After successfully launching three growing salons in South London, the brothers realized the need to build a strong team to support the business’s expansion, instilling a shared philosophy and training them in the new, fashion-inspired techniques they were creating. However, South London presented a challenge in recruiting ambitious staff or getting their work featured in publications willing to showcase the photographic work they were beginning to produce.

Finding a location in the West End was no easy task for two young Italian hairdressers without financial backing, but the brothers knew this was the step they had to take. Their first salon in central London opened in 1973, marking a significant turning point for the TONI&GUY brand. The sudden media interest in the Mascolo brothers’ work allowed them to diversify their talents.

While Toni and Guy remained at the salon, building a financially sound business, Bruno and Anthony (the younger brother) joined them to promote the TONI&GUY name, focusing on photo shoots and magazine collaborations. The brothers’ refusal to blindly follow trends and techniques gave their work a unique touch. Offering clients an alternative to the geometric cuts that were revolutionizing hairdressing at the time, the brothers proposed a more commercial, feminine approach, styling hair with round brushes for a softer finish.

Within two years, the Mayfair salon was packed. The original Clapham salon was sold to finance the massive expansion needed to meet demand, and Toni returned to the West End to join his brothers: TONI&GUY had become a landmark salon.

The brothers’ “fresh approach” to cutting and styling hair became something other hairdressers wanted to learn, while their shared talent for working with long hair continued to inspire their colleagues in the industry. For the first time, the TONI&GUY artistic team, which included the young stylist Pat Stokes (who would later go by Mascolo after marrying Anthony in 1986), began giving seminars and presentations to large audiences, traveling the world. Always pioneers, the brothers saw the potential in recording these live experiences and released a series of educational videos for other hairdressers to learn from, along with the tools needed to recreate the looks of the era.

Working with long hair continued to dominate these exhibitions, and thanks to innovations in new products like gel, it evolved into avant-garde hairstyles. This became increasingly complex and required a whole range of products to support the team’s creativity. This is how the brothers saw another opportunity for expansion: creating a line of hair products that would allow them to recreate these looks.

In late 1979, the brothers created the TIGI brand. TIGI gel was the first of many products launched, closely followed by TIGI curlers and TIGI scissors. Education was expanding rapidly, and the TONI&GUY video library continued to support the artistic team’s training, reinforcing the Mascolo brothers’ strong commitment to education. In 1982, a second salon opened in London, in Sloane Square, Chelsea, and in 1984, the first educational base, an academy dedicated exclusively to training, opened in St. Christopher’s Place, London. In 1985, Bruno moved to the United States to establish a headquarters in Dallas, Texas, with the aim of developing the brand’s presence in that country.

The UK operation continued to grow, and in the late 1980s, Toni took a pioneering step by introducing the franchise system. Driven by a desire to retain exceptional employees within the company, Toni offered trusted hairdressers the opportunity to own their own salon while maintaining the security of remaining with TONI&GUY. It was the first hairdressing company to expand in this way, and by the end of the decade, Toni had opened salons in Twickenham (Surrey), Brighton (East Sussex), and Guildford (Surrey).

Anthony and his wife Pat continued to develop creatively; during the 1980s, Anthony ventured into photography, where he began to document his own work. In addition to working solely in front of the camera, he now also worked behind it, and the results appeared in numerous magazines, while Pat wrote and edited the TONI&GUY books. Their groundbreaking and experimental approach led them to explore new horizons, earning them considerable critical acclaim.

By the end of the decade, Anthony had won the titles of London Hairdresser of the Year, Cutting Edge Hairdressing, and British Hairdresser of the Year, while the artistic team twice won the award for Best British Artistic Team at the newly established British Hairdressing Awards. TONI&GUY was experiencing a creative boom, and business was thriving.

Anthony and the TONI&GUY artistic team’s successes at the British Hairdressing Awards in the mid-1980s provided a significant motivational boost for the company, and TONI&GUY’s media presence continued to grow. This success was further reinforced when the TONI&GUY artistic team won the “Artistic Team of the Year” award eight times during the 1990s, an unprecedented feat.

