaction, but you pay with shorter life expectancy – in this case your hair’s.
Most existing hair care has actually become hair make up. 3’’’ more inches cares and protects like no other product. Born from a scientific understanding of hair and decades of couture hairdressing, the 3’’’ more inches range has redefined hair care in the marketplace. The unique formulation naturally slows down the aging process allowing the hair to stay stronger and healthier during its lifetime, so it can grow naturally thicker, longer and more lustrous.
re i nventing the salon Professional Partnership Too many hairdressers will give a cosmetic fix for a day at the expense of the hairs long-term health. With long hair it can take 3 years to replace bad processes and techniques. We see every client as a client for life so take a long-term view on hair care. We feel the same way about our team. The average UK salon has a 70% annual staff turnover.
We target 10–15% annual staff turnover to keep the growing team fresh and strong. We were the first major salon to establish a unique Limited Liability Partnership professional model. 80% of the team are partners and share in the profits of the business. This supports our acknowledgement of the skills required to perform at the highest level of the industry and our feeling that the status should have an equality with other professional practices such as architectural design, medicine, law, accountancy or finance.
what is our vision?
Change the way the hairdressing world cuts hair and how clients view hairdressers
With the best techniques, products and better hairdressers, everyone can look A-list everyday
Raise client’s expectations of what’s possible and over deliver on them
Michael Van Cl ar ke
who are we? In order to reach our vision, we must all understand WHO we are and how we behave.
Our essence
devotion Our personality
Our benefits
Our values
Our attributes
Warm Elegant Genuine Knowledgeable
Beautiful results Relaxing experience Professional service
Striving for excellence Service focussed Attentive Inspiring Passionate Unique Reliable
Luxurious environment Experienced artisans Bespoke & unique techniques Excellent service Heritage
our personalit y
Warm
Elegant
Genuine
Knowledgeable
We treat our clients as individuals.
We are stylish and timeless.
We are clear and simple in our language.
We are experts and artisans.
We care about their wellbeing. We build positive team and family spirit.
We are gracious and likeable.
We build open, honest relationships and communication. We celebrate your uniqueness and help you show your best self. We pursue excellence in life’s key areas – mind, body, health, work, family, community.
We pursue growth and learning. We create, embrace and drive change.
Tr us t L o y alt y De v otion
devotion The experience connects with our clients and they stay loyal to us. The experience we offer our clients is something they crave to return to; they are excited to tell others about us and enjoy letting them in on the ‘secret’. When others hear about us, they want to be part of the experience. We provoke an element of desirability in those that have not visited us, but we do not look to exclude; our welcome is always warm and genuine, and our price range inclusive and accessible.
We are devoted to our clients’ best interests.
Devoted to continually improving and developing ourselves and our staff.
Our values ensure clients become devoted to us, our products and our unique techniques.
How we make people FEEL is as important as how we do it. Our customer’s experience makes a positive and memorable impact on their lives.
our landscape Based in the heart of London, still the key influencer for global hairdressing, and one of the world’s most vibrant and competitive cities.
We know we’re not the only choice for clients, but we know we can compete with the very best.
None of our competitors offer our unique aproach to long term hair care or the same standards of service.
We offer something very special that our clients cannot get elsewhere and consistently come back to us for.
a world of br ands Our world is full of brands. You’ve probably noticed, and it isn’t just companies that are using them. Sporting teams, charities, countries and even individuals are thinking of themselves as brands.
What is a brand and why are they so important?
What we do is as important as how we make our clients FEEL.
In this time of bewildering choice, brands do still represent clarity, reassurance and consistency. They are your unique promise, which differentiates you from your competition.
But brands don’t just represent the image of the product or service; they also represent the image of the person buying them.
We mostly take the functional characteristics of what we’re buying for granted and so brands also represent image. What companies do is often not as important as how they do it, or more importantly how they are perceived to do it.
Brand represents identity and consumers decide whether they are successful or not. If a brand doesn’t mean anything to anyone and isn’t liked, it will fail however much you try. If clients can identify with them or even love them they’ll be a success.
People buy into brands that offer clear, likeable values and we want to be the brand that they trust, love and recommend.