When it came to 80's hair, bigger was better, and fashion followed suit. From shoulder pads to power suits, bright, bold colours reigned supreme. The '80s was certainly a time of excess and greed, but it was also a time of enormous, even radical change. A champion of that change was a UK-based hairdresser Umberto Giannini. An extraordinary stylist who left a lasting impression on those he touched - he believed when it came to hair, "Anything was possible." That privilege would set you back $400 for him to transform your style. His talent and reputation landed him the ultimate prize, British Hairdresser of the Year ( back in 1999); Giannini was the youngest hairstylist to claim that honour. Tragically, his life was cut short at the age of 33; Giannini died from a rare viral disease complication. While long gone (and way too young), he is still up there with British hairdressing royalty, think John Frieda, Charles Worthington, Trevor Sorbie and Nicky Clarke. Umberto Giannini's legacy lives on through his top-selling UK-based haircare brand that has just landed here in NZ. Fast forward to today and Co-founder and Umberto Giannini's owner today, Claire Shread shares their vision and favourites from a vegan hair brand that was totally ahead of its time. By editor Trudi Brewer.
Images BeautyEQ
Some of our faves from the Umberto Giannini haircare range available here
“I am most proud of reinventing the brand to be relevant but ahead of the curve, leading the pack in mindfully made haircare that connects with women. ”
Umberto Giannini,’s co-founder and owner Claire Shread
You were ahead of your time back in 1998, with vegan and cruelty-free hair care. What was Umberto Giannini's vision, and why did you choose the natural path?
As a vegetarian from a very young age, once I connected the link between the food we eat and where it comes from, I could not ignore it. Our founder, an Italian, embraced all food types with passion; I think I was the first vegetarian he had met. After slowly educating him on the meat industry's problems and the no-go of animal testing on cosmetics, we committed to being vegan and cruelty-free, and there was no turning back. Hopefully, one day it will be mainstream, and we won't be talking about this topic.
Have you stuck with Umberto's vision for the brand?
One of Umberto's most exceptional talents was his eye for natural beauty. He saw beauty everywhere; I had never met a hairdresser who celebrated the natural texture of hair, and his haircuts even grew out with style. Once we started thinking about creating the haircare range, we wanted to give women products that would enhance the hair's natural texture, be easy to use, and smell amazing.
Our first ads embraced this, showing women with loose natural-looking styles, and skin near make-up free, something that just wasn't being done back then. This was an act of feminism, being attuned to women's power beyond how they look. These ads remain impactful today and embody the fundamental ethos of the brand.
If you want long, strong, healthy hair, it starts with a healthy scalp. The anti-pollution formula with caffeine and black coffee seed extract, sea salt, seaweed, algae, Irish moss. Along with vitamins and minerals, together these ingredients cleanse build-up from the scalp, helping these growth-promoting active ingredients absorb easily.
Umberto Giannini Grow Long Root Stimulating Shampoo, $25. Umberto Giannini Grow Long Hair Lengthening Conditioner, $25. Umberto Giannini Grow Scrub Scalp Scrub, $25. Umberto Giannini Grow Mask Hemp, Coconut & Shea Treatment, $25.
What are you most proud of since taking over the business?
Reinventing the brand to be relevant but ahead of the curve, leading the pack in mindfully made haircare that connects with women. Our first to market products, such as the Curl Jelly range, is a market leader. We have recently been awarded B Corp status, (certified B corporations are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose), an incredible achievement and accolade for the brand. We are immensely proud of this recognition. Our commitment to doing 'good business beautifully' has influenced our industry to be cleaner and greener and reach a stage where we no longer use animals to produce and test beauty products.
What does it take to be a B Corp rated business?
It takes lots of valuable work, even if you do not achieve certification. I defy any business owner not to find the process hugely beneficial and transformative on how they do business. It helps you apply deep thinking to your business, digging into every little corner of your structure and processes in response to the questions while challenging and innovative in your approach to age-old business techniques and cultures. The B Corp assessment process is a business health-check, of your company culture, designed to challenge you to be proud of your impact on people and our planet.
