REED ALL ABOUT IT

By Zoe Richards

He’s loved by the beauty press, in demand for shows and session work and has become part of fashion’s front line. Now focusing on his eponymous East London salon, we find out how hair and fashion have been the abiding threads that have run throughout Adam Reed’s remarkable life and career

It was always hair. There was never a doubt or a second thought about pursuing another career. From as far back as he can remember, Adam Reed recalls visiting a small salon in his hometown of Minehead. Enraptured by his surroundings and intoxicated by the smell of Elnett, he would clean rollers and sort drawers while his grandmother had her hair set. In what would become a lifelong love affair with hair and all that went with it - fashion, skincare, perfume, beauty - this young boy from Somerset was in his element.

These days, Adam Reed is a name synonymous with session work, editorial shoots and successful salons. He’s part of fashion’s front line – a stylist who’s broken through the ranks and whose work is just as likely to feature backstage as front page. He’s mingled with supermodels, rock stars and fashion legends. He’s styled the hair of practically every beauty editor in London. And yet, it’s unlikely you’ll meet someone with less of an ego in today’s hair world.

At the age of 13, Adam had his first taste of working in hair. “I got a job as a salon assistant at Something Else in Minehead,” he recounts. “Then, for my 13th birthday I asked for three blockheads and I’d practice on them at home in my bedroom.” School was not a happy place and instead he sought safety and sanctuary in things outside. Perhaps it was prophetic that his most notable academic achievements were his two final essays on Vivienne Westwood and Jean Paul Gaultier. Apart from that, school was merely a waiting game and he left when he was 16, mind set on making it in hair.

Indulging his love of fashion, Adam would travel from Somerset up to London on the bus at weekends, eager to soak up the buzzing scene of the King’s Road and Covent Garden. His mum even paid for him to have his hair cut at Trevor Sorbie for his 18th birthday. He dreamed of securing a job in the Capital and already had the strong work ethic that meant he’d absolutely get there. Meanwhile, he was completing his formal training at college in Taunton, nurturing all the skills he’d need, practicing relentlessly on friend’s hair and gathering an enviably exhaustive kit bag. “I’ve always had an obsession with kit,” Adam confesses. Like a magpie, he still takes great joy in discovering new tools and products.

No surprise really that this enthusiasm would be matched by an emerging talent. While still at college, all his projects were meticulously executed. Adam also invested in a £35 camera and entered every hair competition he could, “I never got through, but it never got me down.” This unwavering resilience and ambition led to his first big career move, which Adam confesses was quite strategic. As a result of his talents, he’d won a place at a Redken Symposium and it was there that he first came across Charles Worthington and Allan Peters.

“It was 1995 and Charles Worthington was a brand that was on the up. I felt I could grow with them,” Adam says. His launch into London life was in Worthington’s legendary Fitzrovia salon. Whether strategic or a fortunate turn of fate, Adam couldn’t have picked a better place to cultivate his career goals.

Glamorous days on the salon floor were countered by evening and part time jobs to make ends meet. One such role was for renowned couturier ‘Mr Pearl’, where he beaded corsets for the likes of Christian Lacroix, Thierry Mugler, Antonio Berardi and the then unknown designer Alexander McQueen. It was while working here that he was introduced to British aristocrat and fashion icon Isabella Blow. “When I first met Issie, she seemed quite shy, but she had a huge personality,” Adam recounts. “She started coming to me for colour and cuts and she was so generous with her introductions. Through her I got to know Lee McQueen, Sophie Dahl, Tristan Weber, Honor Fraser and so many others. I can remember her taking me to places like the Royal Academy for tea and she’d generously give me clothes. The buzz of those times was incredible.” It’s clear how much of a profound influence Blow had on Adam. He credits her for feeding his creativity and allowing him to believe his dream of becoming the hairdresser ‘that does it all’. In the years that followed, there were spectacular parties, astonishing opportunities and a fizzing social scene that allowed Adam to mingle with the fashion elite and fuel his flourishing reputation. “I was like a sponge, soaking it all up,” Adam confides. He describes a supportive community where haircuts were traded for clothes, and networks were forged over drinks and elaborate dinners.

Equally, Charles Worthington was flying as a brand and affording Adam some golden opportunities along the way. He would tend to the A-list from the salon based at The Dorchester Hotel and when Worthington set up in New York, Adam was sent out as part of the team to launch its salon there. He remained in the USA for two years, mixing with a new fashion crowd and ensuring the big names of Hollywood were perfectly groomed at the Oscars and Golden Globes.

So far, so showbiz. And while Adam could undoubtedly drop enough famous names to fill the pages of a celebrity glossy, his true motivation was far more elementary. “Ultimately, I’m a salon hairdresser,” Adam says. Sure enough, he headed back to London in 2007 and over the course of the next 10 years set up two booked-out salons and a best-selling global product range with fellow hairdresser Paul Percival. Percy & Reed were an indomitable partnership who won a whole raft of plaudits and provided the hair for major TV shows such as The X Factor.

