3 minute read
WEEK IN MY SHOES
A WEEK IN MY SHOES
All imagery supplied
Location
London/ Brighton
Years in business
30
Social media
@markwoolley1 @electric_london @electric_space_london Take a look into a busy week with one of the UK’s most innovative hairdressers, Mark Woolley. Not only has Mark racked up an amazing 30 years in the business, he recently launched the first co-working space dedicated to hairdressers, photographers and other creatives: Electric Space.
Monday
I start my day bright and early, heading across the farm to feed our two pet pigs, Violet and Tommy. Then I head into Brighton for my weekly meeting with the head office team.
As I always try to set the example of the kind of behaviour I want to see in my team, after our meeting I usually head to one of our salons, splitting my time between London, Brighton, Oxford, Reading and Liverpool. This is a fundamental part of my role as it keeps me connected to the clients that Electric serves and lets me see first-hand how each salon is doing.
Tuesday
I split my Tuesdays between my home in Sussex and London. The mornings are devoted to developing and manufacturing our ethically sourced, professional product line. All Electric hand-crafted products are developed by ourselves with some ingredients and raw materials grown on my farm. I am proud to say that Electric products are regularly used by some of the world’s most influential hair stylists. After lunch I head up to London for what usually consists of an afternoon of press meetings at Soho House in Greek Street.
Wednesday
I base myself at Electric Space, our five-storey town house nestled between Soho and Fitzrovia in Rathbone Place. My vision for Electric Space was to create a shared creative workspace for independent trailblazers. I am proud to say that we have achieved exactly this, with the space now housing some of the most directional and influential hairstylists, photographers, filmmakers, makeup artists, ad agencies and art directors out there. Making use of our venue on Wednesday evenings I often host film screenings in our private cinema. Our most recent screenings include Oasis: Knebworth 1996 and Quadrophenia.
Thursday
The most amazing thing about the hair industry is the power it has to help people achieve their dreams and ambitions. I
am passionate about helping my people fulfil their potential, sharing global creativity and knowledge. That said, Thursdays are often spent mentoring individuals and salons. I’ve most recently been asked to join Creative Head’s Activator programme. Though I’ve dedicated much of my time in recent years to growing my businesses, my passion is still hair. Whenever possible, I will be found in Electric Space’s salon, doing what I do best. It always feels good to get back in the salon whether it be with clients, VIPs or on shoots – it reminds me why I love what I do.
Friday
Fridays are spent working on projects at Falmer Court, the home of Electric. Set within the beautiful Sussex down, my vision for Falmer Court is to provide a global destination for the Electric brand, with a world-class studio, state of the art offices and a product lab. Our newly renovated, midthirteenth century thatched barn is becoming a well-known location for shooting films and hosting photoshoots for hairdressers and fashion brands. The barn has been booked for several parties and celebrations – we recently had Norman Cook (aka Fatboy Slim) DJing an event there.
Mark’s advice
Saturday
I’m back in the salon but this time it’s Brighton; it’s always great catching up with my clients here as some of them have been with me for over 20 years.
Sunday
After a busy week, it’s time to slow down and unwind. Sundays are for spending time with the family, getting jobs done around the farm and getting stuck into my art.
