Meet The Quif Art Team: Vicki Lord
Published date 23 May 2024
Introducing Vicki Lord - salon owner, multi-award winner, and avant-garde artist joining the Quif Art Team.
Join Quif as we explore her journey through the industry. Let’s dive in and get personal…
How long have you been in the industry?
“I have been in the industry for over 35 years. I started out as a Saturday girl in a local salon, and then I was fortunate enough to go and work for Vidal Sassoon and do my training with Vidal Sassoon. So it has been a fantastic long journey and I’ve worked with some very very, sort-after hairdressing companies, and I worked with Belmar for 17 years, and yeh, it’s been an amazing journey.”
What are your specialities within the industry?
“My specialities within the industry are that I am very well known for my hair-up and avant-garde, and I am a precision cutter, but what has been really interesting in my journey is that when you are trained you’re either a cutter or a colourist, so colouring was not my passion for many many years. But then, because in my work I do both, cutting and colouring, I was fed up with not being as good with my colour as I was with my cut, so I knew I needed to fall in love with colour, and I did, through a Wella course, and now I have a degree in colour, so as well as being trained I am also a colour expert too.”
Let us know of any awards you have won, been a runner-up for, or any recognitions you have achieved.
“Ooh awards! So I have won 5 awards for being a hair-up specialist. I won the UK’s best bridal hairdresser, I did bridal for many years and I know there is a cliche with bridal, but if you can do bridal hair, you can do any hair-up!”
What inspired you to become a hairstylist?
“There are two reasons. So first, I wanted to be a vet when I was really young, and then I went on to work with furry animals and wanted to do their hair but I realised that it wasn’t going to be my passion. The other reason why I wanted to become a hairdresser is due to being deaf. I’ve spoken about this before in my industry, that I wear hearing aids, and as a small child, I was bullied so I had to learn how to dress my hair to cover my hearing aids. So from the age of 5, I was braiding my hair to hide my hearing aids, so it just went from there! I realised if I could teach myself to braid hair at five, then I could do anything with hair.”
What is a hair trend you are loving at the moment?
“When you’ve been in the industry for so long the same trends just go round and round in circles! But at the moment I am loving the copper tones, the peachy tones, it’s still very current. I’m really into and have always loved reds, like a real cherry red which I think we’re going to see more of.”
What were the risks of becoming a salon owner?
“A lot! A huge risk, if you’re a creative session stylist. I did have the opportunity to run a big salon with three floors and unfortunately through COVID I lost my salon, but I don’t regret it because I now understand how hard it is to be creative; one minute I am a businesswoman and the next I am a creative. I find that really difficult because my heart is in creativity. So, for any salon owners out there I know how hard it is to manage staff and I have also realised that when you have your name above a salon window, you are actually relying on your staff to be just as good as you. If anything goes wrong, your name goes down with it. It is very difficult to run a salon but it is also very rewarding in many ways.”
Do you have any professional hair artists that you look up to, or love the work they produce?
“Vidal Sassoon, in my eyes, he was the man that just changed round blow-drying and 60’s round-brush looks into something different, into the bob. He invented the bob and that has been the classiest haircut that any woman of any age could wear. He was always so creative and his precision cutting was amazing. To me, he is the god of all hair.”
What does your morning routine look like before getting to the salon?
“So it’s really important that when your client comes in and looks up at you that they like your hair, they like what you wear, you’ve got your make-up and you’re nails done, I think it’s really important that you look presentable in front of your clients. They need to have inspiration and sometimes the only inspo they have is who is the hairdresser behind you. So, if you look, it gives them the confidence with how they’re going to look in the end.”
Describe a perfect day at the salon.
“I’m very lucky that I have had my clientele for many years, so I get to have my client fix and mix with people. But actually, an amazing day for me is education and teaching. I love to have a student at the beginning of a class who may not know how to put a ponytail in their hair, to the end where they have created this masterpiece. So, when my students walk out with a happy face and feel more knowledgeable, then I know that I have done my job well. It’s very much a satisfying job.”
How do you like to spend your time off work?
‘I like to exercise! I think it’s really important as a hairdresser to get your exercise in as you’re on your feet all day, so keeping fit is a massive enjoyment of mine. I run and I do yoga. I also like to travel to Switzerland to see my girlfriend, so I do a lot of travelling and I have two beautiful teenage girls who I like to chill out with and see friends!”
What’s a movie you could watch every day?
“Pulp Fiction! I want to be the Uma Thurman of the hair world.”
You’re out for dinner, what are you getting?
“It would have to be Indian. I love a chickpea curry!”
What’s your death row meal?
“It’s got to be a roast dinner hasn’t it?”
Who is your ultimate celebrity crush?
“Jodie Foster.”
If you could wear someone's hair for the day, who would it be?
“I love Uma Thurman's hair in pulp fiction! The classic black bob.”
Besides hairdressing, what is a skill you’d like to learn?
“Being a seamstress!”
What are you most excited about for the future?
“My future with Alan Howard as an educator!”
We are super excited to welcome Vicki to the Artist Team at Quif! Discover more about Vicki by watching her intro video here.
Stay updated by following Vicki @vickilordhair and @quifhair.
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