As part of Business Press Monthly’s profiles of York’s New Generation of businesses, Julie Hayes speaks to Jonathan Cotton, of Bang Hair.

Bang, currently in Gillygate, is expanding into new premises in Low Petergate in May, into the two-storey building that was formerly the Rugby Shop.

“We started from small beginnings but now we’re bursting at the seams,” says Jonathan.

The salon currently employs six stylists and three apprentices and the new premises will allow them to expand the team. It also has a colouring “kitchen” upstairs, where customers can see how the stylists put colours together.

Once in its new premises, Jonathan sees further growth for Bang, and maybe even the creation of little baby Bangs.

“Our stylists are ambitious guys, not ‘stand behind a chair’ stylists. Some say they want their own Bang when they’re ready and we’re ready. The business is flowing very nicely and stage three is starting to open new ones.

“It’s a strong brand and could be quite easily rolled out, we’re very passionate about it,” he said.

He says they maintain an energy in their salon by immersing themselves in the fashion industry.

Every stylist which joins Bang must undergo Sarah’s stringent retraining programme to ensure they’re up to her standards. They take part in session work, such as catwalk shows and photo-shoots and study the fashion shows in London, Paris, New York and Milan to keep up with what’s on the way and bring trends back to the salon.

The salon’s rising star, Jody Toner, is one of only 20 stylists currently training on L’Oreal Professional’s ID artist scheme, in which he’s working with the likes of celebrity hairdresser Trevor Sorbie and Madonna’s hairdresser Adam Reed. The scheme gives him the opportunity to create his own effect with the latest L’Oreal collections to audiences of hundreds of people.

Jonathan is now keen to develop more of his staff into hot talent, which have been finalists in national competitions.

“It sets you apart from your competitors who go to watch your stylists on stage.

“We like to drive our stylists towards these things because it then becomes a career, rather than just a job. It keeps them so energetic and the clients love hearing about all the things they’ve been doing,” he said.

Jonathan, a photographer, ensures the salon is well placed to show off its hard work, doing the photo-shoots for competitions, producing photographic collections for autumn/winter and spring/summer upcoming trends and even creating a salon magazine to raise the business’ profile and to give profile to upcoming student designers and writers.

“Even though I’m not a hairdresser, I understand the hairdressing industry and my skills complement it. In a fashion forward hairdressing industry, photography and design skills go hand in hand,” he said.

The upstairs of the new salon will double up as a photography studio and a training academy.

Originally, the idea was for training its own staff, but Jonathan says they’ve had interest from other companies which would like to use it.

“Training other salons is something in our vision,” he says, which will be complemented by the Bang training manual being written by Sarah with all her secrets from the basics to advanced cutting techniques.

They intend to publish the manual as a large hardback book, mainly for their own staff, but also available to buy.

“If people want to learn from you you’re doing something right,” he says.

“If you can be the standard bearers and understand it better, you’re always going to be at the top.”


Facts

Jonathan Cotton, 38, set up Bang Hair in 2007 with his wife Sarah.

A trained photographer, he has always worked for himself doing photo-shoots for fashion, lifestyle and bridal magazines, where he then learned graphic design skills.

He met Sarah, art director and educator at Toni and Guy’s London academy, on a photo shoot.

When they got married and moved to York, they fulfilled Sarah’s dream of having her own salon and now the business is growing into much more than a salon.