Tribu-te is delighted to introduce you to hairdresser Enrica Russo, winner of the coveted trophy, The Big One 2022. Entering her fabulous debut solo collection into The Big One awards, she first was presented with The Up & Coming One 2022, and then announced overall winner of the entire competition. It’s the end of one stellar year for Enrica who is a hairdresser at Danilo Hair Boutique in London, and a key member of the salon’s Art Team. In this interview, we find out how the determination of this bright, ambitious hairdresser earned her some of the hairdressing industry’s most significant honours with her very first collection.
Enrica: London bound
Growing up in Sicily, Enrica Russo knew that London was her destination if she wanted to reach the top of the hairdressing world. Packing her kit bag eight years ago at 22, she arrived in the UK without much English. “I came to London because it was the best place to find people with the same passion for hair,” Enrica explains. “It’s something about the way they work, the way they speak. London has a competitive edge. I felt that if I could get over the language barrier, I could reach anything.”
Enrica got her first job at a well-known London salon and began to learn the language on the salon floor by speaking to clients and colleagues. While the conversations were coming along, Enrica was hungry for more hair opportunities and meeting fellow Italian Danilo Giangreco was pivotal, and Enrica credits him for opening up the path to her success.
Enrica (right) with Danilo Giangreco (centre) and the salon art team
“Danilo gave me courage. He believed in me,” Enrica says. “I give thanks to him every day.” The pair clicked immediately, and Enrica joined the close, mainly Italian team at Danilo Hair Boutique in Chelsea. “It just feels like home, we’re from southern Italy so our dialect is the same, and we support each other like a family.”
Ambition
Danilo put Enrica in training at the Joshua Galvin Academy, and gradually, she started to perfect her skills and grow confident. Erica describes the course as “the real game beginning.” She joined the salon Art Team and together with Danilo and the team, has produced increasingly exquisite work. See some of our favourites from 2021, here:
The unwavering encouragement of Danilo led to the remarkable debut of Enrica’s first photographic collection – fiercely supportive of his team, Danilo encouraged Enrica to have a go and follow her dreams. The admiration she has for her boss and mentor is evident. “To watch Danilo work is hypnotising. Every day, I ask him questions and he always takes the time to explain how, why, what.”
An expressive hairdresser, Enrica is fascinated by the possibilities of hair and makeup, so it was no surprise that avant-garde looks would be an area where she could show off her talents. “When I started to plan the collection, I didn’t have to think twice about it,” Enrica found inspiration by touching, feeling and exploring the hair.
The collection 2022
The eight looks she created for her first collection, as entered into The Big One, combined the techniques she’d carefully perfected in her years of training, and she let her imagination run wild. “For five of my looks, I used a hot wax 3-D pen to create a net of colours. One of my favourite things is braids – I took the concept of one simple, neat, tidy row of pipe braids and evolved it to make it more intricate. I’m obsessed with colour and for another look, I used acrylic colours to paint the hair. I had a small budget and I had to be really creative with how I did things.”
With a small budget, Erica shot the collection in the salon rather than a fancy studio, and she couldn’t have asked for a better team. In particular, she praises photographer Chris Bulezuik for bringing her vision to life. “It was like he was reading my mind with how I wanted the shots to look. Every frame he took was perfect and he was so knowledgeable and experienced. He was able to guide me and advise me even in the smallest details. What he does, it’s magic!”
The resulting collection speaks for itself. As well as winning The Up & Coming One – for hairdressers under 30 at the Big One Awards 2022 presented by Tribu-te Magazine, Enrica also scooped the main, coveted trophy, The Big One. This is presented to the category winner who impressed the judges most. Additionally, Enrica won Creative Image at the Salon Awards and was a finalist at the Alternative Hair Show Visionaries. Then took home the title of Avant-Garde Hairdresser of the Year at the British Hairdressing Awards 2022.
… the next chapter
An example of Enrica’s prowess at colour and braiding in the salon
Enrica describes the recognition as being beyond her wildest dreams. “It means everything, I put my heart and soul into this collection and to win is just incredible.” There’s no stopping Enrica now. Whether inside the salon or outside, hair preoccupies her thoughts, and she’s excited to see where it can take her next. She looks up to greats of the avant garde world, such as Sylvestre Finold and Angelo Seminara, as her idols and still has to pinch herself that her name now sits alongside these heroes in hair’s hall of fame. No one can deny this girl from Sicily has big ambitions. But she couldn’t have gotten off to a better start.
____________________________
Here online you may browse our Portfolio section to find inspiration from the greatest hair artists… read our Blog 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 quarterly. And of course, once a year, you can visit the Tribu-te Show – it’s an awesome presentation of the leading hairdressers on the best stage possible in central London each October! 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.
Tribu-te magazine is produced by Seven Publications, Paris and you can find our Privacy Policy here.