Creative HEAD UK April 2018

#TheItList
IT WAS NO SURPRISE to anyone that Ky
Wilson won the 2017 It Guy award – least
of all to Ky himself. “It was my sixth time
entering – it was about time that I won,” he
laughs. “It got to that time when I felt like
I couldn’t do anything more.”
The award was presented to him by
former boss Adam Reed at Ky’s first ever
sober awards ceremony: “My baby was
due the next day, so I wasn’t sure if I’d be
able to go at all!” he admits. So why was it
sixth-time lucky? “People often try to do
things too early, and I’m a sucker for that,”
Ky explains. “I don’t think I had enough
work when I first entered, but I did know
that you had to present it in a good way –
judges have so many entries to read!”
Winning The It Guy award has given
Ky the credence needed to work with top
brands; he has taught for Davines and
L’Oréal Professionnel (and won the L’Oréal
Colour Trophy Mens Image Award in
2017), and is making a name for himself
doing platform work for BaByliss PRO.
He recently launched a wig course with
Luke Pluckrose from Saks, which he plans
to run at least every two months, and then
there’s the education in his salons, The
Social. Every Monday and Tuesday the
latest techniques are taught, but be careful
what you call his educational pursuits:
“I hate the word ‘academy’,” he says.
“This is not something you can get on
the high street.”
When Ky was building The Social, he
slept behind the backwash, working all
day and much of the night to redefine the
salon experience as we know it. He has
now has relocated his London branch of
The Social to allow more space for his
famous collaborations to flourish. “The
new space is much more appealing,”
Ky says. “There are multiple freelance
hairdressers coming in each day, and they
can secure a chair for a day or for a week.
There are also yoga classes and a photo
studio that can be booked out.”
Although he has fitted right into East
London, his home in the Lake District is
still important to Ky. He travels back up
to his Kendal salon every month, and his
next plan is to progress his work there.
“I really want to crack it up in the North,”
he says. We can also expect to see plenty
more of the things that makes Ky’s vision
so unique; innovative work with other
people who inspire him: “I’ve spent the
last few years building bricks and mortar –
I’m looking forward to doing more of
the really fun stuff.”
DO YOU DREAM BIG? Want to be
on The It List 2018? For details,
visit creativeheadmag.com/theitlist.
Deadline is 21 May!
CREATIVE HEAD
83