about us
What is your business?
North Laine Hair Company is a young, dynamic and creative hair salon in the heart of the busy and fashionable North Laines in Brighton.
What makes the North Laine Hair Co unique to others?
I think it is the balance of quality, friendliness and value in a distinctively styled salon with a small team that cares and have a real passion for their work.
Who are the team?
North Laine Hair Company strives to offer the best to its customers and prides itself on employing the most talented stylists. Our team of Style Directors and Senior Stylists have nearly 70 years combined experience and are highly skilled in all aspects of cutting and colouring. As a small high quality salon all our stylists operate at the highest level and are part of a continual professional development (CPD) programme. The aim is to ensure the team is up to date with the latest techniques and skills so you are guaranteed an excellent result each visit.
Style Team
Kate Winder is the owner and manager as well as Style Director. Kate has been in hairdressing since 14 when she began to gain experience on Saturdays whilst at school. After qualifying and establishing herself as a stylist in Sussex, Kate embarked on her ambition to travel the world as a stylist. She worked for Royal Caribbean Cruise Line enjoying travelling around the Caribbean and Americas while developing her skills for formal hair which she now uses to create the finest wedding hair styles.
Her ambition to work to the highest standards were realised when she joined Crystal Cruises in 2003, a company that has been recognised as the world’s best in luxury experience for an unprecedented 15 consecutive years. As assistant salon manager on the Serenity, the world’s finest cruise ship, Kate was responsible for a team that worked to the highest standards of hairdressing and customer service. Kate has used all of her skill, experience and knowledge in setting up the North Laine Hair Company.
Kate is on maternity leave from April 2012 and will rejoin her team towards the end of the year.
Manesh Solanki joined our team in March 2009 when he moved to Brighton and has quickly built a loyal client list. His technical ability is second to none having won prestigious hairdressing awards and worked on numerous major fashion shows and photo shoots with some of the best in hairdressing.Manesh is also one of our wedding hair and hair up specialists. To reflect client demand and his ability & experience Manesh was promoted to Style Director in March 2011.
Manesh has nearly 20 years of experience since qualifying and has previously worked in top salons both in London (Bond St, Covent Garden and Sloane Square) and Bermuda. His incredible head massages alone are said to be worth a visit to Manesh!
Sarah Williams joined North Laine Hair Company in February 2012 as Style Director and Assistant Manager. Sarah qualified as a stylist with Toni and Guy in 2000 and continued to train with Trevor Sorbie with his artistic team within their Brighton salon. After working for 8 years in some of Brighton’s busiest salons Sarah worked self-employed within a newly established salon in Hove where she grew a strong client base across 4 and a half years. Sarah’s love of fashion, forward thinking personality and ambitious nature are all reflected in her work.
James Atkinson joined North Laine Hair Company in March 2011 having held positions of colour & creative director at some of London’s most highly regarded salons. James was promoted to Style Director in September 2012 after a year and a half of excellent customer service and consistently satisfied clients.
Having worked on many photo shoots James’ passion for cutting really shows in his work. As an expert in cutting and styling with a particular talent for curly hair and short styles, James is always keen to add colour to enhance his styles.
Fashion, creativity and education are what drives James in his career. As an experienced educator this not only benefits the team but he finds educating others helps him to improve his own personal skills.
His dedication and commitment to everything he does is also shown in his personal life, with hobbies including running marathons and competing in triathlons. A visit to James is highly recommended both for great home hair care and fitness advice!
All our stylists are very passionate about hairdressing and enjoy the challenges and rewards that every day brings. The team have a great rapport with their regular client base and each other which makes North Laine Hair Company one of the most welcoming and friendly salons in Sussex.
Florence Wild started her training in 2005 with Rush in Brighton and has worked self employed in an established salon in Hove since 2010 before coming to join us at North Laine Hair Company in March 2012. Florence enjoys building clients confidence with the aid of great colour and styles. Florence’s hard work and dedication follow through into other areas of her life. She puts a lot of time and energy into yoga and is working towards becoming a trained yoga teacher.
Front of House
Jenny Hards has been working on reception since September 2011 and is always happy to help with any clients enquiries. Jenny is the first port of call when booking your hair appointment and can offer advice on picking the correct hair products to suit your hair. Jenny is a fully qualified holistic therapist and keeps herself busy on her days off with Aromatherapy, Swedish massage and Reflexology.
Hala was born and raised in London and is currently studying Fine Art Printmaking at Brighton University. In her spare time she attends a Classical Ballet Class once a week and enjoys making crafts and other handmade items which she sells along with her work from her blog.
Apprentices
Mikey Bradshaw has been an apprentice at North Laine Hair Company since July 2011 and is continuously expanding his knowledge of the industry through his training in the salon and at college. You can expect a lovely relaxing head massage when having your hair washed by Mikey and if you share his interest in football a conversation about recent matches, supported teams and favourite players is bound to fire up.
Sophie Brown started as an Apprentice at North Laine Hair Company in February 2012. Having studied art and photography at A level Sophie has a great eye for artistic detail and looks forward to bringing this to her work in the hair industry.
How long has North Laine Hair Company been running?
I started working as a stylist at the salon in 2005 and then purchased the business in July 2007. The salon interior was given a major makeover that summer, including a stylish feature wall and a bespoke reception area. In 2008 we re-launched the business as the North Laine Hair Company with a fresh exterior look.
What is your business philosophy?
We pride ourselves in excellence in our services and customer care. We always ensure that our clients have ample time with their stylist so that a relationship is built and we have a complete understanding of their lifestyle and needs. We love getting to know our clients and as we have a small tight knit team the salon can often feel like a meeting of friends. North Laine Hair Co is a salon with a relaxed and calm ambience where customers always feel welcome and at home. I believe it is essential to have a happy team and so we put a lot of effort into making the business one of the most appealing to work for.
What is the secret to your success?
Ensuring our customers always leave having enjoyed their visit and love their new look. We achieve this by having a talented and motivated team. In essence it’s as simple as that!
Tell me a bit more about your salon
I have created a salon that is small and relaxed for everyone to enjoy. I have an excellent creative team that always provide outstanding services. We are a smaller size salon which offers the benefit of being more intimate and not as intimidating to new customers. We also retail a range of quality professional products including TIGI, GHD, Redken, Fudge and Moroccanoil.