How hands-on are you in the business today?
I have the most fantastic team, which is only possible when you really understand your business and where you are going. Knowing your personal strengths and weaknesses is crucial. At the same time, I am very hands-on, where I add value. Brand vision and direction, new product development and ESG (environmental, social, and corporate governance). I hope to stay out of the business areas where others are far better than me at getting results.
Umberto Giannini No More Frizz Curl Serum, $25.
For the girl with curls, this serum will be your best friend. To smooth frizz post styling, there is nothing this vegan hair smoother won't improve when taming waves.
The curl range is a top seller, Did you create this range with your hair in mind?
I have super curly hair, so I have never had a comfortable relationship with hairdressers and products geared towards straightening it. When I met Umberto in my early 20's my waist-length curls pretty much looked after themselves. Umberto's Italian heritage meant that he was well versed in working with different hair textures and developed the curl range around the needs of my hair. The bestseller is the Curl Scrunching Jelly. Before this product, scrunch drying and air drying were not catered for, and retailers told us that there wasn't a big enough market for it. We knew women with curls were massively under-represented and would be super loyal customers to the right products, hence the Curl range is our biggest seller. This range comes with a super-engaged community that now take part in how we formulate new curl products, testing formulations during the development process.
The top-selling curl collection: Umberto Giannini Curl Scrunching Jelly, $25. New Umberto Giannini Curl Jelly Care De-Frizz Conditioner, $25. Umberto Giannini Creme de Curl Control Cream, $25. Umberto Giannini Curl Whip Mousse, $25.
How does the curl range work?
We have created products that solve problems. Having an in-depth understanding of hair types, thanks to our excellent salon teams' input, we formulate better products. Since the early days, we have expanded the range to cover all curl types, offering our following the ability to tailor-make their curl regime in all weather conditions for all style preferences. In terms of ingredients, performance is crucial. You can easily make clean and green vegan shampoo but trying and create a haircare range for individual hair types, at an affordable price? This comes from understanding hair and working closely with stylists and scientists to ensure every ingredient we use is necessary, hard-working and lives up to our ethical stance.
The Banana Butter is delicious; who came up with that innovation?
I had been investigating the nourishing powers of banana, experimenting with superfoods to conditioner the hair. I wanted a product that would de-frizz the hair without over-controlling it as some silicone-based products do. Luckily, our knowledge of bananas' power meant we realised that we were on to something special.
Umberto Giannini Banana Butter Leave-In Conditioner, $25
First up, this conditioner smells just like a fresh banana smoothie. A silicone-free repairing and moisturising leave-in conditioner, it is a wonder product for repairing, strengthening and fighting frizz in naturally curly but won't weigh it down.
What is your vision for the brand in the next ten years?
Simple to be the number one curl brand in the world. We know we have the best products for curly hair. We know that our brand ethos resonates with women worldwide, so all that is left is scaling up for the next phase of the brand's development. Even in these recent rocky financial times living with a global pandemic, we have achieved growth. We have learnt so much more about how to best reach and serve our community online.
We have an exciting time ahead for us as we launch in new countries, helping our consumers to have their best hair days every day.
Umberto Giannini More than Moisture Vegan Definition Cream, $25.
This new luxe-y vegan styling cream, not only hydrates dry, but curly hair it also helps protect and de-frizz naturally curly locks - genius
What are you most excited about in the hair industry?
Hairdressers have been recognised for their essential nature with recent lock-downs. Before the pandemic, the gig economy's growth and the rising costs of rents slowly killed the local salon concept. I hope that we will see a re-setting of industry standards, supported by local governments, so hairdressing will once again be recognised by young people as an inspiring and supportive industry. This global pandemic has seen people experimenting with products and styling techniques that they previously relied on their hairdresser for. DIY hair care has resulted in a thirst for education, guiding consumers to make informed choices for both themselves and the environment. I hope we will see more vegan, cruelty-free, and ESG led market development in this industry.