International Feature - Manifesto by Julie Bellinger Gibb, Gorgeous PR, UK

Built on a philosophy of ‘cut technically, style naturally’, Manifesto has established itself as a ground-breaking force in the world of men’s grooming.

Now with salons based in two of London’s coolest districts – Leather Lane, Holborn, and Coal Drops Yard, Kings Cross and a thriving education programme, Manifesto continues to push the boundaries of men’s hairdressing.

Left to right: Rino Riccio; Corrado Tevere; Mikey Pearson

Founded by session stylist Mikey Pearson and Corrado Tevere, the man behind progressive salon group Radio London, Manifesto was always going to bring something different to the table. Says Corrado: “I opened the first Radio London salon in 2010, and I brought that experience to Manifesto, so we were able to avoid many of the mistakes that new businesses often make. The biggest challenge for most new business owners is the people management side. This is a real learning process. There are always different situations arising and you need to know how to resolve them. This was something I had a vast experience of. I was also able to help with all the legal and administration side of running a business because I had done it all before. This meant we both had more time to focus on the creative side of developing a brand – creating photographic collections that represented what we were all about for example.” The pair had a clear vision of the brand they wanted to create, and it’s a vision they have stuck to from the outset.

Says Mikey: “We saw a gap in the market for a brand that took a salon approach to men’s grooming. We also wanted to bring our session styling experience into a salon environment, creating styles based on the concept ‘cut technically style naturally’. We saw on Instagram that barbers were doing some great technical work, but often the finish was too product-heavy and overstyled.”

Manifesto takes a salon approach to men’s grooming, offering a relaxed atmosphere for its clientele, with thorough consultations before any service and plenty of advice offered on homecare during every appointment. All stylists are trained to deliver any style of cut, from short to long, with both partners’ session styling experience helping to shape Manifesto’s work from day one.

Word of Manifesto’s work and unique offering has spread beyond the local area, with the salons gaining coverage in national media, including The Sunday Times, GQ, and Wallpaper magazine. It was also featured as a major force in men’s grooming in the New York Times.

All this publicity helped grow the Manifesto brand, and made opening the second salon a reality, but Mikey believes that the main reason for Manifesto’s success is the ‘cut technically, style naturally’ philosophy that the brand is built on. It’s an ethos that also forms the foundation for the Manifesto education programme, which is delivered to all team members, and is also available in the form of a three-day course to any hairdresser wanting to learn to cut and style the Manifesto way.

With both salons attracting new clients on a daily basis, the education program continuing to spread the Manifesto ethos, and a partnership with Italian haircare brand, Davines, it won’t be long before ‘cut technically style naturally,’ is being quoted and followed in salons across the UK and beyond.

With such solid foundations in place, Mikey, Corrado and Rino are committed to grow Manifesto into a globally renowned brand.

MANIFESTO: EDUCATION

Shortly after opening the first salon, another leading session stylist, Rino Riccio, joined the Manifesto team, helping on the salon floor, while also working with Mikey and Corrado to develop an education programme which would spread the Manifesto ethos far and wide.

Manifesto Education has been well received, with Rino taking the role of Head of Education.

To date they have developed their own platform in both English and Japanese offering two intense programmes CLASSIC NOW – which aims to teach experienced hairdressers how to cut and style the Manifesto way, and ADV – a course covering six different advanced cutting and styling techniques covering disconnection, razor cutting, asymmetric shapes, visual cutting, and editorial styling – tailored to barbers and hairdressers with a strong basic knowledge but who would like to explore new creative techniques.

“We see CLASSIC NOW as a foundation course, introducing our ‘cut technically style naturally’ ethos, incorporating all the essential skills including scissor-over-comb, graduation, long hair, layers and clipper cutting,” says Rino. “We always focus on creating cuts and styles that suit the client, that are based on skilfully created internal shapes, with attention to detail always paramount. There is no pass or fail. The course is about conveying the Manifesto ethos, while passing on knowledge and skill.”

Rino is also immensely proud that leading brand Davines were attracted to the work of Manifesto and invited them to be their Men’s Educators/Ambassadors. This role included devising an educational programme for Davines – which was a total sell out when launched throughout the UK and Ireland pre lockdown. This partnership with Davines is a great opportunity for the Manifesto team to pass on their knowledge, skills, and passion for men’s hairdressing.

The partnership with Davines is a great opportunity for Manifesto to pass on their knowledge, skills, and passion for men’s hairdressing. As with all of their courses they don’t just talk about cutting hair, they cover everything including suitability to the client, internal shape, and attention to detail; and when it comes to styling, they talk about the importance of preparation, styling techniques and finish. Within two months of launching their new education programme for Davines all eight of their courses had sold out.

BEHIND THE LENS

Nothing ticks Rino’s box however than creating a collection under the Manifesto banner – “I love working on a photographic shoot – it’s all about working as a team. I enjoy the creative energy that comes from collaboration and the fact that the hair is just part of the bigger picture. It is all about the complete image, which appeals to me as a creative. Am equally excited either following a brief wearing my session hairdresser hat or working collaboratively with like-minded individuals from the Manifesto team.”

AWARD WINNING Although just out of lockdown both Mikey Pearson and Rino Riccio received national acclaim. Mikey at the Modern Barber Awards for his award-winning imagery, and Rino at the Creative Head Most Wanted Awards where he was crowned Men’s Hair Specialist.