Weekender: Andrew Barton talks business ahead of exhibition opening

An exhibition dedicated to the history of hairdressing and hair technology will see Barnsley-born celebrity hairdresser Andrew Barton return to his home town later this month.

Ahead of ‘Beehives, Bobs and Blow-dries’ opening at the Barnsley Civic on February 17, Barton spoke to TheBusinessDesk.com about his motivation to be involved in his very first exhibition and reflect on his career and business achievements so far.

Barton excelled in arts at school in Barnsley and his parents encouraged him to get an apprenticeship in hairdressing once he had decided on the industry as his future career. “The biggest thing I was taught was to never accept ‘okay’ as a standard – it’s just not good enough,” said Barton.

His hairdressing brand has recently celebrated its tenth anniversary and has products stocked in supermarkets and internationally distributed. “It’s a very competitive marketplace, but we managed to produce a value led product with great ingredients.  To own my own hair care business is a dream come true and I have a fantastic team of experts but I am still involved in every single element of the business,” added Barton.

This includes testing and creating new ingredients and products, which Barton said was an important element of running a successful  brand – being able to personally learn and adapt to the changing consumer trends. He is now Creative Director at Urban Retreat in Harrods.

“This role means that I am a custodian of their amazing brand and there has been a huge positive response from that. Over the years I have spent time working with very large salon chains and about ten years ago I had the opportunity to open a Covent Garden salon – a labour of love and fantastic business.

“But we experienced a 46% rent increase, which just meant that it wasn’t viable to run anymore,” explained Barton.

However, Barton, who now lives in London, was able to focus efforts elsewhere, as knowing the hairdressing industry inside out meant he could continue to partner with and support major salons and brands; as well as continue to cut hair too – something he wanted to always do with alongside running the business because of his passion.

Talking of the challenge for consumers to spend on hairdressing throughout difficult economic times, Barton said: “What we have always tried to do as a business is provide value. It is about ensuring that we deliver a service or product that someone perceives as good value – there is a real brand stretch across different products for us and people can spend at all levels of their budget.”

Now his next project is the exhibition in Barnsley, which will then move onto other locations across the UK. It is a unique collaboration between Barton and leading fashion research consultant and academic Donna Bevan and will explore the key hair-styles and technological innovations from the 1950s onwards.

Barton and Bevan grew up in the same area of Barnsley and it is the first venture of its kind for them, alongside curator David Sinclair. Barton said: “It has been an incredible journey preparing the exhibition. It has been a two year project and a labour of love, rather than a commercial venture.

“What’s interesting about hair is that everybody has a style and a say about it – regardless of age or gender. We really do want to explore the culture of hair and how it can contribute to well-being and success.”

The exhibition will explore the hairdressing salon and its role as a pillar of the community, with the meaning of hair as a form of self-expression illustrated through local research and loans from national archives.

The exhibition charts the cultural and economic shifts which influenced keys hairstyles, using archival photography and modern and historical objects. It will also look to highlight the advancements in design, technology and creativity and also looks forward to the future of hair and salon design.

The exhibition runs at the Barnsley Civic until April 7.