The History of Wella
Wella is Germany's largest and the world's second largest producer of hairdressing products for home and professional use. Its beginnings date back to 1880 when, at the age of 26, Franz Ströher, the grand and great grandfather of today's generations of owners, founded a company, Franz Ströher-Rothenkirchen, for the production and distribution of artificial hair, then very much in vogue.
Ströher's years spent as an apprentice hairdresser in Germany, Holland, Switzerland and, above all, France, proved invaluable in his new business. After initial difficulties with the development of new production methods he found a material in England that could be used to make wigs, with the aid of a waterproofing technique that he developed himself. By the turn of the century this product, known as 'Tüllemoid waterproof', had become a considerable success and in 1904 a larger manufacturing plant was built in Rothenkirchen.
In the 1920s, as a result of changing fashions Karl and Georg Ströher, sons of Franz Ströher who laid the foundations for the Wella Enterprise, had turned from their father's original business as a manufacturer of hairpieces and wigs to the new skills of permanent waving, and launched the world's first pointwind permanent waving system.
The Wella Junior Pointwind Machine, successor to the Chandelier was imported into the UK in 1935. It firmly established the then unique system of pointwinding which is based on winding the hair from points to roots instead of from roots to points and is still the universally recognised technique for all forms of hair waving.
The Wella Junior cost the hairdresser £49.10s and the cost of a perm was usually between 10/6d and 15/-d (52p-75p). But the Wella Junior claimed a perm that lasted nine months instead of six and was sold on the slogan, 'The only way to get these waves out is to grow them out'.
In 1946, Wella Rapid moved back to Eden Street. The demand for Wella Rapid's established products grew.
The popularity of the Wella Junior with hairdressers and their customers alike led to the opening of a branch in Leeds to look after the needs of the northern part of the country.
Due to the outbreak of war in 1939, the factory was given over to the manufacture of aircraft components.
Koleston, which was the first ever cream hair colour, was researched and developed in Germany and then launched in Britain in 1955. The colouring boom brought with it the need for many hairdressing assistants to be trained. Teach and sell became the order of the day and in 1955 a showroom and tuition centre was opened in the Euston Road close to Warren Street tube station in what had been a Lyon's tea shop. Leeds also started courses followed by Glasgow, Liverpool and later Birmingham, Bristol, Newcastle and St. Ives.
At the end of the 50s there was an event which was to prove of immense significance to the development of Wella in the UK.
A young man opened a salon in Bond Street in 1950. He was to take the world by storm with his new, dramatic, yet relaxed approach to cutting hair. His name was Vidal Sassoon. His sharp, beautiful shapes the vitality of his cuts which showed off colour so well, the way he created free styles for all ages made a tremendous impact. Hairdressers either loved or hated his work. Some of the sages within the craft said the look would never catch on.
The introduction of "Tailored Curl" a revolutionary concept linked to the technique of permanent waving. Instead of dividing the hair into nine sections Tailored Curl allowed hairdressers to place the curlers in the way they wished the hair to fall when setting, thus getting away from old traditions.
In 1972, Wella was the first major manufacturer to introduce a blow dry lotion. The original product was 'Hair' but is now known as 'Inform'.
In 1975 System Professional a range of hair and scalp treatments for the exclusive use of hairdressers was introduced. One of the first systems to be based on client hair and scalp diagnosis.
New Distribution Centre
To support ever expanding sales during the late 80s and the early years of the present decade an impressive new Southern Distribution Centre was opened in Basingstoke in 1986 with 55,000 square feet of space. Improved equipment and working methods greatly increased the tonnage that could be handled. A high bay section with a semi-automatic system stacks pallets over 30ft high so that over 6,000 pallets can be accommodated, nearly three times the capacity of the previous depot.
The assembly of small orders is carried out from a new system of carton 'livestorage' whereby stock is fed into the back and travels to the picking gate at the front. As the stock is picked the picking position is automatically replenished by stock moving forward.
Alternative Hair Show
In 1992 Wella celebrated a ten year association with the Alternative Hair Show, which had raised over £50,000 for the Leukaemia Research Fund. Throughout that time, the company has sponsored this annual event which takes place over two evenings. With its unique blend of fascinating entertainment and dedicated fundraising, it has become one of the premier events in the hairdressing calendar.
In Partnership With Hairdressers
In June 1992 Wella opened a brand new flagship studio in London as part of a £3 million investment programme in educational training for the hairdressing industry. Under the umbrella of Partnership Service, all aspects of the business of hairdressing are covered whether it be technical, management, masterclass events with leading hairdressers or seminars. Wella UK's huge investment in training and development continues today with studios in Manchester and London.
Product research and development by our parent company in Germany continues to play an important role in keeping Wella as the leaders in professional hair care worldwide. Koleston Perfect was launched in the UK as part of a worldwide project and continues to dominate the professional cream colourant market. Innovation also plays a part and Headlines, a new concept for giving volume and movement to fine hair was introduced. Perform Hairscan, with a formula that takes into account variations in the hair structure, revolutionised the permanent wave market.
Care continues to be a key word at Wella but not just hair care. Throughout the '90s Wella has supported a wide number of community projects in its 'home town' Basingstoke, seen the sponsorship of the Alternative Hair Show worldwide bring in millions to the Leukaemia Research Fund and in 2003 was the official hair partner for Comic Relief's Red Nose Day.
Also in 2003, the Wella AG family shareholders announced that they had signed an agreement with Procter & Gamble which gave P&G a controlling share majority in Wella. The two companies continue to work together to realise Wella and its brands' full potential.
Wella Hair Care Products and Equipment for sale online at JC Regali
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