Interview with Paul Stafford

ALFAPARF Milano Global Ambassador

DENMAN Global Creative Director

Hairdresser, Husband, Father and much more…

IH: Please introduce yourself to our readers Paul…

Paul: I'm Paul Stafford, I have a salon in Belfast with my wife, Lisa. We've run our own salon now for 25 years. I grew up in Belfast, but my parents moved to Dundalk in the early 80s. So I started my hairdressing career there and worked with some amazing hairdressers. But I always felt that I was going to go back to Belfast as that was really where my spiritual home and my soul was. I moved back when I met Lisa in 1986 and I went to work in a great salon called ZACH's. It was a very unusual place. There were probably 50 or 60 hairdressers working there at the height of ‘the troubles’ in Northern Ireland. So you can imagine what that was like!

ZACK’s was a hotbed of creativity. Everybody was on their ‘A game’ and there was a competitive spirit among us, everybody wanted to be the best and have the biggest clientele, and do the strongest haircuts and the best work. But it was ‘good’ competition. It wasn't, vicious or aggressive and there was no meanest in it. We were a real collective team. I probably found my desire for the creative aspect of the industry there. You know, that's where I first started photographic work and competitions. But my background in Dundalk was also instrumental, not because I worked there with a great hairdresser that trained with Sassoon in the 60’s, but he gave me a real passion for creative and precision haircuting.

And I think that's something that stuck with me all through my life, even though he was teaching me things that I had no interest in, like Pageboys, Purdy cuts, one length bobs, Cleopatra style, all those kind of haircuts. I remember saying to him, “no one wants these haircuts!” And he said, “I'm not teaching you haircuts I am teaching you ‘method”. And that stuck with me all my life. So it was really interesting times there.

In the mid 80s, when I returned to Belfast, there was a real spirit that something exciting was happening in the industry, there was a change. There were a lot of people at that time who were really infl uential. In the very early days, I met Anthony Mascolo who was hugely inspirational to me; because he loved the rawness of the industry, where as Sassoon was all about precision. Anthony had an edgy sense of what was not only attractive to the client, but also a new direction for us hairdressers. He brought things to my game that I didn't know existed, about dressing hair and understanding suitability, sexiness, beauty, all the stuff that I hadn't really thought about up to that time. Because up until then, I was just a little punk!

I just wanted to do strong outrageous haircuts. So the early days were really exciting. Of course, I was making no money. I was starving; I lived in a most awful place. But I never once thought I was hard done by. I've always felt lucky as I always seem to be in the right place at the right time.

IH: It’s very strange and difficult trying to explain that era to young hairdressers now. Who would you look to for inspiration now?

Paul: I’m inspired by everything. I mean, of course, I can look at somebody like Angelo Seminara on stage and analyze, imagine and really, understand his different level of thinking. But on the other hand, I can also look at somebody like Andrew College, and really appreciate his simplicity and the essence of beauty of his work. But I do think the industry is so full of amazing people at the moment.

I’ll tell you what, it is easier for me to tell you what I’m less inspired by! I’m less inspired by the social media hairdresser, that hairdresser who doesn’t work behind the chair, who simply lives their life on Facebook and Instagram, they don’t really understand what hairdressing is all about. Because for me, everything is about people. It’s not about the person behind the chair, it’s about the person ‘in the chair’. And that person in the chair is the most vital component to a hairdresser’s relationship/ business. Because if those people in the chair stop

I'm not teaching you haircuts I am teaching you ‘method”. And that stuck with me all my life.

coming in, the rest of it is academic. What really inspires me are people who’ve got longevity, who are consistent, who, really love the passion and the craft of hairdressing for what it’s really about, as opposed to ‘who they can be in it’. So that I hope that answers your question.

The youth culture has kind of sadly died a little bit. We were part of tribes and gangs in the 70’s and 80’s. We had to be, you know, the ‘new romanticism’ or ‘modernism’, or ‘punk’ or ‘rockabilly’. And then you’ve got to remember that we didn’t have access to information the kids have today with the internet. And one of the things I often say to people is that we can never look back, we must only look forward, because the past is gone. So it’s irrelevant. You and I might not agree with everything some young kid says like that something cooler is happening, because we were that kid one time. And you know, I’m all about that kid, whenever I’m at something like the Alfaparf Fantastic Hair Awards, and I see those kids do the things they are doing. I remember being like that in the old days. I also remember speaking to judges afterwards. And the one thing a good judge never did then is be judgmental. They might decide, what’s a good haircut or what’s a better haircut, but they didn’t judge the individual. Nowadays, I think that’s a problem. Judges now sometimes judge the individual and I think that identity is gone a little bit. So for me, that’s one of the sad things, because everything’s so accessible. I mean, the majority of hairdressers who would have been sitting at home for the last few months, can literally get all the information, all the education, all the knowledge they need by the touch of a button. Whereas back in our day, we had to buy the books, we had to seek out the people we wanted to go in and learn from. People just don’t have to do that anymore. So, you know, maybe that’s the biggest regret I think of the current generation. But you know, we were young one time too!

