Founded in 2005, ESHK Hair began as a bold experiment in East London’s creative heart. Co-founders Fernando Lopez and Meg Liu wanted to carve out a space that celebrated individuality, community, and creativity. Two decades later, ESHK has expanded into Berlin, New York, and Toronto, yet the brand’s ethos remains rooted in authenticity and collaboration. To mark the 20th anniversary of ESHK Hair, we caught up with Fernando and Meg to talk about their journey, values, and what’s next.
What do you remember about those early days in Shoreditch when you first opened ESHK back in 2005, and how did that East London energy shape the brand?
It was the early days when Shoreditch’s creative scene was still developing. We thought it was a great time to do something to stand out, follow our own rules and we’re glad to have chosen the right location. We’re still absolutely loving being in the area, Shoreditch is a place that has always embraced and helped develop trends.
ESHK has grown from one salon into a multi-city brand. How did you manage to keep the same creative ethos while adapting to different cultures in Berlin, New York, and Toronto?
We believe the right energy attracts the right people. Whether it is our team members or our customers, we are just being ourselves. No pretending, no marketing, just us a bunch of creatives here doing something we love. We want each location to be a creative place where people feel welcome and looked after, that’s the main priority. Thanks to Miguel (ESHK Berlin), Takeo and Kaori (ESHK Brooklyn), George (ESHK Toronto) and Luigi (ESHK Bermondsey) for keeping ESHK true to its original roots and ethos.
The Berlin salons famously include a vinyl record store. How did music become such a central part of the ESHK identity?
If you love electronic music and want to be in the right scene in Europe, Berlin is the place. Music has always been an important part of ESHK. We have had lots of comments about our music taste and playlists since we started the journey in London. Expanding to Berlin was definitely the right choice. Big bonus having our 3rd partner Miguel in Berlin who has his own record label and knows the music industry so well. We were pretty confident we would do well there and are very proud of how the locations have grown.
From gender-neutral pricing to reiki and head spa treatments in Brooklyn, ESHK has always been ahead of the curve. How do you decide which innovations to introduce?
We listen to our community / clients and make sure we make changes that best serve them. Where we grew up there wasn’t any gender-related pricing; it made total sense to implement this in our salons and remove that barrier. Reiki and HeadSpa came with opening in Brooklyn, which we felt was a place for us to explore new things and bring a more calming space. Our customers are loving it. Credit to our Brooklyn partners Takeo and Kaori for their part of the local vision and introducing Reiki and Headspa to the business.
Twenty years in, what do you think has been the biggest shift in hairdressing culture, and how has ESHK responded to it?
We see different trends coming and going, bobs to mullets, crazy colours to plain tints… We realise no matter how the trend comes and fades, your own identity always stands central. The hairdressing culture is now proving that we should just be ourselves and be brave to do something different.
Your anniversary event in Shoreditch feels like a full-circle moment. What can guests expect, and what does this milestone mean to you personally?
In all honesty, more than it feeling like a specific milestone, we just want to celebrate, bring people together and have a good time. No stress, no presentation. We want to have a laugh with you, with our team, get to know our customers and people around us. It won’t be too much of a formal affair. However, we do have Michelin star chef Bogi to make us delicious bites and drinks, so do join us!
Collaboration seems to be at the heart of ESHK, from stylists to local communities. How important has that collective spirit been in your success?
We feel the community aspect is what makes your company grow, from a tight team to connecting with neighbouring stores. In Berlin for example, our flowers we display and wine we serve are from two other up and coming neighbouring businesses. We love that’s possible and we can support each other. Similary with the record store part, we make sure we’re involved in local events.
Looking ahead, where do you see ESHK Hair in the next decade—more salons, new concepts, or perhaps a completely unexpected direction?
We are very content with how ESHK is doing and believe in slow organic growth. London will see the introduction of a records section too in select salons. Maybe we’re not very business focused. We care a lot about our people first and make sure we have happy teams. We want to maintain top quality top services, we know that if our team is happy, we have more returning happy customers. That has always been our core aim. That said, we’re always open to the right opportunity with the right partner in the right place.