AsI sit down to write this Ed’s Letter – on Galentine’s Day, no less – looking through the interviews, collections and features in this issue there’s no denying that there’s a strong female lead. Personally, I’ve never been one to celebrate International Women’s Day (on 8 March), as I have a strong aversion to commercial, commodified feminism, but it feels different this year. There’s no denying the stats: 87% of the hair and beauty sector workforce is female*. Although this issue doesn’t exclusively feature the work of women, it does spotlight some of our industry's finest who also happen to be women. Sally Brooks writes our Voicenotes column, future talent Katie Mulcahy reveals her colour inspiration and on page 81 Sheila Abrahams MBE shares her journey in supporting the freelance market (which is a part of our industry that is overwhelmingly female).
Nowhere in this issue do we ask a woman that often-patronising question ‘can you have it all?’ In fact, we only ask men! Joking aside, in our HJ Debate we hear from Sam Burnett and Conor James Doyle on the steps they’re taking to re-address their work/life balance. Elsewhere there’s a theme of considerate business and soft power. We take a look at the sustainable lengths the Arkive salon has gone to on page 78 and showcase Tracey Ann Smith’s strong, but undeniably feminine, back catalogue of work.