How Hayden Cassidy Went From Football Hopeful To Dior’s First Female Barber

“Football – or soccer, whatever you want to call it – was my passion my whole life,” Hayden Cassidy tells me. Dior Beauty UK’s grooming expert is dialling in from the barbershop she now owns in east London, just a stone’s throw from London Fields.

It’s the culmination of years of work, hours spent in barbershops and plying her trade around the world, though as she says, being a barber is a long way from the future she imagined for herself growing up. “I went to Georgia on a football scholarship; becoming a professional footballer was my goal. I didn’t get my hair done or spend time in salons. I just liked being out and being active.”

So, what changed? How did Cassidy go from aspiring footballer with her sights set on America to becoming one of the most interesting players on London’s grooming scene? British Vogue sat down with her to find out.

Tell us about life after football.

After my injury – a broken leg – I had to come home and, honestly, I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I knew I liked to travel. I knew I liked to be creative, whether it was music, art or fashion, but I didn’t have a light bulb moment of finding the “thing”. Initially, I thought I wanted to be a teacher, but then a friend turned to me and said, “Why don’t you become a barber?”

So, that was the beginning of everything?

Well, he was a barber at the time and he said to me, “If you can learn to cut hair, you can take your trade anywhere in the world – you’ll always have a job and you can travel wherever you want.” It was those three things that made me think it seemed pretty cool: travelling, being self-sufficient, and having my independence.

What were those early days like?

People see the glamorous side of barbering now – educating other stylists, travelling the world and cutting celebrities’ hair. But you start as an apprentice sweeping floors. I’ve been working since the age of 14, so I’ve always had that graft. I didn’t mind being the first one into the barbershop or the last one out. I’m still like that.

Have barbershops changed since you started?

I was lucky, because when I started, about 12 years ago, there was a shift happening. Getting a haircut had always been a chore and barbershops were just a get-in, get-out job. But when I began, in Dublin, barbershops were becoming trendy and cool. People were hanging out in them and I loved the chatter and the music.