If anyone knows what hairstyles are making it or which ones we should avoid, it would be Wella Trend Vision winner, Barry Maddocks. Growing up with a dream to work in such a creative field, he knew there was a place in the industry for himself. I got the privilege to chat to Barry, where we spoke worst hairstyles, all things career related and what it felt like to be crowned the 2018 winner of Wella.

“- Last year I was very lucky to make it all the way to the UK final for Wella Trend Vision. I had second guesses about entering again this year, but I decided to go for it and I am glad I did. When they called my name as a regional winner, it was the best feeling!! I really felt like all the hard work had been paid off, and I am very excited to take on the UK final in October in the roundhouse in Camden”.

Did you always vision yourself to have a career in hair?

I have always been very interested in fashion. Growing up, I was constantly reading fashion magazines and I just used to love how the hair really finished off every image. I find myself to be drawn to everything colourful and shiny, so I just knew one day I wanted to be that person that would produce all the amazingly colourful hair that I would see in these magazines.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I would love be apart of a creative team,  I've been very fortunate in having a place on the Wella Generation NOW team for the last year and I've loved all the stage work and educating I've been able to do. I'm very fortunate to of been part of such an amazing team of people around me. Within Francesco Group, they constantly encourage and push me to grow as a creative stylist and educator within the company. And one day, who knows… I might eventually make it onto the creative team.... That's my goal.

Worse hair style/trend?

Oh I'm going to be really honest...I'm not a big fan of these glitter partings I'm seeing people rocking at festivals. It just doesn't really do it for me.

How did you become a stylist?

I went straight into it from school. I wanted to work for a large company that did in house training as I really didn't feel I wanted to go to college. College didn’t seem like my cup of tea, so decided to go to Toni&Guy to be trained up. I had all of my training in the salon and then when it was time to qualify, I was sent to the London Academy to finish.

Any hair trend predictions we can watch out for?

Colour is going to have a bit more of a "Pop" in so many ways than one, pastel hair is still going strong and I think it will be around for a while yet. But if you’re feeling a little more daring, then just go more intense and opt for neon!!

What do you love most about your career?

I love most- on a day to day salon day I love how great I can make a client feel about themselves from the moment when a client sits on the chair to the moment they leave. I like to see my clients leaving the salon with a spring in their step and looking Fabulous! When I am teaching at our Academy, it's such an amazing feeling being able to pass on all the knowledge I've gained over the years to our learners and to inspire them to want to push their skill set even further!

A Celebrity that is killing the hair game right now?

Gigi Hadid , does that girl ever have a bad hair day????

Do you have any tips/advice for people wanting to follow a career path like you?

Practice makes perfect, if your preparing for competition wor - Keep practicing. Make sure you know the insides and outs of what your going to present and love your work! Your judges will love it more if you love it! For those stylists out there that want to get into the creative world, don't be afraid!! Go and assist anyone you can. Push yourself to learn different techniques, social media is an amazing platform to watch videos ect.

And for those at school that want a career in hairdressing, then start applying for a Saturday job and see how it is in a salo. It is hard work but it's also such a rewarding feeling. If you put the work, the wages will soon follow. An apprenticeship is a great way to do it, at Francesco group our learners work in our salons and learn on the job and go to one of our Academies twice a month so they get the best training from the stylists in their salon and then from our Academy educational team and I feel that really breaks it all up for them, it's the same way I trained and I came out pretty well !!

Written by Jordan Ellen Wood | @jordy_ellen