The Story of Toni & Guy

History has seen many pioneers. Innovators, geniuses and inventors. One such pioneer was on the verge of pursuing a field different to the one he eventually succeeded in. Toni Mascolo was an aspiring lawyer, who was forced to join his father’s business due to financial hardships. Over the next 50 years, the Italian was the business brain that took his father’s hairdressing shop, expanded it, and turned it into an international franchise brand. Toni & Guy, as we know it, is the international giant that Toni Mascolo moulded.

Toni, along with his brother, Guy, opened their first salon in Clapham, south London, in 1963. In the years that followed, the duo dropped around leaflets in the area to advertise their “Italian style”. It took the two another 10 years to get sufficient funds to make the move into central London.

During a period when traditional barbers were struggling to cope with elaborate demands by clients, Toni & Guy expanded into counties with the aim of providing quality haircare to clients everywhere.
The first Toni & Guy franchise was opened in Brighton in 1988. Within the next decade, they had 112 salons in England, and 27 salons abroad. And in the time since, the numbers have quadrupled.

Toni has been credited for pioneering the concept of ‘chains’ on such a large scale. Toni & Guy’s rapid expansion raised the bar for hairdressers around the globe.

To maintain quality in all outlets, Toni started an academy in London in 1984. This was accompanied by Toni’s foray into fashion and styling products.

The TIGI brand was launched in 1979, introducing products like branded gel, rollers and special scissors to the market. The products were designed to care for and support the needs of a hairdresser and their clients.

TIGI was later used by Anthony Mascolo, Toni’s brother, to build a business as a photographer. Anthony tailored hairdressing styles specifically for photographic shoots.

The next hurdle in the Toni & Guy journey was expanding into America. They had already released some training videos in the continent, but making the shift itself was a big task. Toni wrote about his experience in America as “They said we were the Beatles of hairdressing and they screamed and cheered so much, I think they meant it too.”

The inaugural Toni & Guy salon opened in London, in the Clapham Park Road in 1963. Now, after over half a century of unprecedented expansion, Toni & Guy has more than 500 salons all over the globe.

Even after the success, it remains at heart a family business, mixed with the spirit of family closeness and strength that is ingrained in every part of this extraordinary business.

In Vellore, Toni & Guy provides fashionable yet affordable hairdressing services, targeted at the students of the various academic institutions the town is home to.

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