Soon after I met Lloyd, I walked down the road heading towards Dalston Junction. As I was walking along I noticed a man leaning against the wall outside of his hair salon. We greeted each other and then he said "I like your hair." I said thank you and stopped for a chat.
His name was Andrea and he was the owner of Beats Hair Salon - A small salon which he saved up for and opened on his own. It has now been open for 4 months. Prior to this he worked at a few other hair dressing salons, including one in Bermondsey and in Brick Lane - where he cut hair on the street for 2 years before the bar that the hairdressers was at shut down.
Before he moved to the UK from Venice, he was at a crossroads as to what he wanted to do for his career - to be a dancer or a hairdresser - both were his passions. He eventually chose hairdressing as it was the more secure choice and 4 years ago he moved to the London to further his hairdressing career.
"You can change the person," he exclaimed when I asked him about what he enjoyed most about his profession. He called his business Beats Hair Salon because he enjoys music playing while he goes about styling and cutting hair. He demonstrated that although the music doesn't have to be loud to extreme levels, he needs to feel the beat to get into the rhythm of his work. And every morning he starts work, he writes a positive message on an A-frame board which he leaves outside of his salon. It's all about the good vibes!
Thank you for taking part of the project Andrea!