The team behind the Blue Tit salon have opened their doors to us this month! Here we chat to Perry Patraszewski, director of Blue Tit to discover how the first Blue Tit salon got off the ground, expanded and became a stylish hairdressing hotspot.
Hi Perry! Tell us, how did Blue Tit start?
We started salon life in Dalston in 2011 and I’m pleased to say that the Blue Tit brand now boasts a roster of ten unisex outposts across some of the capital’s coolest areas including Brixton, East Village, Crouch Hill, Streatham, and our latest ventures – at Topshop’s flagship store on Oxford Street and Portobello Road in Notting Hill.
I established Blue Tit with co-directors Andi Hinteregger and Matt Gebbie. We wanted to create a salon group dedicated to client care and pushing creative boundaries, to offer an experiential hairdressing experience that’s second to none. We have worked tirelessly since 2011 to create a sustainable, eco-aware business that fuses exemplary technical skill while offering premium care for our clients’ hair.
How did you decide upon the aesthetic of the salon? What inspired you?
The building we chose as the location for the Crouch Hill salon was essentially an empty shell and so needed to be rebuilt and recreated. While this meant that the refurbishment was a necessity, it also presented the opportunity to create an interior from scratch, allowing us to be as creative as our imagination and budget would allow. It gave us the perfect chance to build a salon with an interior that reflects the Blue Tit brand, that fits flawlessly into the Blue Tit salon group, but that would retain its own unique identity.
On the design inspiration…
The design inspiration behind the overall theme of the salon decor came from NYC apartments. We wanted to give the salon a minimalist appearance, with plenty of open space, natural light and features that are reminiscent of Brooklyn loft apartments – features such as textured walls and a mix of finishes. However, I also wanted to create a space that would look eclectic and artistic – much like the Blue Tit style of hairdressing – and so the aim was to only include furnishings and finishing touches that were quirky, unusual, eye-catching and far from generic or ordinary.
Blue Tit salons are known for their presence in very cool, up-and-coming locations across London and Crouch Hill fits that bill perfectly. As such, we wanted the décor to have a very urban, slightly gritty vibe, reflective of, and respectful to, its surroundings. As a salon group with a very strong standpoint on sustainability, it was only natural that we wanted to utilise any salvageable features of the original building, and where possible, sought to reclaim natural materials and bring them back to life. This was partly what inspired us to transform an original brick wall into a feature wall.
Finally – and crucially – we wanted Blue Tit Crouch Hill to look and feel like so much more than a hair salon. We always want Blue Tit clients to feel like they have stepped into an upscale boutique hotel or very cool bar when they enter our salons. This idea, of creating a unique, contemporary, urban space, that could identify as more than a hair salon, was the overarching vision behind Blue Tit Crouch Hill.
How does Blue Tit stand out from its competitors?
Blue Tit as a brand is renowned for its imagination, forward-thinking approach and ability to inspire. Whether it’s creating a distinctive new colouring technique or designing the interior of a Blue Tit salon, we always strive to push creative boundaries. Blue Tit Crouch Hill is a manifestation of this. With this interior we’ve successfully created a salon that is both inspired and inspiring; that is contemporary and stylish; and that evokes a distinct and eclectic urban vibe. Essentially, it is a precise reflection of the brand’s own unique style.
The pink tiled wall is reflective of how our signature style evolves over time and adapts organically, and illustrates perfectly how being open-minded to new ideas is essential to growing and creating. Again, this is a manifestation of the Blue Tit approach.
Blue Tit Crouch Hill is a unique, modern, yet inviting salon, with urban elements and a vibe that’s been inspired by big city nightlife. It slips seamlessly into the Blue Tit portfolio, yet retains its own distinct identity and unique features. It was the idea of creating a beautiful, contemporary space, that could identify as more than a hair salon, that provided the main vision behind Blue Tit Crouch Hill, and it is one that I truly believe we have managed to realise.
We’ve seen on social media that you’ve worked with bloggers quite a bit – how have you found this experience?
We love working with London’s coolest and most effective bloggers. It has proved to be an extremely valuable marketing tool for our business. We, along with our PR Company, identify the influencers who want to work with Blue Tit, and we strive to welcome influencers of all different ages, backgrounds and cultures. We offer them the full Blue Tit salon experience and they report back to their huge audience, which in turn, attracts even more clients to the salon. These relationships are mutually beneficial and we will continue to work with the capital’s hottest influencers and bloggers to promote our brand.
How do you think social media has influenced our industry?
Social media has become very influential in the world of hairdressing and trend setting. Consumers are using social media platforms to check out the latest hair trends, gain inspiration, and to find out who the hottest hairdressers in the area are. As the Blue Tit business has grown, investment has been made in social media, and we now have our own in-house social media team, which includes one member who also works with huge brands outside of the Blue Tit business, and who has been able to transfer this knowledge into the Blue Tit community. The team posts consistently across all platforms at the busiest times to maximise impact. Every post is then carefully monitored and feedback is gathered, to help generate future content that’s engaging and authentic.