Fast forward to today and Adam Reed is going it alone. After parting company with Percival, Adam decided to take a different path and is finally fulfilling the ultimate ambition of having his

own name above the door. You could say Adam Reed London - a curated hair and lifestyle space located in the premises of a former banana and tomato merchant in London’s Spitalfields - is the embodiment of Adam’s character. Not in the least bit flashy or ostentatious, it’s understated, welcoming and entirely non-judgemental. “It’s a quirky, fun, happy place,” Adam enthuses. “More creative hub than traditional hair salon, clients can be as peaceful or productive as they like. There’s space to read and relax, for me it’s a chance to enjoy the simple things and try to rebuild communities too.” The building has been preserved as authentically as possible and Adam has filled it with all the things he loves. There’s original Ercol furniture alongside upcycled pieces, gathered objects that this avid collector has found and fallen for, not to mention a wondrous fashion archive too. “I have tried to take all of the things that I love, from service, to product, to design and incorporate them all into one big happy place that gives you great hair and a big smile on your face,” says Adam. Intriguingly, for someone whose career has been so absorbed with fashion and trends, his new set of ‘guiding hair principles’ avoid getting too caught up with the catwalk and instead just aim to deliver exactly what the client actually wants. “We’re not talking trends,” says Adam. “I just firmly believe there’s no ‘one size fits all’ – it’s all about creating personality in your hair. My heritage has always been beautiful, wearable hair and that’s what you’ll find in the salon.” The formula is obviously working. Vogue describes the salon as “a slice of beauty heaven.”

Selecting the right team has been fundamental and Adam turned to a face from his past – Sean Dawson - to stand alongside him as Operations Director. “Sean and I were in the Fellowship for British Hairdressings’ F.A.M.E. Team together many years ago and we’ve always had a great relationship, even though our careers took different paths.” Adam has also handpicked a team of talent who share his belief of ‘egoless hairdressing’. Described as a “jewel in the crown”, Adam sees something special in Style Director Ryan Steedman, “he reminds me of me. I like that he’s enthusiastic, always listening and learning, willing to make mistakes.”

Nurturing new talent is a role Adam approaches with enthusiasm. Acutely tuned to ‘what it takes’ to make it, he’s adamant that how someone works with hair does not necessarily come top of the list. “Listening is so important – it’s the first thing I look for,” Adam reflects. “You can’t ‘learn’ everything you need to know, so much of it is instinctive. It’s great communication that makes the difference.” Citing his own mentors, Adam has an almost endless roll call of influences that inspire him… “Trevor Sorbie, Anthony Mascolo, Guido, Julien d’Ys (a true master), Sam McKnight, Oribe, Sally Brooks… the list could go on.” He’s a huge advocate of the British hairdressing scene too and believes in the power of paying it forward. “I’m the hairdresser I am today because of the time I spent assisting,” he insists.

Adam’s dedication to hair, and his obsession with the kit that goes into creating it, has not gone unnoticed. As Editorial Ambassador for L’Oréal Professionnel, he shares a long-standing relationship with this product powerhouse. On why this is a partnership that works so well, Adam surmises, “they’re interested in what I have to say and just let me be me.” Beyond L’Oréal, he’s also often asked to host trend talks, help with new product development projects, to build messages and present exclusive launches. He’s also Global Ambassador for GHD, a role he fulfils with equal relish.

Even though he’s had so many endorsements throughout his career, Adam admits he’s never really been hungry for awards. “I don’t seek out adoration or acceptance in those ways,” he says. Yet one of his proudest moments came when he realised he’d been nominated for Hairdresser of The Year at the British Hairdressing Awards in 2019. “I was blown away – I cried for the whole afternoon when I found out,” he laughs. The images he shot for his collection were raw, un-retouched and reflective of the real him. While he didn’t come away with the prize, he left the Grosvenor House with a big grin on his face. “I didn’t expect to win, but I was proud just to be a part of it,” he confides. More recently he picked up an award in recognition of his launch campaign for the new salon at the British Hairdressing Business Awards. An honour, which again, almost brought a tear to the eye.

Adam’s social media is a talking point in itself. Unashamedly candid, he muses on mental health (“If I’ve had a shit day, I’ll show it”), his work and the industry he loves along with a big slice of life at home. “I try to put a smile on people’s faces and not take myself too seriously,” he ponders. That life at home consists of husband Kenny, adopted son Riley and their five rescue dogs. He enjoys simple pursuits – cooking, gardening, reading. And he’ll admit to an irrepressible penchant for adding to his enviable fashion collection. That early fascination with clothes and couture has never waned.

Even in his downtime, Adam’s creative brain rarely stops whirring. He confesses to three notebooks he constantly keeps updated with thoughts, notes, doodles, big ideas. It’s clear the dedication to hair has never dimmed. As Adam approaches his fiftieth birthday (two years away, but he’s already counting down), he says he still gets the same buzz from indulging what’s in his mind as ever. “I don’t ever want to stop doing what I do,” he asserts. But rather than throwing new ideas out there recklessly, he aims for balanced growth – a refined approach to moving forward and keeping fresh. He’s as obsessed as ever with discovering new kit, imaginative and endlessly curious about life and learning.

For now, he’s throwing everything he’s got into developing the East London salon. It opened up a mere few weeks before the first lockdown and Adam is desperate to get back behind the chair. He misses his clients and all that goes along with daily salon life. But equally, his multi-faceted career shows no signs of slowing down either. Despite being tight-lipped about future plans, you can just tell there are more exciting ventures on the horizon for this very likeable hair visionary, who achieved his aim ‘to do it all’.