Nicky and Lesley Clarke are a cut above

1/2
5 April 2012
The Weekender

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As personal stylist to movie stars, pop icons and princesses, Nicky Clarke's glittering career spans more than 40 years. Today, his enthusiasm for his work is stronger than ever and he spends much of his time on the salon floor doing what he loves. But Nicky's story only really began when he joined forces with Lesley Clarke. The former husband and wife team built up the country's most famous hair brand. Still the best of friends, 2012 is set to be one of their busiest years with more salons, a relaunched product range and a new international venture on the horizon...

Was it always the dream to be in the hair and beauty industry?
Lesley: No, I was a fashion designer. I did a Maths degree and I trained in fashion. And I had two children before we went into business together so it wasn't my dream at all.

Nicky: I've done hair dressing since 1974. So when I met Lesley I was a salon/session hair dresser. Lesley was a very successful fashion designer. She got her Vogue cover before I did actually. It was that period in the 80s when there was a real upsurge for British fashion designers. There was big interest from America and Japan. Lesley was working on all the magazines. She sold to Bloomingdales and Joseph. So our careers were very different. I was doing magazine work in terms of hair but she was running a business as well.

How did you meet?
L: He cut my hair and did it so well I thought, I am going to marry him.

N: So we got married and had two children who are now grown up. It was very much the case that she wanted to give up on her fashion career. She went out on a high. Her last collection had 11 of the 16 windows that Liberty's had. That was her swansong.

When did you open your first salon?
N: I was second in command at the John Frieda Salon for a long time. We had worked together for 16 years. There came a point in 1990 when John and I weren't getting on as well as we had done. So we were kind of forced into the situation of me going my own way.

L: I nagged Nicky until he gave in and opened a salon. I believed in him so much.

Lesley, you then became very much involved in the business side of things. How did you juggle this with motherhood?
I don't sleep much. I get about four hours a night. It was hard but I was driven and I believed in something. I mother my children way more now that they are 25 and 23 than I did when they were children.

Would you encourage your children to go into the family business?
L: Yes, our son is in the business. He is the multimedia director.

N: It has always been the case that they should do whatever they want to do. You are very conscious about not wanting to put ideas in their head. But they both worked within the business as teenagers because there is a work ethic that we have. So our son, Harrison, works with us. But our daughter, Tilly, is a banker at Goldman Sachs.

When Nicky is out on the salon floor what is your role, Lesley?
L: I control the PR and the marketing, the financial side of things, expansion and franchising. I am no good at doing hair. We run everything past each other but we have quite clearly defined roles.

N: Really successful businesses usually have one person at the helm. The ego has been put to one side and they just want the business to work. That set up has worked for us for 20 years.

When your personal relationship ended, how did it affect the business?
N: As Lesley has said in the past, we probably worked harder at our separation than we did our relationship. We never got lawyers involved, we dealt with it ourselves. We had created this great business and we didn't want to let it go.

L: It was like a third baby really.

N: To some people it sounds weird because we live only five doors apart as well. But for us it works.

One of the ways the brand has flourished is because of its reputation for having high profile clientele. What kind of clients do you have? Could you name a few of the high profile regulars?
L: He did Elizabeth Taylor's hair.

N: It would be easier to say who we haven't worked with. I have been a hairdresser for 35-years. You can't be at the high end of it without working with these people. From every supermodel to all of my own icons - like David Bowie, Bryan Ferry and The Beatles.

Have any big names not been so easy to work with?
N: I have worked with some of the biggest divas in the world from Margaret Thatcher to Diana Ross or Naomi Campbell. But they have always been really great. At the end of the day, we both want the same end result.

L: Margaret Thatcher is not a diva. She is my idol. Plus, you never want to mess with your hair dresser!

Is there anyone who's hair you haven't cut that you would like to?
The two people I have never got to are the Queen and Madonna. But I am not sure I would want to mess with their looks.

You both went to Buckingham Palace to receive Nicky's OBE in 2008. It must have been a very proud moment...
L: Not just for me but for his mum who came with us. She is an 80-something-year-old Greek lady who came over from Greece when she was 19. She was over-awed by everything. Our two children were there too and we were so proud of him.

N: When it came through the post, we had a couple of interns in. One intern opened it and said to Lesley, "I think someone wants to give Nicky an OAP." Good job Lesley picked up on it. It also transpired that my dad was awarded the military equivalent of the OBE by King George. He had the letter and he never told anybody. He must have gone to the Palace by himself. In those days they didn't talk about those things. We only found out recently.

Following so many big achievements, what comes next?
We have just relaunched our prouduct line, we are expanding our salons into franchising, we are bringing out way more electrical products and we're going overseas. That should keep us busy.

*Nicky & Lesley Clarke's interview took place at The Albany, W1 on The London Chat Show. For more information visit www.londonchatshow.com

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