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Our stylists love the power of social media and see the various platforms as another way to express themselves and their creative work. They are constantly sharing their creations with an army of loyal followers with hugely positive feedback and engagement. Every client appointment is used as an opportunity to create a masterpiece, which is then showcased on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest.
Each individual stylist has created a portfolio of images that can be viewed on Instagram, which gives new clients a real feel for what they specialise in and the results that they can achieve. No filters are used, so clients can see the ‘real’ colour and true tone of each colour creation.
How does Blue Tit keep up to date with the latest trends in the industry?
Our team’s thinking and approach comes from being situated in London’s most fashion-driven areas and exposure to the most current trends and styles. Experience comes from seasoned involvement in fashion magazines, fashion labels and showcasing their creativity in hair shows and seminars, both in the UK and internationally.
Our stylists have also become synonymous with festival styling, and frequently host pop-up salons at some of the world’s top festivals. These include: Dimensions, Secret Garden Party, Field Day, and Sunfall, Brixton, all of which are in London. During festivals, Blue Tit stylists are on hand with an amazing menu of unique styles, bespoke looks and daring colouring techniques for revellers to choose from. Attention-grabbing styles, such as double buns with painted partings, every type of braid imaginable, and Blue Tit’s renowned SunBun colouring technique are always on offer to enhance the visitor experience, while opening up our brand to a wider and worldwide audience.
What is Blue Tit’s biggest achievement to date?
We have had so many incredible achievements in the last seven years that we have been in business. There has been a plethora of award wins and accolades, and we continue to receive recognition, both in the UK and internationally, for our beautiful collections and educational offerings. A major success for us is the 115-strong team that we employ. We have attracted the coolest, most vibrant, and passionate young people that want to work in one of our ten salons, and we wouldn’t be enjoying this success without them.
What do you think makes a successful salon?
If you want your business to be successful, then it’s vital that you build a strong brand identity from day one. Always think as though you are bigger than you are, make sure your service standards are high and your staff understands your ethos and what your expectations are. Establishing a great reputation from the outset has definitely been key to our success, and we have been true to the spirit of the Blue Tit brand since the very beginning.
While opening a salon can be daunting, running your business does get easier – our knowledge has grown ten-fold over the years; we have a tried and tested supplier list; are much more commercially savvy and our support network is exceptional. We have also built a brand that is now known and loved by our clients in London and further afield – it just takes dedication and forward planning to succeed.
What advice can you give to other salon owners wanting to open a salon?
Growing your salon business requires continuous training and education is necessary for all members of staff. Even our most experienced team members still attend regular external and internal training courses, which we believe is crucial to the success of the business. Training creates a career ladder for in-salon promotion, which encourages staff to work to the best of their ability and work their way up through the salon to achieve their goals, rather than looking for work elsewhere.
One of the biggest challenges we faced when adding to our salon portfolio was building an administrative structure. By nature we are creative, and our passion for hair is what enticed us to start the Blue Tit brand. The operational side of the business has been a learning curve, and accruing knowledge for the HR and financial side of Blue Tit has encouraged us to learn new skills and disciplines, and has, as a result, made us much more commercially savvy.
My advice for anyone looking to set up or expand their business would be to check leasehold contracts with a fine-tooth comb, so you understand what you are committing to. It is also essential to have a fantastic salon manager in place to look after the finer details of the day to day running of the business.
We have learnt many valuable lessons throughout our seven years in business. Each salon opening has been an experience, and any problems that we have previously faced have ensured that we haven’t made the same mistake again. Each salon that we have opened has been different to the one before it. There is no one set style that we always adopt in order to create the boutique feel we are known for. We are all about adapting to the space that is presented to us, as well as whatever stage we are at on our journey. We have never followed a ‘one size fits all’ approach. Our first three salons were eclectic and distinctly vintage, we then looked at introducing some more modern and minimalist designs at the Brixton and East Village salons. This certainly makes things more challenging, but it was so important for us to deliver something new and exciting at each location.
What can we expect from you in 2018 and beyond?
To have a stronger presence in and around Central London. We opened our first salon in Dalston in 2011, and we now have ten salons based within on-trend locations around the capital. London is the home of creativity, and our aim is to bring more Blue Tit salons to the area.
We also want to open the door to success for at least 30 new stylists. Each time we open a new salon, we are able to employ young hairdressers from the local talent pool. Being a part of the Blue Tit team opens the door to first-class education and opportunities. We will also be looking to make three new partnerships with our best members of staff.
Finally, we will continue our focus on education. Our training at our Clapton Academy in East London creates a career ladder for in-salon promotion, and we have seen key members of staff thrive in a very short space of time, taking the helm at our Brixton and Crouch Hill locations as partners in the Blue Tit evolution.
Follow Blue Tit On Instagram @bluetitlondon
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