Talked out of hairdressing when he left school, it took Richie 10 years to find a way to follow his heart. Since then it's been all systems go: shaping the team's talents, leading them to the finals of the L'Oreal Men's Image Awards and being asked by grooming company Wahl to run demonstrations for them. Richie loves getting creative with men's hair.
Bev's a bit of a perfectionist. And not just about hair. As well as going on regular courses to stay on top of her cutting & colouring game, she's the mastermind behind the shop's fresh & funky decor; loves helping our team reach their potential; and adding a bit of colour to people's lives to make sure they look and feel great.
Ellie loves bringing Hollywood sex appeal to full and flowing locks, an interest that began when she was learning to tame her own. That said, with over 15 years experience – six running her own salon - and training with the likes of Trevor Sorbie and L'Oreal she can turn her hand to anything hair-related. A keen baker, Ellie's been known to bring in the odd home-made treat into the salon.
If it's short hair you want, Amie's our go-to girl. A big fan of the textured pixie look, she's not afraid to get creative and really cut into hair to create short, contemporary styles. Amie's always known she wanted to work with hair, and can't imagine wanting to do anything else.
Lian's all about the glamour. She's always wanted to work with her hands, and even considered being a car mechanic, but soon found her true calling. She loves the variety of ways she can give people a lift when they leave the salon, but putting hair up for weddings and photo shoots is her thing.
Charley brings loads of colour to the salon. And we're not just talking about her bubbly personality. She loves developing new colours, working with clients to find exactly the right shade for them, and the buzz of giving people something new. When it comes to styling, she's another glamour girl who loves to work with big hair.
Alex used to love watching C4's 'The Salon' when he was still at school and decided hairdressing looked like a great job. And now, here he is mixing classic sharper styles with textured, disconnected ones to great effect. Alex enjoys the challenge of a restyle, and particularly likes cutting men's hair.
Emma always keeps them coming back for more. Most of her male and female clients are regulars who value her eight years of styling experience. Emma loves providing the whole service of colouring and cutting hair and seeing a client's whole image transformed by the finished result.
Lorraine does it with a smile. She gets on with everybody and has plenty of experience of keeping customers happy. She's needed to – her last job was running a pub in Cornwall. But Lorraine thinks working at AKA is so much better. She particularly likes working with our talented team and meeting lots of lovely people.