When it comes to hairdressers, once you find ‘the one’ – you know, the stylist who always gets your hair exactly right – you won’t ever want to let them go.
But the journey of finding them does not always run smoothly. After all, as well as having the right hair knowledge and skills, you also want to find a hairdresser you gel with, in a setting you like visiting.
With a relaxed and friendly ambience and a talented team of colourists and stylists, The Collective is the place to go to meet your dream hairdresser – as lots of customers in Aberdeen have already discovered.
Since reopening, they’ve been working non-stop to keep up with demand.
“I would say that April just passed is the busiest month we’ve ever had in the history of being open,” said The Collective owner, Julie Hulcup.
“That’s us coming up for three years in May and people know where we’re at now, and I think the team are all maturing and getting busier. And the fact we’re still standing after the pandemic is a testament to us.
“We’re definitely busier than after the last lockdown, and we’re just going from strength to strength. We’re busier all the time.”
After rebranding last year and facing the first lockdown – and then another – The Collective is happy to be so busy once again.
“It’s just amazing,” Julie added. “Just being back open and making people feel fab, it’s what we’re all about – it’s fantastic.
“We’re focused on making all clients feel welcome by building strong relationships with new and regular ones. That’s what we’re all about.
“Some clients come because they like the salon and the vibe and how it feels, but the majority come because they love their stylist.
“There are some really strong bonds between clients and their stylists, and it’s wonderful to see.”
Julie is grateful to her team, who have been working extra days and long hours recently as the salon has reopened.
Making sure her team feel happy and supported is important to her as the owner, as is ensuring customers are safe by advising they undergo a patch test every six months.
She said: “I’ve really tried hard to make it a place where they’re happy and listened to. When we discuss where the business is going, they’re all involved and they all have their say.
“We try to do things as a collective, as cheesy as it sounds.
“Recently, the salon has moved to a new colour product from FFØR. We’ve been really impressed with it. The colour is really conditioning and it’s vegan – oh, and it’s Scottish based.
“As we have moved to a new colour, all clients must undergo a patch test before their next colour. But even if we hadn’t swapped to a new colour, we still advise on patch tests every six months.”
New customers at The Collective can receive a patch test during their initial consultation while existing clients can pop in at any time to get this done.
Other changes coming soon include alcoholic beverages for clients to enjoy during their hair appointments – the salon has a license to serve alcohol when restrictions allow.
And Julie, who is very passionate about The Collective, also has big plans ahead to transform the downstairs area into a beauty and massage zone to increase the salon’s focus on wellbeing.
The Collective are celebrating their birthday tomorrow, so keep an eye on their social media channels for special offers to mark the special occasion.
The Team
Courtney Forbes, @haircreatedbycourtney
Job: Salon manager/style director
My role involves: Giving my clients the best experience and service possible, and also ensuring the salon is running to our high standard.
Favourite thing about working at The Collective: Everything Julie and The Collective stands for. My favourite thing is just being part of our incredible team. We have come so far and it’s amazing watching us grow.
Specialist skill: Bridal hair.
Courtney Vaughan, @hairbycourtneyvaughanx
Job: Stylist
My role involves: All aspects of hairdressing/barbering.
Favourite thing about working at The Collective: Our team! We all gel so well.
Specialist skill: Barbering.
Anna Hay, @annahay_hair
Job: Senior assistant
My role involves: Helping the stylists with the running of their day, shampooing and blow-dries, and giving clients a great experience.
Favourite thing about working at The Collective: Being part of a great team. We’re all able to show our creative flares.
Specialist skill: Balayage and coming up with new ideas for up-and-coming trends.
Sarah Oliphant, @haircreatedbysarah
Job: Senior stylist
My role involves: All colouring, cutting and styling services, and chatting away to clients.
Favourite thing about working at The Collective: The location as it’s so ideal for my clients, and I love the team I work with which makes me look forward to work every day.
Specialist skill: Balayage and bright colours.
Stevie-lee Brown, @hairbystevie-lee
Job: Principal stylist
My role involves: Colour, cuts and barbering.
Favourite thing about working at The Collective: Interacting with clients and seeing the team.
Specialist skill: Barbering – and the banter you get with it.
Rebecca Booth, @rebeccaboothhair
Job: Assistant manager/style director
My role involves: Making my clients look and feel fab, and being there for the rest of the team.
Favourite thing about working at The Collective: Seeing all my amazing clients and interacting with the team.
Specialist skill: All things colour.
Abigail Dyker
Job: Assistant
My role involves: Helping the stylists with their days and ensuring the salon is clean and safe.
Favourite thing about working at The Collective: The different age range of clients.
Specialist skill: I’m looking forward to developing my hairdressing skills through training.
Louise Pacitti
Job: Assistant
My role involves: Making sure the salon is clean and the stylists days run smoothly.
Favourite thing about working at The Collective: Working in Aberdeen and seeing new people every day.
Specialist skill: I’m looking forward to developing my skills through training.
Alex Clark, @hairby@alexclark
Job: Style director
My role involves: Putting people at ease and making them look and feel great.
Favourite thing about working at The Collective: Knowing my clients have a relaxed and friendly space to come to.
Specialist skill: I enjoy all aspects of hairdressing however I do like a challenge, whether it be cutting curly hair or doing a colour.
Abbie Salmon, @abbiesalmonhair_
Job: Principal stylist
My role involves: Cutting, colouring, extensions and barbering.
Favourite thing about working at The Collective: The constant support from everyone at the salon.
Specialist skill: Colouring.
Alannah Morrison, Hair by Alannah Crouch
Job: Self-employed
My role involves: Colour, cuts, extensions and more.
Favourite thing about working at The Collective: Even though I’m self-employed, I’m always included as part of the team.
Specialist skill: I’m a brand ambassador for Zen Luxury Hair Extensions. I love seeing the results when clients leave the salon, it’s definitely my favourite service to do.
Paula Gill, @haircreatedbypaula
Job: Self-employed
My role involves: All aspects hairdressing.
Favourite thing about working at The Collective: The atmosphere. All the girls are really nice and the salon is beautiful and spacious.
Specialist skill: Gents cutting (I’m a Gents regional finalist Trendvision 2020). Colouring and cutting.
Amber Turner, @amber@thecollective
Job: Self-employed
My role involves: Hair extensions, colour corrections, hair ups, big bouncy blow-dries and creating client friendships. I love the smile on their faces when they love the hairstyle I create for them.
Favourite thing about working at The Collective: The salon is beautiful, bright and modern and the girls make sure there’s always a great atmosphere to work in.
Specialist skill: Hair extensions, colour corrections and I’m currently looking into hair loss treatments. I have won many awards over my 20 years of hairdressing.
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