This was a period of significant growth. Thanks to Toni’s successful franchise program, the brand expanded rapidly both in the UK and internationally, with many employees seizing the opportunity to open their own salons under the TONI&GUY brand. By the end of the 1990s, Toni had opened 112 additional salons in the UK and 27 abroad. Meanwhile, in the US, Guy joined Bruno, and together they continued to expand the salon network, opening their own locations in Texas.

To meet the growing demand for training, both internal and external, the artistic team also expanded. This growth reinforced the brothers’ belief in the importance of communication and teamwork. Furthermore, the company continued to produce an annual collection developed by leading international Artistic Directors to ensure consistency in TONI&GUY’s techniques and philosophies across the rapidly expanding network. Meanwhile, the TIGI product line continued to expand and gained recognition for the quality of its products wherever distributors were appointed. Sacha’s exceptional talent was recognized at a young age when, in 1991, he won the “Newcomer of the Year” award at the British Hairdressing Awards at just 19 years old. At the end of the decade, Sacha also achieved the title of “London Hairdresser of the Year” in 1999, at the same time that the now Global Creative Director, Cos Sakkas, won the Newcomer of the Year award for the first time. Sacha’s creativity led her to delve into the world of session styling, working with various photographers, including iconic names like David Bailey and Rankin, as well as participating in fashion weeks in New York, London, Paris, and Milan. This unique experience in the fashion industry significantly influenced the future direction of TONI&GUY.

With the aim of creating a solid business foundation for his children, Toni launched the essensuals hairdressing brand in 1997. With Sacha at the creative helm, supported by his brother Christian, who focused on the business side, the “essensuals” concept expanded and added to Toni’s ever-growing network. In just two years, more than 50 salons opened, making “essensuals” the fastest-growing business Toni had launched up to that point.

In the decade in which the company celebrated its fortieth anniversary, the split between the four brothers occurred, separating TONI&GUY USA and TIGI globally (managed by Guy, Bruno and Anthony) from TONI&GUY globally (except the Americas), managed by Toni, Sacha and Christian; this marked a new and exciting direction for each of the brands.

For TONI&GUY globally, Sacha Mascolo-Tarbuck, in her role as Global Creative Director, brought a dynamic approach and a significant change of direction, placing fashion at the forefront of the brand’s identity. In 2004, the landmark decision to become an “official partner of London Fashion Week” was made, further reinforcing the focus on fashion and inextricably linking TONI&GUY to the fashion industry.

Sacha’s editorial vision also dramatically transformed the brand’s image, as he began to artistically direct all advertising and display campaigns for TONI&GUY, label.m, essensuals. Following the split from TIGI, Toni and Sacha saw the need to create a professional product line to support the fashion-inspired techniques the team was developing. Working closely with his father, Sacha spearheaded product development and design for the professional care line label.m, launched in 2005.

This decade also saw the launch of the first range of consumer hair care products under the TONI&GUY brand, designed and developed by Sacha Mascolo-Tarbuck, and which, by the end of the decade, was already being marketed worldwide.

In 2002, Sacha’s husband, James Tarbuck, joined the company as Global Brand Director and, that same year, launched TONI&GUY.TV. A digital network within salons, TONI&GUY.TV was the first of its kind in the UK and was quickly followed by the launch of an award-winning consumer magazine of the same name, all designed to enhance the customer experience.

During the 2000s, Toni continued to expand the salon business, increasing TONI&GUY’s global presence and entering new markets. This period also saw Toni awarded the title of Cavaliere Ufficiale (Italian decoration) in Italy and an honorary Order of the British Empire (OBE) in England for his services to the hairdressing industry.

The brand also received two of its most important accolades to date: the Superbrand and Coolbrand designations, a true tribute to TONI&GUY’s ability to maintain innovation while preserving the trust and affection of the British public.

