Umberto Giannini: the Birmingham haircare brand that took curls global

Plenty of beauty brands claim a story, but few have one quite like Umberto Giannini. Now headquartered in Birmingham, the haircare company grew out of the talent of hairdresser Umberto Giannini, who opened his first salon in his home town of Kidderminster in 1990 before adding salons across the Midlands.

Umberto became the youngest hairdresser to win British Hairdresser of the Year, in 1999. His professional and life partner, Claire Shread, co-founded the consumer haircare brand with him in 1998, and today the late stylist's name lives on in bathrooms around the world.

The brand has become known for an approach Claire once summed up neatly: "It was democratic beauty, and I have a personal dislike of making something more expensive than it needs to be."

Its products are vegan and cruelty-free, and the company achieved B Corp status in 2021. By 2022, 83 per cent of its products used sustainable packaging, an increase of 66 per cent since 2020.

Curly hair is where Umberto Giannini really shines. Its curly range has made up more than half of the business, and its Curl Jelly became Boots' bestselling curl product, with Claire telling Beauty Independent: "We sell one every 23 seconds."

The brand has also taken Birmingham know-how overseas. In February 2021 it launched in the United States exclusively at Target, with its colour products arriving in hundreds of stores. Claire has spoken proudly about manufacturing at home, saying: "We see being made in the U.K. as a big plus."

Today Umberto Giannini sells in 15 countries and is stocked by UK retailers including Boots, Ocado and Look Fantastic, as well as online.

It is a lovely example of a West Midlands salon story that grew into an international brand, built on accessible prices, kinder formulas and a genuine love of hair. To explore the range, including the famous curl products, visit the Umberto Giannini website.