A hairdresser from Beverley has been crowned Afro Hairdresser of the Year 2020 at HJ’s British Hairdressing Awards, sponsored by Schwarzkopf Professional
Rick Roberts from Rick Roberts Hair Salon in Beverley fought off strong competition and stood out from a star-studded line up of the country’s best-known stylists to gain the top spot in this fiercely contended category.
Judged twice by a panel of hairdressing legends and British Hairdressing Awards Hall of Fame members, Rick claimed his status as the best Afro hairdresser after showcasing phenomenal original hair work which demonstrated not only technical skill but a fantastic creative vision.
HJ’s British Hairdressing Awards celebrate the people producing the very best hairdressing work across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. For the first time in its 36 year history, the ‘Oscars’ of the hair world could not be held in person at the Grosvenor House, A JW Marriott Hotel, and instead went live and virtual on Monday 30th November – giving an opportunity to celebrate the success and talent within the industry and share the prestige and excitement of the event to an even wider audience.
Finalists were each given ‘tickets’ for their very own virtual room where they could watch and celebrate with their teams, friends and family while the industry and clients could also show their support by tuning in to a live stream of the event which was hosted by television personality Rylan Clark-Neal on the Hairdressers Journal International Facebook page.
Commenting on the win, Jayne Lewis-Orr said; “A huge congratulations to Rick. This win is a phenomenal achievement, particularly after the difficulties faced by the industry this year. Rick’s hair work demonstrated exceptional vision, skill and creativity, gaining him recognition as one of the best in the business.”
Delighted with the win, Rick said: “Wow! I am shocked, very shocked. I want to say a massive thank you to Richard Miles, Schwarzkopf Professional and everyone that supported me. I am up against my friends, so I want to dedicate this award to every hairdresser who has helped support the industry throughout this difficult time.
“Thank you everyone in the NHS, without you we wouldn’t be here. This Covid-19 will not beat us. And as always, I dedicate this award to my beautiful wife Zoe and of course my two boys, Mason and Zander. And anyone who has children with autism, I understand what you’re going through. My children picked two of these images, so this is for them. Thank you!”
Other winners on the night included Federico Patelli from TONI GUY, who won the inaugural Trend Image of the Year title, and Jacky Chan, who won International Collection of the Year...