It’s been a busy year for 18-year-old men’s hair stylist Andy Dawson – but that hard work paid off as he recently scooped a national award.
Andy, who owns Menspire Aberdeen in the city’s North Saint Andrew Street, was named Best Barber 2019 at the Scottish Hair and Beauty Awards.
Andy said: “It was an honour to win the award especially when there were another eleven quality finalists in the running.
“It wasn’t just a personal celebration for me, it was rewarding for the whole of Menspire to see that the hard work in Aberdeen is paying off.”
And it’s been a fast rise for the stylist, who is still a teenager.
He explained: “I’ve been cutting hair for two years, but only been full time for a year since leaving school.”
The 18-year-old trained with some of the industry’s most highly regarded stylists – Josh Lamonaca, Charlie Gray, Glenn McGoldrick and Dino Antony – at the Menspire Academy in St Albans.
He was invited to join the Menspire team after training with them, but when the chance to open his own salon in Aberdeen arose, he partnered with Menspire’s co-owners to open his own outlet.
“This year has been a very busy year for me; working six day weeks since Menspire Aberdeen opened in September 2018, the growth of the shop and myself individually has been exceptional.
“This year I have had the opportunity to cut at internationally recognised events such as Barber Connect in Telford and Pro Hair Live in Manchester.
“I also competed in the first ever North East Hair and Beauty Awards and won Best Barber in the North East in January.
“Then I was runner up at the Scottish Barber Show in April where I cut and presented my model on stage and lost out by only two points to the previous year’s runner up.”
For Andy, Menspire offers the pinnacle of men’s hairdressing, which is why he’s so passionate about his work.
Andy said: “Menspire presents the revolutionary transition between precision barbering and contemporary hairdressing. A fusion of technical skill and commitment to bridge the gap between the traditional barbershop and the modern hair salon.
“Being a Menspire stylist means that I work closely with the Menspire Academy to ensure that I am always at the forefront of men’s hairdressing.
“I am incredibly blessed to always have continued further education under my fantastic mentors, which allows me to produce this level of work.”
For Andy, the next steps are to continue to develop Menspire in Scotland, as well as getting involved with the exhibitions and seminars the company presents around the world.
“My ultimate goal is to become part of the Menspire Education team, where I can share the knowledge that I’ve gained in the Menspire Academy with the students that travel worldwide to train under the best in the business.”
The first Menspire Salon was opened in February 2014 and recently in May 2019 they launched a brand-new training academy.
There are salons in St Albans, Harpenden, Radlett, Dublin, Aberdeen and Jordan; with two new salons opening soon, one in London and a second in Dublin.
Appointments can be made through the Menspire website or by calling 01224 478839.
Keep up to date with the latest news from Andy and the team at the Menspire Aberdeen Facebook page or Andy’s Instagram account.