From styling fashion shoots and celebrities around the world to creating his own unique hair and fashion boutique in Tunbridge Wells, Laurel Staple has spent four decades redefining the hairdressing and styling experience. Eileen Leahy discovers that his latest venture is anything but average…
“I actually wanted to be an engineer, you know,” says Laurel Staple as he sits me down in one of his funky retro barber chairs and begins my hair consultation.
I’m here at the revered hairstylist’s salon and boutique to have my hair chopped – but also to discover more about the entrepreneur’s Tunbridge Wells business, which combines his passion for hair, fashion, photography, styling and DJing.
His fabulous Hubert’s Hair Boutique is on London Road, next door to Sugarbush Records and opposite The Forum music venue, so the self-professed DJ couldn’t be better positioned.
The stylish premises are now utterly unrecognisable from their former guise as a Subway food outlet. Laurel, whose middle name is Hubert, has worked hard to take the building back to its original bones, revealing beautiful period details including wooden flooring, a mezzanine and intricate coving.
“I guess that’s where your engineering prowess came in handy,” I say…
“Yes, I did it all myself,” he says modestly. “It was a lot of work, but worth it all.”
The space, with a fashion boutique at the entrance and salon at the back, boasts grand statement mirrors, arresting artwork, verdant plants, rails of fabulous dresses and a super-cool DJ platform.
Although Laurel originally wanted to pursue engineering, after gaining the relevant qualifications, he admits it just didn’t work out. Luckily, a good friend got him into hairdressing.
“Due to my engineering background, I have always been very meticulous and technical, so I applied the same approach to cutting hair. Precision is very important in what I do. Ultimately I want to help people feel stylish and confident every single day.”
Laurel’s professional CV reads like a who’s who of the fashion world. He has worked with models Jodie Kidd and Coco Rocha, as well as Jasper Conran, Paul Smith and Jil Sander.
His career began 40 years ago, in 1986, at the legendary Toni & Guy salon in Mayfair. Laurel was there for nine years and credits co-founder Anthony Mascolo with teaching him a great deal.
He then went freelance, travelling the world doing hair for fashion catwalks, celebrity events, TV shows and magazine shoots. His work saw him collaborate with esteemed photographers including Vogue favourites Nick Knight and David Sims. He was also part of the Aveda session team for many years and worked on Top of the Pops and the St Martins College end-of-year fashion show.
Laurel also created hair for models at Manumission in Ibiza during the late 1990s and early 2000s. He shows me his portfolio from his time there and tells me he also had a salon on the island.
Laurel – who has another salon in Richmond, which he has run for more than a quarter of a century – tells me his drive and inspiration have always been the same: “My aim is to redefine a client’s hair experience – whoever and wherever that is.”
And while he studies my own limp locks, I can immediately see how his approach is unique. Unlike most hairdressers, who might simply start trimming away at your split ends, Laurel looks closely at how my hair sits, where the volume is – and where it’s lacking – before explaining how he’s going to transform my feeble tresses into something voluminous and stylish once again.
I can definitely see how Laurel’s approach is precise, innovative and meticulous.
After washing my hair with his own LS Weekly Cleanse shampoo and conditioner, he gives me some advice on hair maintenance and tells me not to over-wash it.
“That strips the hair of all the natural oils and strength. My products and the blow-dry technique I use will give you days of great-looking hair.”
As he snips away, Laurel says he is excited about further developing the concept behind Hubert’s Hair Boutique.
“I want to create a kind of exclusive club. The idea is that clients can come here to have their hair cut and styled, then they can browse the fashion pieces on the rails I curate and try on some of their favourite pieces. I’ve begun hosting styling parties and they’re very popular. We have a DJ on the decks and there’s also the opportunity to take pictures in the studio we have here.”
Once my own hair has been cut to perfection, Laurel shows me the studio set-up, where myriad back issues of Vogue magazine covers featuring everyone from Kate Moss to Sienna Miller are plastered across one wall.
“I like to keep these as they are the real deal – and way before AI took over! I worked on a lot of fashion magazine cover shoots during my career, so it’s nice to show people what I have achieved.”
Hubert’s Hair Boutique
Hubert’s, 3 London Road,
Tunbridge Wells, TN1 1DQ
Email: hubertshairboutique@gmail.com
Phone: 07852 712887
