Bad Apple wins Midlands Hairdresser of the Year at HJ’s British Hairdressing Awards 2019

The Midlands’ most outstanding hairdresser was announced last night (25th November) at the renowned HJ’s British Hairdressing Awards 2019, sponsored by Schwarzkopf Professional. The sought-after title of Midlands Hairdresser of the Year went to James Earnshaw from Wolverhampton.

The stylist from Bad Apple Hair in the Mander Centre, beat five other finalists to triumph in the prestigious awards, dubbed the ‘Oscars’ of the hair world, gaining top spot in a large catchment category which saw entrants come from eight central England regions: Cheshire, Derbyshire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire, the West Midlands, and Worcestershire.

James Earnshaw claimed the status as Midlands Hairdresser of the Year 2019, after his phenomenal original hair work demonstrated not only technical skill, but also creative vision and comprehension of current trends.

Going through vigorous judging before being rewarded for his skill, James was required to submit a collection of eight images and this photographic work was judged twice by a panel of hairdressing legends, leading national beauty press, and Hall of Fame members (those who have won the same British Hairdressing Awards category on three occasions).

James received the coveted title at the Grosvenor House, a J W Marriott Hotel in London in front of a 1,750 strong audience of hairdressing peers, influencers and press. Celebrity host for the evening was TV personality Rylan Clark-Neal, who was joined by Hairdressers Journal International’s Executive Director, Jayne Lewis-Orr and Schwarzkopf Professional’s General Manager Julian Crane.

Now in their 34th year, HJ’s British Hairdressing Awards celebrate the people producing the very best hairdressing work across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. James’s prize was one of 18 trophy wins on the night in a line-up of ten regional and eight specialist awards, including two new categories of International Collection of the Year and Trend Image of the Year. The ultimate accolade of British Hairdresser of the Year was won by Leeds stylist Robert Eaton from Russell Eaton Hair. After the dazzling ceremony guests were treated to a performance by The Hoosiers with their hits Goodbye Mr A and Something About Ray.

Commenting on the win, Jayne Lewis-Orr, Executive Director of HJ’s British Hairdressing Awards said; “This category was fiercely contended because it covers such a wide geographic base and brings in many strong names. James’ recognition is truly deserved. His imaginative hair work made us stop and take notice. The calibre of British hairdressing is known the world over, and James continues to show that excellence and creativity are still at the heart of UK styling. Warmest congratulations to him for demonstrating fantastic technical dexterity, and for being such a great ambassador for our industry.”

James was delighted to win and said: “Thank you to everyone at Bad Apple for supporting me. I’m delighted that after entering these Awards for seven years, I’ve finally won. It’s an amazing feeling!”

“Sponsoring HJ’s British Hairdressing Awards is an enormous privilege,” says Julian Crane, Schwarzkopf Professional General Manager UK and Ireland. “We are delighted to join with Hairdressers Journal International to recognise the very best in UK hair talent. Hairdressing is an industry of endless creativity and the breadth of ideas in this year’s awards was outstanding. I am absolutely delighted for the winners and they should be so proud of how they represent the pinnacle of skill in our industry.”

The British Hairdressing Awards have launched the careers of a host of household names: from John Frieda and Nicky Clarke, to TV stylists Lisa Shepherd and Andrew Barton.

The British Hairdressing Awards took place on 25th November 2019 at the Grosvenor House, a J W Marriott Hotel, Park Lane, London.