Back in the mid 90s, as a journalist new to the hairdressing industry, Tribu-te’s now publisher Nicky Pope had a lot to learn. Not so much the skills of a magazine editor out and about reporting on shows, shoots and salons. It was more tackling a steep learning curve to understanding hairdressers, and the way the industry operates! She tells us that her fast track to learning was meeting and listening to the big names talking. Alan Hemmings – owner of Alan D salon and training – was one of the most eloquent. “Alan was a great advisor and really helpful. He had a glint in his eye, a nippy turn of phrase and a down-to-earth tell-it-like-it-is attitude which was amusing and informative,” she recalls.
This year Alan marked his 80th birthday and a long career in the industry he loves. Oh and rest assured, he’s still working behind the chair. And telling jokes.
Alan’s story
Yes readers, today Alan is still very much part of the team at Alan D Hairdressing and Barbering Education in the city of London. Now dedicated to education and training, the Alan D name is synonymous with delivering decent, valuable and high-quality students fit for work. While Alan’s son Edward Hemmings – a hairdresser, too – now steers the ship, this is indelibly a family business with plenty of family character running through it.
Edward has inherited Dad’s wit and wisdom, and there is a real warmth to the entire enterprise. At Alan D, apprentices and students are nurtured with dedication and one ambition – to raise standards in hairdressing and keep them high.
Alan says: “My wife Bonnie and I now work at the School four days each week, alongside Edward and our great team of trainers. We enjoy the noise of the students, the buzz that is synonymous with hairdressing salons and barbershops. It makes them such warm and friendly places for clients to relax in. After all, our aim as hairdressers and barbers is to please our clients. That is something that has never changed in all my 65 years.”
At Tribu-te Magazine, we salute Alan Hemmings, owner of Alan D, a great entrepreneur and stalwart of our industry, for his long service. And we wish him a fabulous ongoing career – he shows no sign of retiring properly so we’re leaning in to that one.
Along with these photographs marking some of the journey, we encourage you to check out Alan’s own musings on his career. Online you’ll find chapters of his life… forming a living biography… he’s writing it as he goes along. This is so insightful, and oh so Alan. We love it. Have a deep-dive into a history of ‘hair and Hemmings’ – part funny, part serious. Just like the man. Click HERE
What an ongoing career!
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Here online you may browse our Creative section to find inspiration from the greatest hair artists… read our Home page to discover the top events and what we like about them, then visit our Magazine section to read the latest edition (and archive editions) of Tribu-te publications. If you’d like to enjoy your very own edition of Tribu-te delivered direct to your home – vist the Shop to order a subscription to arrive bi-annually. And of course, once a year, you can visit Hair Pieces: The Big One – it’s an awesome presentation of the leading hairdressers on the best stage possible in central London each November! Contact us if you have any questions or would like to submit photography and ideas for any of our editions in Europe – we’re particulary keen to see your salons for our Design section both in print and online.