THE HILLS are 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-time 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 a good business aspect within my hairdressing training. That’s why I do business and hair courses.

I like them to understand the commercial side of hairdressing as well as the creative side. But my approach is also to keep my training sessions fun, engaging and exciting.”

While clearly focused on what builds a strong team, Thomas is also instinctively tuned in to what his clients want. He describes himself a commercial hairdresser – a philosophy he keeps in mind even when he’s doing his most creative work. “With my 2017 collection, I really wanted it to be commercial hair – still wearable but with a really strong edge to it.

The collection was called ‘Iconic’ and I wanted all my models to feel and look iconic. My flagship picture was based on the Jessica Rabbit look. Overall, I just wanted to portray strong, individual women, but with really wearable hair.”

‘Commercial’ isn’t just a buzzword that Thomas throws around lightly. He says it’s vital to tuning in to what your clients want. “First of all, wearable hair is coming back and as hairdressers, we seem to be embracing the fact that people are able to do their hair better now. In our salon, we’re working with the client, rather than being the hierarchy,” he says. “They’re so much better informed these days because of social media mainly and actually they’re learning how to style the hair really well themselves.”

Does he see that as a threat? Quite the opposite. “Actually, it’s a win / win because you can create a great cut or colour for them, and you know they’ll maintain it well so we see much better hair walking down the street now.

But you know, they still need to get the correct products and we’re a heavily aftercare-driven salon so we educate them and encourage them to use what we use at home.”

Whether Thomas is creating collections, behind the chair, educating or working on looks for a show, there is another characteristic that defines him. “I’m a perfectionist 100 per cent. I have a very strong eye for detail but I also like to experiment. As you can see from my collections, I don’t like to just be a one trick pony.

I take myself out of my comfort zone on a regular basis to try and challenge my own creativity. That would really sum me up. That and my pure passion for hair.”

Thomas’s collections have been widely acclaimed, with that rare ability to impress both peers and clients alike. If you can win an award and attract a new client with your images, that’s impressive and if you can make them timeless too you know you’ve struck gold. “My head is full of creative thoughts all the time,” he admits. “When I’m working on a collection, before I’ve even finished it, I’ve already got the new collection on my mind.

I’m always looking at different shapes and colours. I’m also a big people watcher. I look out for the fashions going on, trying to see where the trends are heading. Fashion is cyclical – it bounces around in a circle so I try and incorporate that into my collections.”

And it’s not just the fashion world he’s keeping his eye on, Thomas has big plans for his own future too. “Expansion is within the next couple of years,” Thomas confides. “I’m determined to become a Hall of Fame member at the British Hairdressing Awards too.” With his magic formula, it’s just a matter of time.

@thomashillhair