Who We Are

Attention to detail is an obsession of every professional in the Environment salon team. Virtually everyone has a Sassoon-trained heritage, so the disciplines of precision cutting and colouring techniques reign supreme, progressing from the corporate boundaries freeing creativity.

Tieu Ly

Front of house

The happy smiley, face you see behind the desk when you step into Environment is that of Tieu Ly (pronounced Sue-lie.) As the salon’s very-efficient receptionist, she has been manning the desk from day one and loves every minute of keeping the salon running seamlessly smooth.

“It’s so important to make clients feel welcomed and cared for,” says Tieu Ly. “I know all of our regulars and am very good at recognising their voices on the phone, which always seems to impress them,” says the happy, bubbly receptionist.

“I make sure our clients get well and truly looked after, I’m always aware if someone is waiting and do what I can to make their wait as comfortable as possible, getting them whatever they need, whether it’s complimentary refreshments or a sandwich for lunch.”

Keast

Salon Director

Anthony Keast (to give him his full name), a creative hairdresser with roots in Oldham, has found his niche in the heart of London as co-owner of Environment.

When a teenager, he had his sights set on being an architect, but the idea of eight years training didn’t fit his impatience of youth. His hairdressing light bulb moment was while watching an impressive Vidal Sasson hair show with some hairdresser pals.

Keast trained at Sassoon and cut a creative swath in a 20-year career with the company, recognising the right moment to spurn the corporate world to create the salon he’d always visualised: a warm, welcoming, creative and happy place with an open door for discerning clients and like-minded hairdressers to share.

“It took ages to think of the name, but once we hit upon Environment it worked just perfectly,” says Keast. “Ours is a friendly, expressive environment where we encourage staff to be creative, work together and feel part of the family.

“And we know our philosophy’s working because we’ve seen five babies born to the staff in the four years we’ve been in business, all the mums coming back to work here as they have a great sense of belonging.”

Keast works five days a week on the salon floor, the demands of his loyal clientele meaning that if you’d like to experience his strong hairdressing technique and personalised finishing – best you book in advance!

Kiyo

Creative Director

Joint owner of Environment is Kiyoshi Inoue – or Kiyo as he prefers to be known – who holds 15 years of hairdressing experience in his skilled hands. Coming to London from his native Copenhagen, he learnt his craft on Sassoon’s nine-month Diploma Course.

A very fast learner, just seven months after joining the company’s staff training scheme, Kiyo was on the salon floor building a clientele. Progressing to reach the dizzying heights of Creative Director in Sassoon’s training department – he felt the need to go it alone.

“I wanted the freedom to manage and express myself,” explains Kiyo, a practising Buddhist. “I didn’t want to be constrained by corporate rules or brand limitations,” says this man whose finger is rarely off the pulse of creativity. “I love to live in the now and react to what art and life and my team put in front of me.”

Like his business partner Keast, Kiyo works on the salon floor five days a week, creating superb, precision cut styles for an extraordinarily reasonable £100.

“I think Environment probably offers the best value for money in the whole of central London,” says Kiyo. “Everyone in the team has outstanding hairdressing skills and gives great service and hair treatments in a warm, friendly and caring environment. It’s a salon where you feel at home because we care absolutely for our clients’ look, wellbeing and peace of mind.”

Maria

Level 4 Stylist

Maria was 19 when qualifying at Vidal Sassoon's, since then she has worked in the Middle East and other top salons in London before settling in Environment.

Originally from Nottingham, life as an artist originally appealed, but it’s all down to her mother that hairdressing became Maria’s destiny when they moved to London. “Mum saw an ad for Sassoon trainees and I got the job out of 25 applicants,” Maria explains. “I took to hairdressing immediately as it released my inner creativity. I totally blossomed and met the best of my friends when training at Sassoon.”

A brilliant communicator, she listens intently to what her clients say, never failing to deliver against their expectations. “My work is technical, but I always bring freedom into my techniques, working visually with the client to make sure it’s suitable. I really care they get something which really suits them and is easy to maintain.”

So if you become a regular client, a brilliant haircut is guaranteed!

Patsy

Colour Director

Patsy has been working at Environment from day one. A skilled colourist, she started her Sassoon training in 1993 and now has 19 years of practical, on the salon floor experience under her fashionable belt.

Working on a complete cross section of clients 4 days a week, her salon colleagues automatically pass their clients over to Patsy, knowing their haircuts will look all the better after being enhanced with her deft tinting techniques.

“I chose to work as a colourist rather than a cutter because I was interested in the science behind the art, as well as the immediate impact you can create with colour,” says the 33-year-old blonde.

“Our salon is very strong on colour and I’d say about 80% of our clients have colour to some degree. I’m absolutely obsessed with working in a methodical, organised way and my favourite type of work is to simply create beautifully clean, shiny hair colour which totally works for the client.”

Connie

Level 2 Colourist

Super colourist Connie has been at Environment from the day it opened its doors to a discerning clientele. Having initially trained at college, Connie joined Environment to get more experience about the art of hair colour.

“When in training, I took to colour immediately,” explains 28-year-old Connie. “It felt much more ‘me’ than cutting. It feels very natural to me,it’s fun and I love the creative challenges coluring presents,” she says.

“I was attracted to the salon as it was new and fresh and staffed by lovely people,” says Connie. “And I wanted to get more experience of carrying out different colour techniques to complement brilliant haircuts.”

Working a five-day week, Connie also enjoys her personal time “There’s nothing I like better than settling down to a great film or trying new restaurants, going to gigs and new places,” she says. “Just the usual down-to-earth things suit me fine!”

Azu

Level 2 Sylist

After training in a salon and college in her home city of Tokyo, Azu came to London six years ago to perfect her cutting skills at the Sassoon Academy. “I just wanted to be the absolute best at cutting,” says the Japanese hairdresser dedicated to her precision scissor work.

Azu has been at Environment for five years now and her clientele spans all age groups, from the very young to professional business women; she also looks after a male clientele.

Working five days a week, Azu makes sure she takes account of personality and lifestyle before designing someone’s look. “It’s so important they can look after their style, manage it easily themselves,” she explains.

Now settled in the city, Azu much enjoys her London clientele. “Japanese clients are much more conservative, more reserved and all have the same type of hair,” she says. “In London, people are more adventurous and there are so many different nationalities and hair types, it makes my work much more interesting,” says the nifty cutter, who races round a basket ball court on her day off...

Nicola

Level 1 Stylist

Joining the salon straight from school to be taught by masters of their craft Keast, Kiyo and Maria, has led to Nicola Hillier being pretty nifty with her scissors. Part of the Environment team for six years and qualifying two years ago, Nicola is now steadily building a loyal clientele of all ages.

Never fazed by any client, no matter how demanding, she loves the day-to-day freshness of meeting new people and seeing their delight and appreciation of a great new haircut. “My clients are a varied mix of people, mostly those who work or live locally,” says the talented hairdresser who commutes from Bexley in Kent every day – except Tuesdays, her day off.

“I enjoy working on all hair types, choosing a range of techniques to make the most, make the best of the client’s hair. I love to make a difference, create an individual look, see the client’s pleasure with finished result; it’s great to make people happy.”

Alert to new ideas, new techniques and new products, Nicola finds inspiration in the latest films and all things arty – especially fresh music quickly captured onto her iPod. And long term? “Just be the best I can, work hard to excel at what I do.”