Hairdresser selected to work London Fashion Week

It is one of the biggest events in the global clothing industry.
Mrs Gaitley's salon on Smawthorne Lane Castleford. Picture by Google, taken in 2016.Mrs Gaitley's salon on Smawthorne Lane Castleford. Picture by Google, taken in 2016.
Mrs Gaitley's salon on Smawthorne Lane Castleford. Picture by Google, taken in 2016.

And as London Fashion Week gets underway today, Castleford hairdresser Zoe Gaitley will be right at the heart of it.

The 41-year-old, who owns Hair ‘N’ Beauty on Smawthorne Lane, has been selected to style the hair of catwalk models as they showcase the hottest trends for the upcoming Autumn and Winter 2017 seasons.

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She was chosen to form part of the team of hair company Tigi Professional after an application process which included written questions and photographs of her work.

She said: “I just couldn’t believe it. It was totally overwhelming.

“I am really excited. I was in London a few weeks ago for training at Tigi’s Academy and it was brilliant.

“All the rest of the team are really nice and I’m looking forward to working at the shows.”

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Mrs Gaitely said her husband Kristian and daughter Savannah were “super proud” when they waved her off this morning.

And they aren’t the only ones celebrating her success.

Castleford councillor Richard Forster said: “This is brilliant for Zoe and such a great achievement for a local salon to be recognised nationally.

“Apart from running the salon, Zoe works hard within the community and is chair of the Smawthorne Welfare Action Team helping to improve facilities in Smawthorne Park.”

Mrs Gaitley followed in the footsteps of her mother, who was also a hairdresser by trade.

She started training straight from school.

“It was always something I had wanted to do,” she said.

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“I got the salon for my 19th birthday so that has been going for nearly 23 years now.”

London Fashion Week will welcome more than 5,000 guests including buyers from 49 different countries.

The 65th edition of the week, which first launched in 1984, will feature 51 catwalk shows and 32 presentations, highlighting the best of the British fashion industry.

The week, which is held twice a year, is one of the biggest fashion events in the world, alongside similar weeks in New York, Paris and Milan.

It contributes around £28bn to the UK economy.

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Coun Denise Jeffery, Wakefield Council’s cabinet member for economic growth and skills, said: “This is a marvellous achievement for Zoe, who is a fantastic woman from our area.

“It is such an honour for the district and for Zoe herself to be recognised at an event of this scale.

“She is an amazing stylist and it really is very well deserved.”

Mrs Gaitley will also return to London for the second Fashion Week of the year in September, as clothes for the 2018 Spring and Summer season go on show.