TONI&GUY further strengthened its credibility in the fashion world through its collaboration with the British Fashion Council, which continued to grow over the years. 2010 marked another milestone in the world of hairstyling when Sacha Mascolo-Tarbuck and her husband, James Tarbuck, joined the British Fashion Council for the Vogue Fashion Fund. That same year, Sacha and her team collaborated with British designers in both Paris and New York. TONI&GUY began forging exclusive partnerships with leading British design talents such as William Tempest, Giles Deacon, Todd Lynn, and Jean-Pierre Braganza.

These unique relationships led to collaborations for the professional product brand label.m, which benefited from several partnerships with designers. In 2011, TONI&GUY became an official sponsor of the British Fashion Awards, further solidifying its position in the fashion industry.

Despite a challenging economic environment, Toni Mascolo continued to expand the salon network, adding new territories to the brand’s global presence, and received further awards for his unique leadership style, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Fellowship of British Hairdressing.

The TONI&GUY artistic team, led by Sacha Mascolo-Tarbuck, continued to push the boundaries creatively, launching fashion-focused campaigns that appeared in leading beauty and fashion publications. Training an average of 100,000 hairdressers annually, TONI&GUY’s International Artistic Directors continued to set new standards in hairdressing, dominating cutting-edge hairdressing awards and styling more shows at London Fashion Week than any other session team. They also launched the updated Future Foundation collection.

The brand’s ongoing digitalization, spearheaded by James Tarbuck, has brought many innovations and industry firsts. With the global expansion of TONI&GUY.TV, the digital magazine, the TONI&GUY mobile app, the online store, free Wi-Fi in salons, and the option to access training through digital downloads, TONI&GUY continues to embrace new technologies to connect with both hairdressers and consumers.

In 2013, label.m received the highest recognition in the fashion world when it became the “Official Haircare Product of London Fashion Week,” a landmark achievement for the British Fashion Council and the hairdressing industry. This accomplishment, along with numerous collaborations with key British designers, reaffirmed TONI&GUY’s position as the haircare brand most closely linked to fashion. Towards the end of the decade, the TONI&GUY family suffered the heartbreaking loss of its founder, Toni, who left behind an unparalleled legacy. He was a phenomenal and humble man, a true inspiration to the entire TONI&GUY family.

Despite the tragic loss of Toni and Guy, the company has not lost the legacy and values they both created. As the new decade began, it celebrated 15 years of LABEL.M and a decade of collaborations with designers, including iconic names such as Giles Deacon, Pam Hogg, House of Holland, Mary Katrantzou, and many more.

The year 2020 proved pivotal, as the entire company came together and became a true TONI&GUY and LABEL.M family—working as a team and supporting one another during the global pandemic, a time when so many businesses were impacted. The brand emerged stronger and better than ever in terms of impact, training, business models, products, and profitability across the group.

The start of the new decade marks a digital era, driven by the launch of the TONI&GUY Digital Academy and The Learning Hub, which offer online training from our world-renowned Global Academy educators.

None of this would have been possible without the company’s incredible teams and partners in the UK and around the world. In 2022, the entire LABEL.M range was relaunched, showcasing a modern legacy. LABEL.M is an innovative and environmentally conscious professional haircare line that has set the highest standards.

TONI&GUY continues to be recognized. Over the decades, the TONI&GUY Global Artistic Team has accumulated more than 85 British Hairdressing Awards and more than 150 Global Hairdressing Awards, making it the most awarded team in the history of British hairdressing.

A key part of its heritage and success is due to the Global Education Team and the extraordinary standards set by the talented and motivating Global Creative Director, Cos Sakkas, a member of the TONI&GUY family for more than 30 years.

One of the highlights of 2023 is that Cos Sakkas simultaneously holds the titles of British Hairdresser of the Year, International Hairdresser of the Year, and Fellowship Hairdresser of the Year. He is the first person in history to achieve all three prestigious awards at once. In 2023, Toni Mascolo’s success remains evident as TONI&GUY celebrates its 60th anniversary, an incredible legacy, and a global empire with more than 780 TONI&GUY and essensuals salons in 38 countries.