IH: Yes, we were! On a slightly lighter note, Paul, you must must have some funny stories to share with us?

Paul: Yes!, firstly, I think you used to be able to say a lot more to clients and we could be cheekier but in a kind way. But now it’s all so very politically correct! But I do remember a client came in to me and she was kind of a hippie, dippie bohemian, and I had done her hair a few times prior to that. Anyway, on this particular day, she brought in a picture with her, and she said “this is how I want my hair to look”, but picture was a picture of an Afghan Hound. And she said, “I really just love the texture and all the different tones and the colors, and I love the way it moves. Do you think it would suit me”. Without thinking I said ‘I definitely think you have the face for it’! And I remember afterwards thinking, OMG, did

I really say that. But I mean, you know, in the 80s and 90s, where there was a lot more eccentricity. And, you know, when these kind of strange or sometimes eccentric people come into the salon, you embrace them. It’s what made the industry so exciting!

IH: I agree 100%. I know what a busy man you are, how did you motivate yourself during lockdown as you never stop working!.

Paul: It’s was just such an unreal time for us all, it was like nothing I’ve ever experienced. I think the thing that was the biggest problem for us, as hairdressers, of course, is that we’re just used to having something to do all the time. You know, I mean, even if we’re not in the salon, we’re thinking about hair and we’re always doing something related to the industry. I don’t know any hairdresser, who doesn’t think about the craft of the industry 100%.

I think we were one of the first salons to close in Belfast. For me, I just sensed the fear inside the salon and our team also felt it. For the first two weeks of lockdown, I couldn’t do anything. I just wasn’t motivated at all. The sadness of closing the salon was so overwhelming. I think that Lisa and I went into holiday mode as we were actually supposed to be on holiday, so we just like, said

okay, let’s just take some time out to think about this. It was a very unproductive time for everyone and then it became slightly depressing because the reality kicked in, and we said to each other “this is serious”!

I’ll tell you something very interesting. I was in Dublin, the week before you had lockdown and David Donnellan from Xpert, told me that this pandemic was going to be really bad and it was coming up our way too. I didn’t believe him. I thought he was blowing it up a bit. But, OMG, he was so right. And I think, the one thing that people in the south of Ireland need to be very, very proud of, is that your government took the lead very quickly. It took its medicine fast. And it allowed for people to become aware of what was coming. And it proved the safety of the people first. And from an outsider looking in, I think that was very good.

Anyway, back to what I was saying. This virus is serious and we couldn’t let it get us down. So I decided to get up every day with the view that I was going to do some work, and I did, but I’d find my mind drifting, I just couldn’t concentrate. But by now I have managed to have got through a lot of different things and to get myself really focused.

To be honest with you, I had to discipline myself, I had to make myself, take myself out of the context of this ‘as a holiday period’, and try to do things saying ‘are these things we are doing going to be beneficial to us for when we come out of this pandemic’.

So, Lisa and I worked hard to try to make sure that we had a business to go back to by looking at every possible opportunity available…so that we could avail of any grants that the government was giving out to help us with the banks and things like that. And because we’re like every, other business, we didn’t have a bucket of funds sitting there that we could just live off through this. So for me, it was a struggle.

IH: How did you feel about lockdown in your own home?

Paul: I was ok with it after a short time, because as you probably know, I’m a bit of an oddball anyway, I like my own company. I like to spend a lot of my time on my own. I mean, I spend all day with clients. So for me, being with Lisa and my two girls was not a problem. At home I also had my dolly-head, my scissors, and my kit! Everyday, I went out for my 45 minute run, Lisa and I walked the dogs every other day. I read some great books, I watched some great box sets, I listened to brilliant music. Been inactive, you know, from a routine perspective is not good. But you know, I did enjoy the idea of waking up in the morning and not having to go to work, so I made the most of it. And I think it’s like this: This, Corona Virus is a very divisive disease. You know, if you’ve got a comfortable house and you can afford to feed yourself, it was okay. But there are a lot of very unfortunate people that didn’t have any of those things. And I think for me, it’s about taking stock of what we can do, even if it’s short term, and actually feel very grateful because I think some people thought that it was a prison to them. So for me, I think it was kind of learning life lessons during that time. As I said, at the very beginning, I always feel very lucky, I’ve been a very lucky person all my life. You really only have to look at my wife to know and see how lucky and happy I am!

