2008 Event

At a glittering awards ceremony held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London’s Park Lane, the winners of the 24th British Hairdressing Awards were announced. The biggest event in the hairdressing calendar was a night Akin Konizi certainly won’t forget as he was announced as the 2008 British Hairdresser of the Year.

Akin is in good company, as over the past 24 years there have only been 14 hairdressers who have been awarded this title, the greatest accolade in hairdressing. They are - Trevor Sorbie, Anthony Mascolo, Irvine and Rita Rusk, John Frieda, Andrew Collinge, Nicky Clarke, Charles Worthington, Umberto Giannini, Beverly C, Mark Hill, Antoinette Beenders, Lisa Shepherd, Andrew Barton and Angelo Seminara. The newly crowned British Hairdresser of the Year, Akin was ecstatic when he won the coveted title. “I couldn’t believe it when my name was called out, I was overwhelmed and delighted – winning the title is a dream come true,” said Akin.

In 1985, the British Hairdressing Awards - presented by Hairdressers Journal International and sponsored by Schwarzkopf Professional - was launched to reward hairdressers who were pushing the boundaries of hairdressing forward, creating and setting the trends and excelling in this competitive industry.

Each year hairdressers from all over the UK dedicate months of hard work preparing their entries into one of the sixteen categories. There are nine regional categories covering all areas of the UK, six specialist categories, which include a variety of disciplines including Afro, Men’s and Avant Garde hairdressing along with the Schwarzkopf Professional British Colour Technician of the Year and the coveted award of British Hairdresser of the Year.

Compered by TV personality Graham Norton with entertainment provided by soul diva and fashionista Mica Paris, over two thousand guests from the world of hairdressing, fashion and media mingled at the prestigious event. This year London salon owner Errol Douglas, winner of Afro Hairdresser of the Year, The Trevor Sorbie Artistic Team winners of the Artistic Team of the Year, Tim Scott-Wright from Lisa Shepherd Salons in Birmingham, winner of Midlands Hairdresser of the Year and Robert Eaton from Barnsley’s Russell Eaton Salon, who has won North Eastern Hairdresser of the Year were all presented with a Hall of Fame Award for winning their respective categories three times.

To see more images of the 2008 event click on the above images