Meet Our Team
Valerie
Salon Owner & Technical director
Having initially qualified as a hairdresser at North Highland College, I started my own business and began my own mobile hairdressing service along the north Coast of Sutherland and Caithness. After a good few hundred miles and many years of offering my hairstyling service to the people of our community in the comfort of their own homes, I decided to try pastures new.
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When training with Toni and Guy in Manchester I became even more inspired and excited by the opportunities to combine fashion, art & style through hair. Achieving my Vardering Diploma from Toni and Guy in Manchester, I went on to take on leading roles in their salons in Harrogate and latterly Inverness.
The experiences I enjoyed while working in these busy salons and running my own initial mobile hairdressing business gave me the confidence, skills and inspiration to plan and develop the opening of my own Salon here in Golspie.
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Identity opened its doors in September 2012 following quite a few months of planning, a lot of elbow grease and thanks to my partner Trevor’s many handy skills, the most important of these……. just doing what he’s told and not asking too many questions! (hahahaha)
With over 25 years of experience as a hairstylist I am still passionate about creating a completely personal experience for each of my clients. I enjoy the consultation process as much as the styling and endeavor to provide a service for my clients which not only meets their styling requirements but also takes their health and wellbeing in to account.
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After all these years, although my speciality is cutting and styling hair, I offer and enjoy all aspects of hairdressing equally, including gents cutting & fading techniques.
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I take great pride in sharing my skills and experience with the younger members of staff in the salon. It gives me great energy to watch them gain confidence in the skills they are learning and to see them develop as hairdressers in their own right.
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I provide access to training for all salon staff, arranging for attendance at training courses in southern salons as well as offering in-salon workshops with visiting experts in the hairdressing field. My aim is that these opportunities will increase the skill set of all staff as well as keeping us all motivated and to the forefront of current trends and styles.
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A huge achievement for me as salon owner, was having Identity nominated by Toni & Guy, to audition for London Fashion week. We were very proud and excited when my chosen stylist Chloe McLay qualified and we are now enrolled on the London Fashion Week session team. The buzz & excitement from working backstage with top hairstylists, makeup artists, designers, models, and photographers was an inspirational and very positive experience. It had a great impact on all our salon staff. I am very proud of all the experiences I have had with Toni & Guy and proud to have been accepted as a concept Salon where I can encourage and promote their educational courses & professional products.
However, Identity would not be the salon it is without all the valuable support from our local community and our loyal clients and I am eternally grateful for all the encouragement, kindness, and loyalty showed to us over the years since we opened in Golspie.
Eilidh
Senior Stylist
Working self-employed as a chair renter here at Identity since 2007 with over 15 years experience in Hairdressing, qualified in 2006.
I love Colouring & Bridal hair, and all aspects of Hairdressing. Recently redone Hair extensions courses and excited to be able to offer this service in the Salon. I love working at Identity with a great atmosphere, between clients and the team, also working with high-quality products such as Label m & Wella. The best part of my job is making my clients smile after their service with me.
Chloe
Stylist
Chloe started in the hairdressing industry in 2013, she worked after school and Saturdays. Chloe went on to do an apprenticeship with Valerie at Identity and attended Inverness UHI once a week.
Since starting she has completed courses and achieved certificates at the Toni & Guy Academy in Edinburgh. She has also worked backstage at London Fashion Week and is now a part of the session team where she is eligible to work there every year.
Chloes passion is creative hair ups and enjoys a variety of cutting and loves her job because I like to make my clients happy and feel good, prompting health and well being.
Rachel
Graduate Stylist.
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I would describe myself as quite a bubbly and chatty person, I love being apart of a team and getting to learn new things every day.
I love to be pushed to my best, I’m very much a perfectionist in that way. I give 100% to all my work and want it to be the best it can be.
Fashion and art are big things in my life and to be able to look at an image and recreate it into a hairstyle gives me such a buzz.
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Hairdressing to me isn’t just cutting and colouring someone’s hair. It’s taking each client and giving them confidence and happiness through there hair.