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Jul 12 2008 by Hannah Davies, The Journal

Paul Bryan, former hairdresser of the Duchess of York, speaks to Hannah Davies on leaving London, launching his own range and why the North East will always be his home.

HE’S worked in the hippest salons of our time, done the hair of supermodels, actresses and royalty – but today, Paul Bryan is feeling comfortable and at home in his Jesmond salon.

It’s Monday so the salon is closed and empty apart from Paul and I and the odd appearance by a member of quietly efficient staff.

But Paul keeps the usually packed salon buzzing with energy with tales of scrapes from his hairdressing past and the enthusiasm for his work today.

Paul is, he explains, a great believer in the harder you try – the greater your luck, and it’s certainly a mantra which has seen him good. Now 39, and a father-of-three, he has been on the road to success since his first appointment as an apprentice to John Frieda aged just 17. In fact, it was a John Frieda roadshow in Newcastle which inspired Paul to get into hairdressing.

Paul recalls: “My mum was a hairdresser so I think it was in the blood. But it was when John Frieda was promoting here I made up my mind that was what I wanted to do.

“I thought ‘if you want to do that then you should do it with the best’ so I got in touch with John’s salon, did an interview and then they took me on as an apprentice.”

This was 1987, Paul was just 17, and freshly out of Austin Friar’s school in Carlisle, when he made the move to London.

It was a thrilling and an extreme time. Paul explains: “I can’t remember lots because it was so much of a blur but it was incredibly exciting.”

Shortly after getting his job however Paul had an immediate chance to take a step up. One of John Frieda’s top stylists, a certain Nicky Clarke, had just decided to branch out into his own Mayfair salon and took the teenage Paul along with him.

“I was Nicky’s apprentice and I was lucky to be there at the right time,” Paul smiles.

“That training was something which has put me in good stead for the rest of my career. Nicky is a great trainer.”

It was a steep learning curve however, and Paul was expected to put body and soul into the job.

Paul remembers: “Surviving in London on £35-a-week wasn’t much to go on but it was a great atmosphere at the time.

“People were so into their work down there, hairdressing was a way of life.”

Because Paul was personally trained by Nicky he found himself in great demand with the customers and soon The Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson became a regular customer and confidante, “I’ve had tabloid journalists try and get me to tell some tales,” he smiles with the air of a man who will definitely not tell.

As a hairdresser in demand Paul took part in photoshoots for magazines, awards shows and fashion weeks putting him in contact with the great and the good.

“I’ve done most of the top models from that era’s hair,” he adds.

Nicky obviously trusted Paul as he put him as manager of his salon when he was still just the tender age of 22. But it was this which began Paul’s disillusionment with working in London.

“I think it was just too soon,” he states frankly, “I found that all I really wanted to do was my customers’ hair and I decided I wanted to come home.

“I wanted something for myself and I really love Newcastle, it sounds corny but it is home.”

Much to Nicky’s disappointment Paul decided to return to the North East in 1992. But he was far from finished with hairdressing.

Instead of the Nicky Clarke salon in Mayfair Paul worked at his mum, Pamela’s, hairdressers The Ponteland Salon.

“It was a bit of a change from this massive salon in London,” Paul laughs, “it was just an area over a gift shop in Ponteland.

“I knew it had to be about the hairdressing and not the place, so I got to work.”

Soon Paul had customers queuing for an appointment. “It was a great way of starting up a business,” he says, “and another quick learning curve.

“Importantly it meant I had the chance to set up a business, in London I’d have needed at least £300,000 to be able to do that.”

The salon went from strength-to-strength and Paul had clients coming from Northumberland, The Lake District and Durham to get their hair done.

In the meantime, he had moved to Jesmond, “for the nightlife I suppose,” he laughs, and had plans for expansion.

“I was living opposite this kitchen showroom with huge windows and I always thought it would make a fantastic hairdressers, I often used to daydream about it,” he says.

Even clients from London were managing to get in touch with Paul in the region.

Paul says: “A client of Nicky’s who had always travelled from Newcastle to London to get her hair done got in touch with me.

“She said ‘will you come and cut my hair?’ So I went to do her hair every five weeks.”

Paul shared his dreams of setting up a salon in Jesmond or Gosforth with her in the course of their conversations, but was surprised when he received a phonecall.

“About three or four months after I started doing her hair she phoned me and said ‘my husband’s got a property on St George’s Terrace which is going to be up for rent are you interested’.”

Amazingly the property she was talking about was the kitchen showroom Paul had his eye on.

Paul immediately set about getting the salon ready, which also meant a big investment, and potential gamble.

“I was increasing the size of the salon by about 10%,” he recalls, “as well as a big refit, but we just went for it.”

With a warning from his accountant that he’d have to quadruple his turnover in six months to stay afloat Paul took the plunge.

Luckily his Ponteland clients were more than happy to make the move with him and plenty more were attracted in Jesmond, as Paul adds, “it just all fell into place.”

Shortly after the salon opened, Paul began to turn his attention to the products used in the hairdressers.

“the big manufacturers are always changing the formula of their products which I found really frustrating.

“You’d just get used to a product and recommend it to clients and then it’d change.

“I decided I wanted to develop my own range of simple products which would do exactly what we wanted them to do and would stay the same.

“I was frustrated at the amount of products out there and that all the companies change their products all the time. It was really annoying because you have clients who love a product and then it disappears. I wanted to simplify everything.” Paul wanted to develop products which would fulfil everyone’s aims, to clean, moisturise, protect and style.

Again Paul was talking to a client saying he needed someone to help develop his range of products and he got a recommendation for a chemist.

“And she’s fabulous,” he exclaims, “it’s really been a labour of love but we work really well together.”

A styler was the first product to be developed and hit the shelves, but life was to intervene. Paul’s product range was put on hold in 2001 when he decided to up sticks and set up another salon in Dubai.

“I think I missed to buzz of an international city,” he explains.

Paul set up a salon in Dubai catering to the ex-pat market, which has been a great success.

“I love Dubai, I had friends over there and they kept on going on about this amazing up-and-coming place so I felt I had to go out and see it for myself.

“I thought it was fantastic. I felt I wanted to be in an international city again for a while, the buzz of London was still there.

“It was just the right thing to do at the time.”

Even though he loved the life out in Dubai, “and I still go back every three months or so,” Paul felt the pull of the North East again.

In 2006 he got in touch with his chemist and said “the products are happening I’m coming back,” and decided to finally launch his collection.

The idea behind the products is simplicity and dependable products which clean, strengthen and moisturise the hair giving it a glossy, natural appearance.

His range includes an Amazing Shampoo, Power Protein, Ultimate Moisture, Intelligent Conditioner and Awesome Styler. And the reception the products have received has been glowing.

“I’ve been really pleased. I wanted them to be the products they are and I can 100% say I wouldn’t change anything about them.

“The take-up in salons across the region has been fantastic and they’re going international.”

The range has sold out after its appearance on Ideal World TV, which has led to an American agent getting in touch with Paul about selling the products in the US.

He smiles: “I never realised how popular home shopping channels are but it’s blown me away. Apparently on our first appearances on the channel we outsold a major player in the industry, just by demonstrating the products and how they make your hair look.”

Meetings in the US now follow with a view to launching the products on the US market, and despite being settled in Belsay, Northumberland, with wife Emma, 37, Taylor, eight, Sophie, six and Joshua, two, there’s a sense Paul could get itchy feet again.

“I’ve always fancied having a salon in New York, it’s competitive, but the buzz of the city would be amazing.”

You get the impression if anyone could make it in The Big Apple – it would be Paul...