IH: So how did you focus?

Paul: The one thing I would say is that before lockdown, I did a really beautiful project for DENMAN in Dublin, we shot it in a beautiful disused tenement building on Henrietta Street. While we were on the first lockdown, we’ve managed to edit and finish that with our filmmaker Jim Crone and photographer Lee Mitchell. So that was

exciting. That kept me motivated then! One of the things I must say is that I work with an amazing team of people who are incredibly mature and articulate, and understanding, and they know what we’re going through too. So I relied on them to keep me up and they relied on us. We have a WhatsApp group, and we contacted each other, we’d talk about things, they’d ask me questions that they didn’t have the answers to. And sometimes I’d test things them out on things. For example, one of the big things at the moment is home hairdressing! Some Hairdressers were still going to people’s houses and doing hair during lockdown. And anybody who follows me on Facebook, or Instagram, they know how I feel about that. I think it’s suicide. It’s a loaded gun. I think that clients who were asking people to do this should be ashamed of themselves. I ran these things past my own team, and said listen, guys, you know, this is Russian Roulette, don’t do it. And I think the support that I’ve got from our team, our clients, and our friends, express it clearly, it just has to be about keeping people safe.

IH: I totally agree with you. We must be professional and realistic and wait for the science to tell us when it is safe. How do you feel about North and South of the island at the moment and how we will get through the pandemic?

Paul: Think about this, we’ve always felt, you know, north or south of Ireland. Well, Ireland is Ireland and when people ask me, where are you from, I say, I’m an Irish Hairdresser, right, that is it. And it’s obviously because of my connections and also because my relationships with all the great hairdressers, all over Ireland. When I was brought back into the Irish hairdressing family around 2012, by David Donnellan of Alfaparf, it blew my mind just how brilliant, the industry has become in the south, not creatively, because it was always a creative hub. But the business side, they know how to run a business. They know they’ve got great acumen and they understand what the client wants, what the business needs are. And we’ve learned a lot from that. And my relationship with ALFAPARF particularly David Donellan, has meant that I’ve been able to bring that business knowledge back and use for our own business what I’ve been given very freely and with great love.. So I think when it comes to the current climate crisis, the Hairdressing industry on the island of Ireland IS united. But the point I’m making is, I like this industry, it has given me a life I could never have dreamed of. So, I feel very grateful. And I took the time to take stock of my life and my business. I think the pandemic will change us all.

Everyone needs to be more aware how to be kinder, a bit more honest, a bit more truthful. But I, also feel that there is a big price to pay for what is going on in the world, we should be a little bit more thoughtful, for other less fortunate people.

IH: I agree totally.,

Paul: Well, 2020 was going to be a very busy year, because I was going to spend a lot of time with Alfaparf. The Denman Story is a more historical thing, the managing director of Denman, was a client of mine in the 80’s before he joined Denman. One day when he came in for a haircut, he said, “Have you ever heard of a Denman Brush?” I said ‘Yes of course, there isn’t a hairdresser who doesn’t use a Denman brush!.” Ok he said then ‘I’m going to take a job with them!

When I did my first show for them and they came to me afterwards to ask would I be interested in doing more platform work for them on Andrew Collenge recommendation. And I have been with them ever since. In 2008, they made me their Global Director and it has been an amazing journey for me with them. So even though I’ve got this title, there are hundreds and hundreds of hairdressers who they absolutely give everything they can to, but they’re not obviously the size the bigger companies. But for a tools company, what they’ve done for the industry and how they respect the craft, is unprecedented by another company to give everything back. So I’m really, really proud to be associated with them.

IH: and your story with Alfaparf?

