CELEBRITY HAIRSTYLIST WENDY ILES INTERVIEW
Celebrity Hairstylist Wendy Iles
Today we have a nice interview with the celebrity hairstylist Wendy Iles. Wendy Iles is a celebrity hairdresser and one of the most respected ones. I had the opportunity to met Wendy at The Beauty Flair Academy back in September 2019 and we had the chance to talk about her career and her products.
Wendy is an incredible woman, and her hair products are amazing, but what amazes me the most is how humble and detail Wendy is. Not just she has built a strong name in the fashion industry but she has also developed one of the best hair products of the market.
In 2015 Wendy launched her luxury hair products Iles Formula and in February 2016 Wendy received the Hollywood Beauty Award Oscar for hair. Not to mention that Wendy has worked as a celebrity hairdresser with celebrities like Marion Cotillard, Keira Knightley, Rita Ora, Heidi Klum, amongst others.
”Wendy is the Rolls Royce of hairdressers in every sense totally dedicated, professional, innovative, a dynamo of energy, a pleasure to be with. She has been at the top of her game for years and is still climbing higher”
HUGH ARNOLD photographer
When did you know you wanted to be a hairstylist?
Since I was a 5-year-old and I first noticed dolls’ hair could be coiffed.
What was your first job as a hairstylist?
Sweeping the floor and shampooing for what seemed like forever!
Can you tell us about any challenge when you started your career?
I grew up in Tasmania, Australia. It was quite isolated but I had big dreams. I took destiny in my own hands and reached out to Vidal Sassoon Academy in London. The rest is history.
What is your favorite hairstyle you ever created?
I love lustrous nurtured hair, I always have, so for me my most satisfying work is when I transform someone’s dry lifeless hair to a sumptuous lustrous state.
What inspires you?
I love beautiful objects and most defiantly nature. I’m not just a passionate hairdresser but a passionate gardener too with a big heart for old trees.
Who is your beauty icon?
Beauty icon, I don’t think I really have one, its more about the beauty from within that attracts me most about someone rather than the physical beauty.
You are an incredible Business Woman, which advice would you give to another woman who wants to start their own business
Today the consumer is very well read up on ingredients, so formulations need to be transparent and cohesive with market trends. Believing in yourself and your brand can be contagious to the customer.
Social media savvy helps a lot with small businesses, I, for instance, took my niche brand global just with social media and word of mouth.
Tell us about your brand Iles Formula
Iles Formula was created for me as a session stylist as an antidote against the tortured celebrity hair I had in my chair daily. These formulas are phenomenal in the way they can transform dry, damaged dull hair to sumptuous lustrous silk from the very first use.
Your hair care products are a mix of raw and virgin ingredients, how did you discover the right combination for each individual product of Iles Formula. It was a long and complex journey. The raw ingredients I have today are mostly the original ones I started out with but what took finances and time was waking up these ingredients to make them perform instantly. Working alongside top scientists, working carte blanche was my key. I knew exactly the results I wanted and I just kept going until I found it. Precisely 3 intense years.
What is your recipe for success?
Having a passion for my trade and love doing what I do when one has this love for their work we just work endless hours without fatigue or complaints. This must help on every level I believe.
Do you have any advice for someone who wants to start as a hairstylist?
Today hairdressing is quiet a sort-after career, especially in the freelance world. Training is very important, learning from the salon floor is more substantial than freelance work which is mostly coiffure without the cutting and coloring knowledge. One needs to the whole packet, so get the apprenticeship done and then search for freelance if that is what inspires you most, or settle into a great environment and just work at making your self the best hairdresser you can.
What advice you would give other women looking to enter into the beauty business?
The beauty business is very on-trend, especially niche, indie, and high-end luxury brands. Be sure to invest in a good and easy to maneuver website. Have a handpicked team that is equally passionate about your brand. These will be your best attributes. We at Iles Formula have our office staff scattered between the USA and France. It works very well, no need to be under one roof.
To know more about Wendy Iles, please visit: Wendy Iles
