Here is a very cool feature about Anne from US online mag Bangstyle…
UK based stylist and salon owner Anne Veck has 30 years of experience in the industry she is most passionate about. Currently, her salon, Anne Veck Salon, has two locations in Oxford and Bicester. Along with her work within the salons, Anne has also worked as a Matrix UK ambassador since 2010. When creating a look, Anne Veck keeps in mind creative texture and the overall architecture of the hair which results in show stopping photographs. Learn more about Anne’s career in our interview!
BANGSTYLE: Can you give us a bit of background on your career?
Anne Veck: I trained at the Academie de Paris where I qualified with the Brevet Professionnel Coiffure Mixte in 1984 at the age of 21. In February 2012, I was thrilled to join the Haute Coiffure Francaise Artistic Team on stage at Le Louvre in Paris for their breathtaking show. In the intervening 28 years, I have spent most of my career in England learning the art and business of hairdressing in a series of small town salons, then in my own two salon group and finally discovering the exciting world of education, photo shoots, platform work and session styling. It’s been a long journey, but I am now enjoying my career in the industry I love more than ever.
BANGSTYLE: How did you get your start in the hair industry and how did you know you wanted to make a career out of it?
Anne Veck: I fell in it a bit by mistake, a family situation forced me to leave school at 16 and get a job. My mum’s hairdresser was looking for an apprentice…the rest is history!
BANGSTYLE: What are some of your career highlights?
Anne Veck: There have been a few: opening my first salon, receiving AIPP Best Men’s award at the Royal Albert Hall in 2011, and becoming a Matrix UK Ambassador in 2010.
BANGSTYLE: Any advice for aspiring stylists and salon owners?
Anne Veck: Don’t be afraid of hard work and you have to PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. It will make it perfect.
BANGSTYLE: What inspired you to open your own salons?
Anne Veck: We moved for my husband’s job and the timing was right for me. I was 28 and I needed more of a challenge.
BANGSTYLE: What kind of client experience do you like to create and maintain at your salons?
Anne Veck: A great salon simply cannot exist without a first class salon team that delivers an equally first class experience for clients. Inherent skills, great training, motivation, a genuine desire to deliver great service and a teamwork ethic, mark The Anne Veck Salon Team in Oxford and Biceater as an outstanding group of people that deserve recognition and reward.
BANGSTYLE: Who or what inspires the looks you create?
Anne Veck: The team HCF, the work of Alexandre de Paris, and Odile Gilbert. Very inspiring and a lot of emotion in their work. You can feel the real passion. In the UK, my fellow team members of Matrix.
BANGSTYLE: How would you describe your aesthetic?
Anne Veck: I like to experiment with new textures in hair – exploring the creative potential of knotting, knitting, using new methods of bonding and shaping to create new shapes and architecture in hair. When I am happy that a new technique works, the next step is to use it to create a hair style that works visually, aesthetically and with an impact. It must grab attention, but must belong to the model and not look like a “hat” which sits on her head.
BANGSTYLE: Can you share any hair tips with our readers?
Anne Veck: My best advice, to me, is to stay true to myself. I’m not going to merely create a collection which I think the judges want to see. I’m going to do something that truly inspires me!
BANGSTYLE: Any future plans or goals for your career and salons?
Anne Veck: I would love to become Global ambassador for Matrix. It would mean traveling and meeting hairdressers from all over the world…
