A Welsh-speaking entrepreneur from Criccieth has secured partnerships with five of the UK's best-known retailers after transforming a business that began in his bedroom into one of Britain's fastest-growing hair loss brands.
Jamie Shepherd, 38, who grew up in Criccieth and attended Ysgol Eifionydd, has announced that Hair Guru London is now stocked by Debenhams, Dorothy Perkins, Wallis, Coast and Oasis.
The latest milestone comes after Jamie founded the company following his own experience with hair loss and frustration with the products already available. What started as a small bedroom business has since grown into a nationally recognised brand, serving more than 40,000 customers and becoming the UK's highest-rated hair fibre brand, with more than 1,000 reviews averaging 4.8 stars..
Jamie said the partnerships are a moment he never imagined growing up in North Wales.
“If you'd told me as a kid growing up in Criccieth that one day a business I'd started in my bedroom would be stocked by five major British retailers, I genuinely wouldn't have believed you.
“These are brands I've known all my life. I remember my mum taking me to most of them in Bangor as a child. To see Hair Guru London sitting alongside them is one of those moments where you have to stop and take it all in.”
The idea for Hair Guru London came from Jamie's own struggle with hair loss. After spending years trying products that failed to give him the natural look he wanted, he decided to develop his own alternative using cotton fibres instead of the keratin traditionally used throughout the industry.
“Hair loss has a huge impact on confidence, and I experienced that first-hand. I remember looking in the mirror and thinking there had to be a better solution than what was already on the market.
“Hair Guru London wasn't born from a business plan. It came from a personal frustration and a determination to build the product I wished I'd found years earlier.”
Before launching Hair Guru London full time, Jamie spent more than a decade living in London, building a career in television with ITV and the BBC.
However, a serious scooter accident forced him to step away from the industry and reassess what came next.
“At the time it felt like my world had been turned upside down. Looking back now, it was the moment that pushed me to give Hair Guru my full attention.
“Sometimes the biggest setbacks end up taking you exactly where you're supposed to be.”
Today Jamie runs Hair Guru London from Bali, leading a remote team while continuing to build a British business focused on customers across the UK.
“People often think you need a big office in London to build a successful British company, but that's simply not true anymore.
“I grew up in Criccieth, built my career in London, and today I'm growing Hair Guru London from Bali. Technology has changed what's possible, but our customers, our fulfilment and our focus have always remained in Britain.”
Despite now living more than 7,500 miles away, Jamie says his Welsh roots continue to shape both him and the business.
“I'm incredibly proud to be from Criccieth and proud to be Welsh. Growing up there taught me resilience, hard work and the importance of getting on with things.”
The five retail partnerships represent the biggest milestone in Hair Guru London's history to date, but Jamie believes they are only the beginning.
“This feels like the start of a completely new chapter.
“To go from packing orders in my bedroom to seeing Hair Guru London launch with Debenhams, Dorothy Perkins, Wallis, Coast and Oasis is something I'll never take for granted.
“If there's one thing I hope people take from my story, it's that where you grow up doesn't define where you can end up. Big ideas can come from anywhere, including a bedroom in North Wales.”
Hair Guru London continues to expand across the UK, Europe and the United States while developing new products designed to help people experiencing hair loss regain their confidence.