Paul: The Alfaparf situation is completely different. David, literally gave me a lifeline. I mean, in 2012 our company bankrupt. And that’s all being talked about before. But we literally didn’t have anyone who wanted to know us, or was interested in us then. David approached me and said “You know, you have a legacy, a history, and we thought we could really benefit from someone with your experience, and with the opportunity to work with you”. Lisa took the Alfaparf colors in to the salon and she said they were great colours.! And I said, Okay lets do it. The first thing David asked me to do was a show for him at the Alfaparf Fantastic Hairdresser Awards, which blew my mind. I’ve never seen anything like that in my life. It

was and is an unbelievable event. And David is just so honest, everything he says, he just tells the truth. He doesn’t bullshit or dangles a carrot. It’s a very modest kind of estimation, and sincere sense of ‘we can do this together’. Since then, My team and I have traveled the world on behalf of ALFAPARF. I’ve met some amazing people. And again, I’m lucky, I’ve had that opportunity. I think he literally is the unspoken champion of the industry. And I think one of the things I would say, I know a lot of great industry names. I mean, there’s some brilliant people who aren’t connected with Alfaparf or Xpert Professional and they all think the same thing about David. I mean, that’s just a testament of a true industry leader I think, and the the ‘Academia’ in Dublin is one of my favorite places to work in.

IH: Yes, I think David has great passion for the industry as a whole. Any advice to those who struggle with lockdown?

Paul: First of all, I think this is one thing that hairdressers are short of in their lives, the one thing that we never have is TIME. And we are always talking about what we would do if we had the time. And then suddenly, we had TIME. I think the internet is great to connect people. I’ve made brilliant friends on Facebook, Instagram etc. that, and the amount of free hair education that has been given away in the last 12 months is amazing and

Talent is an amazing thing, but its hard work. But talent without hard work is pointless. They only work brilliantly when they work together

generous. Hairdressers suddenly had time to sit down and watch a genius to do haircut, watch somebody do a great upstyle. Log on to a quick business course. Explore the computers and the systems that you always wanted to have in your salon, and actually work it out to suit yourself. It was nice to have time to actually think about all the things that you could do to improve your business, your craft and your skills. Because here’s the thing, now that the lockdown is lifted here in the North we are busy. Everyone wants their hair done, and we have the opportunity to make a distinct difference to peoples lives.

In my shows and seminars, I get a lot of credit, and a lot of beautiful things said about my work. But you know, I’m not an educator, I’m a hairdresser. I’ve always been a hairdresser. I am not a teacher, and the things that I’ve learned, probably like you, I’ve learned by making mistakes. Think of mistakes you have made and work out why they didn’t work.

IH: Do you want to talk a little about your calibrations

Paul: Yes during lockdown, I also touched base with collaborators. I’ve just done a deal with Doug Palmer who is an amazing haircutter, and a very good friend of mine, and together we will work on the Global Precision Hair Cutting Competition. You are going to love that because it’s all about precision. And I’ve also touched base with all great model agencies, stylists, photographers and people who I have always wanted to work with but never really had the time. So there’s a lot of good stuff coming ahead.

My advice to anybody is if you have time on your hands don’t just watch daytime TV, remember this - your

competition is on the internet doing the research to be better than you!

One thing I would say to anybody ‘Talent is an amazing thing, but its hard work. But talent without hard work is pointless. They only work brilliantly when they work together’. I know loads of really, really hard working hairdressers and they are much, much more successful than talented hairdressers. And I think that those kids out there who think they can get away with just a new pair of scissors, and a bright white smile, they are wrong”.

IH: Whats you view now being back at work?

Paul: “ going back to work for me was not just about opening my salon doors for Business, it’s about restarting my life , going back to use all my skills experience and time into the progression and development of our brand as we navigate this new world , and although like everyone we have reservations about what this new landscape will look like , we have learnt a lot from the last year to indicate that there is a willingness and desire by clients and staff alike to preserve the energy , tradition and culture of hair salons on our streets and towns .....we are not part of the just eats /Deliveroo world where quality is second to convenience....we are the backbone to the community and provide destination locations that benefi t not only our business but surrounding businesses...... we are going back to once again reignite our beautiful relationships with our clients and team and reiterate Why salons matter “

Paul: Stay safe everybody. Bye!

SAITAI for Denman

Saitai is a modern love story set in the historical setting of Dublin’s Henrietta Street. It takes inspiration from the Irish capital’s progressive attitude towards equality, acceptance and individuality, with a nod to the historical past of this great old city. SAITAI captures the essence and flavor of a resurgent melting pot of influences and inspirations in art, style and cultural differences.

Hair: Stafford Art Team Photography: Lee Mitchell Make-up: DJ Griffin Styling: Sarah O’Neill Products: Denman