UK-based hair colourist and stylist James Earnshaw has been appointed Wella Professionals Global Ambassador.
A highly admired and respected name in our industry, James Earnshaw is already a multi-award-winning hairdresser. He has become a social media icon thanks to his engaging content and passion for colour transformations. He is also well-known his dynamic online content.
As Wella Professionals Global Ambassador, James will work exclusively with the brand across colour, care and styling. He will also collaborate closely on core strategic areas. This will include partnering with Wella’s R&D team shaping innovation, new services, and the creation of new collections, showcasing Wella at global events, and educating hairdressers around the world.
Ten Things You Probably Never Knew about James Earnshaw
In an exclusive interview, we asked James to give us a deeper insight into his work, career and, of course, his relationship with Wella Professionals. Here’s what he said:
1 How my journey with Wella began
“I started when I was 15 – I went into a salon to get my haircut, the hairdresser asked me what I wanted to do when I finished school. I said hair, they gave me a job and I started the day after! It was actually a Wella salon so my first ever experience with colour was using Wella. I first got noticed by Wella in 2014 when I got a place on the Generation Now team & came bronze in the TrendVision awards.”
2 My career mentors and positive influencers
“There are so many, but I think for me working with Michelle Thompson has been amazing. She really has taught me how to best photograph hair and put a collection together as well as also working on all different hair types, and we are still very close today. Also, Renya Xydis from Australia – I have always been so obsessed with her work and aesthetic. I assisted her at fashion week back in 2013 and it really opened my eyes to the editorial world. I recently worked with her on the brand new Wella Colour Blocking campaign (see models below), so it was amazing working with her on that level.”
3 Education and training
“I think for me, doing Wella’s Master Colour Expert was really pivotal to my professional growth. It helped me grasp such a strong knowledge of colour, not just putting hair colour on the hair but also the reasons why. It really has made me an amazing colourist and given me such confidence.”
4 My hero product
“Wella Shinefinity for sure: with zero lift & zero damage, it is my most used colour product! The two shades I use the most are 08/98 & 09/05.”
5 Cut, style, or colour?
“I love it all, I’m lucky that I do all three so I can really transform the model I’m working on from start to finish!”
6 My involvement in product innovation, research and development
“It’s so interesting being part of this and something that I’m really looking forward to doing more of in my role as Wella Professionals Global Ambassador. What we do is look for gaps in the industry and how can we make hairdressers lives easier, whether that be in new technology a client needs or new ingredients. For example, Blondorplex Toners were a great new addition to our portfolio because it is our fastest developing toning solution! So, it takes just 5 minutes, and delivers amazing colour results – people are loving it! Then there’s Ultimate Repair– it’s a total game changer. I use Miracle Hair Rescue on so many clients and models. In just 90 seconds it delivers 99% less hair breakage, so it’s great but also so fast, I love products that perform but don’t take forever!”
7 My stage work
“When I first started I used to do looks that I thought would make me win or people would like, then in 2016 I just thought I’m going to do hair that I want and that I think is cool, my career grew so much since that point because if you stay true to the work you want to put out there people can feel when you genuinely love it.”
8 TrendVision and me
“TrendVision really opened my eyes on how to critique my work in a brand-new way. So, it helped make me a better hairdresser. It’s a great way to next work and showcases your work on such a big stage across the Wella world, so if you’re thinking of doing it, go for it!”
9 Bringing Wella brands to life
“Having worked with Wella for the last decade and in recent years as a Digital Color Ambassador for the UK & Ireland, I feel I have a deep understanding of Wella brands and how to bring its diverse product range to life. In doing so, I have be privileged to educate (and hopefully entertain!) in the US, Australia, as well as all over Europe. I have also worked with Wella on a number of standout campaigns including KP:ID and Shinefinity.”
10 When I’m not doing hair
“I used to be a professional ice skater when I was younger!”