THE HILLS
ear Alive
By Julie Bellinger-Gibb, Gorgeous PR, UK
Thomas Hills has mastered the formula of mixing a creative and commercial mind to not only build a thriving salon but also bring him award winning success.
At the age of seven, some little boys dream of becoming an astronaut or a fireman, but at that formative age it was already Thomas Hills’ goal to be a hairdresser. At 13 he set about making it come true and started in his local salon as a Saturday boy. He went on to do his professional apprenticeship at Splinters in London’s Mayfair and, after 18 months, at the age of 19, he set out on his own as a stylist. After ten years of learning from the best and studying the industry from the inside, Thomas’ dream came to full fruition. In 2004 he ‘brought a little bit of London to Surrey’ and opened his own salon TH1 in Oxted, Surrey. And the successes have rolled in ever since. Two times winner of the Southern Hairdresser of the Year at the British Hairdressing Awards, Thomas has reached the finals eight times. Other plaudits have included Best Colour Salon, Stylist of the Year and Creative Image at the Salon Awards. He’s built an accomplished Art Team and has featured in countless magazines, including Vogue, who showcased his work at London Fashion Week.
Perhaps his biggest success of all though is the unwavering consistency of the salon business he’s built over the course of the last 20 years. Five-star reviews routinely flood in, and you’d be hard pushed to find a more devoted clientele. “The philosophy of the salon is absolutely based on customer service,” Thomas explains. “We try to give the customers the most pleasant and unique experience possible. I have a very friendly, creative, and knowledgeable team.” “Knowledge as a hairdresser to me is critical,” he goes on to say. “I keep my staff highly trained. We all attend courses, and we also have training sessions within the salon on a regular basis. And we have a lot of brain power moments where we sort of sit down and just go through where we think things are going and what our clients need.” Bringing plenty of budding stylists through his ranks, Thomas is a hands-on trainer. “I like to train everyone as though that’s my child because I want them to have the best training possible. I also feel that I try to teach
