JAKE WILLIAMS_STEVIE ENGLISH

In 2009, I began my hairdressing apprenticeship at Fabrik Hair in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane. Being positioned in an eccentric area of Brisbane, the clientele allowed me the opportunity to train in the art of precision cutting, colouring and styling. I was trained in salon, mostly in a one-on-one or small group environment, giving me the freedom to pick the brains of my seniors, and to branch into areas beyond my skill capacity. Being ‘thrown in the deep end’ was an adrenaline rush, and was one of the keys to my growing passion for the hairdressing industry. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have worked amongst aspirational hair artists from very early on in my career. A seminar that really stands out in my memory is one that I took in the first 6 months of my apprenticeship. The seminar was called ‘The Creative Consciousness’, by Robert Lobetta. This seminar was my first introduction to alternative hair fashion and, I can safely say, it blew my mind as to how creative the hair world could be. In 2012, I moved interstate to work at Stevie English Hair in Glebe, Sydney. Here, I found my niche. I re-trained in all areas of work, taking in all the new information I could from a new team. Not only did this help to broaden my skill set, it gave me the chance to grow as a person, and become a valuable team member. I now educate the rest of my team on a weekly basis. I work hard to help everyone improve their skillset and product knowledge, and teach the core values of working as a team. Last year I became the NSW State Educator for Showpony Hair Extensions. This role takes me state wide, meeting and educating hair stylists in the art of hair extensions. It is an extremely satisfying feeling to pass on a technique and a passion for this service to another hair stylist. In turn, this position motivates me to work harder, to learn new techniques, master my own skills, and, inspire and be inspired by other hair stylists. Earlier this year I became a RAW artist. This organization is fairly new to Australia, and is a great way to connect artists of all forms. I collaborated with a fashion designer and make-up artist to create runway looks for the event. Since the night of the event, I have worked again with the fashion designer and make-up artist for new season look-books. I have also been able to work with other artists from the organization on photo-shoots and video-shoots. Also this year, I was chosen to become the Unite Ambassador for the Stevie English Glebe salon. This role requires me to know, in detail, the product knowledge of the Unite hair-care range, and to pass this knowledge onto the rest of my team. I love that this position gives me the chance to work alongside my team, other ambassadors, and guest artists for Unite and Evolve Hair Concepts.