Award winning Lee Stafford returned to his Academy of Hairdressing, Barbering & Applied Therapies at Afan College to host yet another fantastic masterclass.
Lee met with the current cohort of Hairdressing and Applied Therapy students, giving them a demonstration of one of his signature recipes Twisted Tong, recounting his path to success, and answering their questions. Among the questions put to him were: “When did you realise that you’d made it?” to which he replied that he still hasn’t! He was also asked about his favourite and least favourite parts of his job and recounted some of the different experiences he’s had whilst working as a hairdresser in London and across the world.
He even had time for a couple of selfies and to give away some of his ever-popular products to students who posed questions.
Hairdressing legend Lee Stafford –whose eponymous bright pink product line is sold by Boots–has spent the past few years trying to fix a persistent problem – that hairdressing college graduates are rarely salon-ready. It’s his ‘Omelette Analogy’: if hair was cookery, then students are being taught hundreds of different ways to make a not very good omelette –and the answer is to have one Michelin Star way to do it.
The Lee Stafford Education Foundation added to the long list of accolades this year with a recent shortlisting for Educator of the Year, sponsored by Wella Professional, at HJ’s British Hairdressing Business Awards 2023.
Widely regarded as one of the industry’s most prestigious events, the awards recognise the names that have achieved business brilliance, helping uphold Britain’s reputation as a world leader in hairdressing expertise.
Lee and his team also won the prestigious Most Wanted trophy, a prize from category sponsor Colourstart, publicity across the Creative HEAD brand for the duration of their winning year and the opportunity to appear at Creative HEAD events.
NPTC Group of Colleges is very proud to have played a small part in Lee’s success in the field of education, being the only Lee Stafford Academy in Wales, delivering exceptional training at Afan College, Brecon Beacons College and Newtown College.
Students practice cutting-edge styles and techniques, known as recipes, designed by Lee and other leading stylists from across the industry in purpose-built salons that are open to the public.
