ghd has finally landed in Asia. On 20 November, the brand marked its official launch in Asia right here in Hong Kong with an industry-insider event hosted by ghd CEO Paul Stoneham, with a live demonstration led by ghd's Australian Ambassador, top hairstylist Jayne Wild. The launch in Asia comes at an opportune time, as ghd has just launched their revolutionary new styler, the ghd eclipse. To get a better idea of what it's like to work with the world-renowned brand, Electric sekki had a chat to Jayne Wild, who has been with ghd almost since the beginning--that's over 10 years! She chats to us about what makes ghd so special and how to guarantee that you'll never have another bad hair day again!
ghd Australian Ambassador, Jayne Wild.
Electric sekki: I'd like to start things off with a fun little anecdote. I was traveling once with my ghd, and my suitcase was filled with nice clothes, luxury items, the whole lot. When I finally got home and opened up my suitcase, I found that my ghd styler had been stolen...but everything else was in tact! The thief was only interested in my ghd! And I've heard similar stories from friends. Why do you think people are so obsessed with these ghd's?
Jayne Wild: I have an answer! I've always said from day one, when somebody picks that up, it's addictive! It's like a drug. That person that went into your bag and stole yours was an addict, obviously! I've had clients whose relationships have split up because they've chosen not to stay the night at a boyfriend's house because they don't have their ghd's with them!
Jayne Wild addressing the crowd at the launch of ghd in Hong Kong.
ES: How do you think ghd built themselves up so quickly to have such a well-recognised name?
JW: It's always been about the user and what was going to make life easy for somebody. Originally, it was hair dressers and they just wanted to make their lives easier. But once you use it on the client and they see that they can recreate what you do, that just blows them away. "I can actually do my own hair!" When we launched the eclipse in London in January, we had a girl with Afro hair in tears because she actually was going to be able to do her own hair without having to chemically straighten it. She was crying with joy, it was fabulous! It's addictive!
Janye Wild demonstrates the abilities of the ghd styling tools for the crowd of industry professionals to see.
ES: Can you tell us in your own words what ghd stands for and what it means to you?
JW: We've been through many changes with the name. Originally, it was good hair day and, thank god, it's gone back to good hair day now, because otherwise people say, "What does ghd mean?" And I say, "It's a religion for hair!" But it's fantastic that it's gone back to the original name now, because it says what it does. You're going to have a good hair day every day. The importance of it, too, to stylists and clients and consumers, is that it's become its own fashion brand in itself. By associating itself with big fashion labels and supporting those designers, they now are a wanted fashion item. It's like your Prada. And it's joy to my ears when I hear somebody say, "I've got my ghd!" It's not, "I've got my styler or my straightener." It's "ghd". They're even referring to anything that resembles a styler of some sort as a ghd!
ES: It's like the Xerox phenomenon or the Kleenex phenomenon.
JW: Exactly! Isn't, it? It's a fashion brand in itself and it's because it's always associated itself with exciting fashion designers and, as they grew, ghd grew with them! It's a very heartfelt company. It's grown bigger than anyone did expect and so quickly.
Four looks were completed on the evening, demonstrating the wide range of styles that can be achieved using ghd stylers.
ES: What do you think the ghd styler delivers that others do not?
JW: Continuity. That's one of my main things. I'll use any size of styler, and now the eclipse, and I'll know that when I use it I'll get that result. If people aren't shown how to use it, they'll blame the tool rather than themselves for doing it wrong. I guess it's like anything, really. This is why we're very passionate about education and training, because it is a styler and that's what makes it stand out from other products out there. And there are so many others that have tried to do the same thing, but they're just lookalikes. And that's where it ends, they're lookalikes, but it's what's inside that counts! ghd has such a great team of brains behind it that are so passionate about finding something perfect for us to use. I say I have crushes on all of them! How we're loonies about hair, they're loonies about technology! We're all so passionate.
A mini ghd fashion show was staged for the audience to view the hair at all angles.
ES: Tell us about your role in ghd.
JW: I've been associated with ghd a little over 10 years. Once they came to Australia. I was blown away to be asked to be their Australasian Ambassador. I get to do a lot of different launches with them and do a lot with them in the UK, being English originally myself. I go with them every year to Salon International, where they always have a stand, and that's always fun! From the beginning, I've always treated it like my own company - I have my own company, two salons in Sydney - and I even say to the CEO, "This is my company so look after it for me!" It's the same with all of us who have been with the team from the beginning. It's just such a great company to work for, because it's such a pleasurable tool to work with and you get great results. It's such a successful partnership.
The four completed looks that ghd showed at the launch.
ES: And can you tell us more about what you do for ghd?
JW: I'm a guest educator. I get called in for launches and we have an education calendar in Australia, we do quarterly seminars all over Australia and New Zealand. We get to try out products, too, when they're almost finished and I give them automatic feedback. We all love working with the guys in Cambridge who come up with it all, because they are just so passionate and they think our way, but not as hairdressers! It's quite funny. That's why it's so successful, because we all have different expertise that we can all bring to it. They're very open and appreciative about the feedback. It's all about pushing the boundaries!
The ghd eclipse uses patented breakthrough tri-zone technology to guarantee the optimum temperature through styling, it retails for HKD2,559.
ghd stylers and products are available for purchase in Hong Kong at selected salons and retailers.
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