Kieran Tudor is Artistic Director at D&J Ambrose and current Newcomer of the Year. He’s taken some time out of his busy schedule, styling hair, and educating hairdressers at the salon and in training shows with his team, to answer some of our questions.

What made you want to become a hairdresser?

During my informative years I knew I wanted to pursue a creative career. Applying my artistic attributes I took great interest in graphic design and shape, I was fascinated by aesthetics. My parents were early influences for me, they were professional hairdressers but this path wasn’t something I considered for myself until leaving school. I’d been given a book by my parents titled ‘Cutting Hair The Vidal Sassoon Way’ and was instantly drawn to hairdressing, the book made me see the industry in a whole new light. I loved the philosophy and methodology to precision cutting and decided to begin an apprenticeship to study N.V.Q levels 1,2 and 3.

How did it feel to win Newcomer of the year?

Winning was such a euphoric moment, to have the D&J Ambrose team there to celebrate with me and my family there to witness it was very special. I can see why people become addicted to trying to achieve great things constantly, because the feeling is immense. For me, it was a realisation of how far I had come. I’m very proud to have won such a prestigious award, particularly, because my mentor Darren Ambrose won the title at the beginning of his career. It‚Äôs assured me I’m heading in the right direction and made me set myself new goals to help me progress.

Being an artistic director at such a young age must be great; when you started hairdressing did you ever think you would be artistic director at a prestigious salon such as D&J Ambrose?

I feel very privileged to have such an amazing position at D&J Ambrose, I was lucky that I knew right at the beginning of my training where I wanted to be and the type of work I wanted to be doing. I’m very driven and have worked hard to gain as much experience as possible, with the aim of attaining a creative role as an Artistic Director. Being part of such a strong dynamic team is extremely stimulating; I’m constantly inspired by the people around me. At this moment in time we, as an art team guided by Darren Ambrose, are at the forefront of British Hairdressing achieving finalist status at the 2013 British Hairdressing Awards Artistic Team of the Year.

What advice would you give someone just starting out in the trade?

Try to retain the right attitude. As tough as things get through your training, keep trying to visualise your goals and where you see yourself- remember that the people who are assisting you have all gone through what you’ve been through. Make the most of every given opportunity, attend educational seminars and be like a sponge; absorb information by watching your peers work, the more you gain from other people, the more you have to add to your repertoire of skills. Training to become a hairdresser is a discipline like any other; the best advice I ever got was to not give up if I didn’t make it through a training competition but instead learn from the experience. Nobody has ever got anywhere without failing at some point, it’s how we evolve as humans.

What salon product could you absolutely not do without?

It’s my Elchim hairdryer; it has great power and excellent performance, it’s very light and looks cool too. Most importantly it stands up to demand when styling a full column of clients.

Have you ever made a mess of a haircut, how did you react?

Of course! I was encouraged during my third year of training to experiment. It was during this time that I really started understanding angles and head shape- what would happen by cutting hair and specific angles from the head and the different outcomes. Making mistakes was the way I learnt how to rectify them. The important thing is to understand the foundations of classic hairdressing, once this has been mastered rules can begin to be broken and creativity can flow.

What do you think the big autumn styles are going to be for 2013?

We are currently showcasing our autumn/winter trends at D&J Ambrose with many shows and seminars scheduled for the tail end of this year. Our A/W collection, Nouveau Linear is an amalgamation of couture styling with clean lines, textures are smooth with billowing shapes. Key colours are wolf greys, olive greens and mustards are layered up to create seamless colour like fabric within hair. Our inspiration comes from the Art Nouveau movement of the late 19th century, where the visual arts took a radical change, viewed by some as the first self-conscious attempt to create a modern style. It’s this experimental movement fused with linear shapes, a feeling of a spark of light bound by the restrictions of a cult that defines our collection. Expect to see centre-partings, erratic movement through lengths and crops with hidden texture.

Find out more about Kieran and D&J Ambrose on their Facebook page or at their Twitter account