Small Town Girl... BIG AMBITIONS

You may not have heard of Emma Simmons… Yet! But watch out, this girl from the small town of Thirsk in North Yorkshire in the UK has her sights set on global recognition

It was early May 2023 when Emma Simmons found out she’d been shortlisted for International Hairdresser of the Year at the Australian Hairdressing Industry Awards (AHIA). Up against powerhouses of the hair world such as Mark Leeson and Martin Crean, no one was more shocked than Emma to see her name on the lineup.

Although Emma has previously been crowned the AIPP Grand Winner in 2022 and secured the title of Best International Women’s Commercial Collection at the IHAs in 2021, she still struggles to believe the success story she has become. “I’m a little country girl – a pure Yorkshire lass,” Emma laughs. “Being nominated for these global awards and then even going on to win them? Well, it just feels like a dream.”

Hailing from Thirsk, North Yorkshire in the UK, Emma describes the place she grew up in as “a small, rural market town with cobbled streets, way out in the country.” With a population of around 5,000, many of them from the farming community, it’s no surprise that Emma had to venture further afield to pursue the career that would later take her to such dizzying heights.

Emma had decided at the age of seven-years old that she wanted to be a hairdresser. Learning to plait her own hair and then practising styles on her ‘Girl’s World’, she was undeterred when her mum warned her; “There’s no money in hairdressing.” A sparky Emma’s response was “OK, I’ll be the boss then.”

Emma completed her training at an academy in the nearby city of York, while working at a city centre salon and recalls vividly the tutor who trained her. Bernadette, a lady in her 70s, told the class that she didn’t know any of the ‘new-fangled’ techniques, so instead the class was reared on a curriculum of barrel curls, Marcel waves and many of the fundamental (but seemingly old-fashioned) skills that Emma credits for the talents she now draws on in later life. “I still refer back to my early training for wedding hair, editorial and much of my creative work,” Emma says.

Emma married at 19 years old and moved back to Thirsk with her husband. She worked initially at a small, local salon but admits that it wasn’t an easy transition. “After working in a city centre salon, Thirsk was a shock.” So, proving to her mum that she would indeed be the boss, shortly afterwards, at the age of 21, Emma opened a place of her own, Salon 54. “I thought if I couldn’t go back to the city, I’d open my own salon and run it with big city thinking,” Emma recalls.

Starting out on her own, Emma hired someone part time to help with answering the phones and shampooing. Six months later, she’d employed two more stylists and set her sights on bigger premises. Once she’d moved, the reputation of Salon 54 grew alongside Emma’s ambitions. Today, 23 years on? Well, we now know the success that this salon from the tiny town of Thirsk has become.

Not surprisingly, the salon is seen a ‘luxury destination’ in the local area but it’s not just because of the syrup lattes and herbal teas they serve up, or the top-level products they stock on the shelves. Emma’s attitude is that regardless of its location, her clients should have access to the same high-quality service and trends they’d get in any capital city. Emma encourages inclusivity and diversity – a space where a anyone, whatever their background or age can come and feel special.

Emma’s ‘age neutral’ approach applies to her team too. “I’ve employed people of all ages,” Emma explains, “right from college leavers to people reaching retirement. Age is just a number – there’s no shelf life in hairdressing and you should never stop learning. I don’t think anyone should feel out of place or like they don’t fit in.” Emma’s philosophy is that she always employs staff based on their personality, not their skill. We can teach skills,” she says.

As well as training a multitude of recruits inhouse over her time, one of Emma’s greatest protégés is her husband, Chris who gave up his job as a butcher to be retrained (by Emma) in hairdressing. She now describes him as her rock; “he makes it all possible,” she says. Within the team there’s a strong spirit of collaboration, a tight-knit group who all get along. It’s fortunate that Emma’s clients back her ambitions too. Understanding that it’s the creativity that keeps Emma’s spark alive, they book in advance and relish Emma’s tales of London photoshoots, fancy events, and big brand partnerships.

With her career in full swing, Emma shows no signs of slowing down. She’s a brand ambassador for Matakki scissors – a union that allows her to unleash her first love of precision cutting that stems back to her training in classic hairdressing. Naturally, she cites Vidal Sassoon as her ultimate icon, “For me, it’s all about the way he could build shapes that were so simple, so beautiful and so suited to the individual.” Her more recent heroes are Akin Konizi – a master of blending simplicity with modernity, and Errol Douglas, whose work she remembers admiring years ago, never believing she would one day be rubbing shoulders with these greats.

Next on Emma’s agenda is an emerging talent project with the Fellowship for British Hairdressing – unfailingly active and enthusiastic about supporting the association, she was named their Member of the Year last year. As we speak, Emma has also just finished shooting a photographic collection with Andrew O’Toole. She describes the shots as “out of this world. Andrew understood my concept completely but also pushed me beyond my comfort zone.”

It’s clear that Emma Simmons is a name not to be underestimated. But where does that immense drive and determination come from? “It 100 per cent comes from my mum,” Emma says. “My mum worked her way up from the bottom and made huge sacrifices to end up being manager at the care home where she’d started as a cleaner. I never saw my mum have a day off sick or complain about hard work. No doubt it’s her work ethic that I’ve inherited.”

While Emma’s mum was around to witness her phenomenal rise to success, she sadly passed away last year. “I’m so glad she got to see that you can make it big in hairdressing though,” reflects the girl who not only became the boss but built a career that has taken her all the way to the very top.

IMAGE CREDITS:

Onyx collection (Afro):

HAIR: Emma Simmons at Salon 54

@emmasimmonshair

PHOTOGRAPHY: Dan Thomas @danthomasphotography

MAKE-UP: Abbi Beautement @abbibooboo

STYLING: Jamie Russell @stylistjjr

ASSISTANTS: Darrel Starkey | Tammy Reynolds | Kay Binnersley

Andromeda collection:

HAIR : Emma Simmons at Salon 54

@emmasimmonshair

PHOTOGRAPHY: Dan Thomas

@danthomasphotography

MAKE-UP: Abbi Beautement @abbibooboo

STYLING: Jamie Russell @stylistjjr

ASSISTANTS: Darrel Starkey | Tammy Reynolds | Kay Binnersley