A Dream Come True

Enrica Russo was recently crowned Avant-Garde Hairdresser of the Year at the British Hairdressing Awards 2022. We find out how the determination of this bright, ambitious hairdresser led to her bagging one of hairdressing’s biggest honours.

Growing up in Sicily, Enrica Russo knew that London was her destination if she wanted to reach the top of the hairdressing world. Packing her kit bag eight years ago at the age of 22, Enrica arrived in the UK speaking barely a word of English. “I came to London because it was the best place to find people with the same passion for hair,” Enrica explains. “It’s something about the way they work, the way they speak. London has a competitive edge. I felt that if I could get over the language barrier, I could reach anything.”

Enrica got her first job at a well-known London salon and began to learn the language on the salon floor by speaking to clients and colleagues. While the conversations were coming along, Enrica was hungry for more hair opportunities and decided that if she wanted to progress her career, she had to seek out her next challenge.

Meeting fellow Italian Danilo Giangreco was a pivotal moment and Enrica credits him for opening up the path to her success. “Danilo gave me courage. He believed in me,” Enrica says. “I give thanks to him every day.” The pair clicked immediately and Enrica joined the close, mainly Italian team at Danilo Hair Boutique in Chelsea. “It just feels like home, we’re from southern Italy so our dialect is the same, and we support each other like a family.”

Danilo signed up Enrica to training at the Joshua Galvin Academy and gradually, she started to perfect her skills and grow in confidence. When she’d finished the two-year course, she describes it as “the real game beginning.” It was the unwavering encouragement of Danilo that led to the remarkable debut of Enrica’s first photographic collection – fiercely supportive of his team, Danilo encouraged Enrica to have a go and follow her dreams.

The admiration she has for her boss and mentor is clear. “To watch Danilo work is hypnotising,” Enrica explains. “Every day, I ask him questions and he always takes the time to explain how, why, what.”

An expressive hairdresser, Enrica is fascinated by the possibilities of hair and makeup so it was no surprise that Avant Garde would be an area where she could really show off her talents. “When I started to plan the collection, I didn’t have to think twice about it,” Enrica claims. Through playing with hair – touching it, feeling it, exploring it, Enrica found her inspiration.

The eight looks she created combined the techniques she’d carefully perfected in her years of training and she let her imagination run wild. “For five of my looks, I used a hot wax 3-D pen to create a net of colours,” Enrica explains. “One of my favourite things is braids – I took the concept of one simple, neat, tidy row of pipe braids and evolved it to make it more intricate. I’m obsessed with colour and for another look, I used acrylic colours to paint the hair. I had a small budget and I had to be really creative with how I did things.”

While her budget was small and the collection was shot in the salon rather than a fancy studio, Enrica couldn’t have asked for more of a dream team around her. In particular, she praises photographer Chris Bulezuik for bringing her vision to life. “It was like he was reading my mind with how I wanted the shots to look,” Enrica says. “Every frame he took was perfect and he was so knowledgeable and experienced. He was able to guide me and advise me even in the smallest details. What he does, it’s magic!”

The resulting collection speaks for itself. As well as winning The Up and Coming One – for hairdressers under the age of 30 at the Big One Awards 2022 presented by Tribu-te Magazine, Enrica also scooped the main, coveted trophy The Big One Creative Image at the same awards. She won Creative Image at the Salon Awards and was a finalist at the Alternative Hair Show Visionaries. And then, of course, to top off a stellar year, Enrica took home the title of AvantGarde Hairdresser of the Year at the British Hairdressing Awards 2022.

Enrica describes this recognition as being beyond her wildest dreams. “It means everything, I put my heart and soul into this collection and to win is just incredible. To be among so many heroes in one room and to reach the finals was enough of an achievement but to actually win. Well, I don’t know what to say. Once I got on that stage I forgot my English… And my Italian! I will never forget this experience and I wish everyone to try, experiment, take risks. Because efforts always pays off!”

There’s no stopping Enrica now. Whether inside the salon or outside, hair preoccupies her thoughts and she’s excited to see where it can take her next. She looks up to greats of the Avant Garde world such as Sylvestre Finold and Angelo Seminara as her idols and still has to pinch herself that her name now sits alongside these heroes in hair’s hall of fame. No one can deny this girl from Sicily has big ambitions. But she couldn’t have got off to a better start.