Derek "Decutter" Clement

Derek ‘DeCutter’ Clement is an award-winning, internationally-renowned hairstylist whose career spans more than 40 years over three countries.

Born in Grenada in the ‘50s, he moved to London in the ‘60s to join his mother and siblings. His career started in 1976 at the iconic Splinters Hair Salon, in London’s Mayfair, owned by the legendary Winston Issacs. There, he styled many including celebrities such as Pearly Gates, Paul Boateng and Billy Ocean, and rapidly rose to the position of artistic director. In 1984, aged 24, he opened his own salons in London, laying the foundation for an afro haircare empire that continues to thrive, inspire and educate today.

He moved back to Grenada in the late ‘80s to raise his family and continue building on what he had started in London. This was followed by a move to New York where he remained for 15 years and managed one of P Diddy’s barbershops. In 2011, he returned to his old hometown of Acton in West London and opened a salon which was sadly accidentally burnt down in 2014. Though he continues with his premium hair styling skills, he has continued to demonstrate his entrepreneurial agility and flexibility, collaborating with leaders in the field including Rudi Page to relaunch, in 2019, the HairEx platform that celebrates the legends, pioneers and veterans of the afro hair industry; Rudi had previously showcased HairEx in 1986, 1988 and 1998. In 2019, Derek then launched the luxury haircare line, DEREK CLEMENT HAIRCARE SYSTEM, and in 2020, the men’s range of beard, scalp and skincare, K77.

One thing that Derek has always been passionate about is education, particularly for the younger generation to whom he will pass the baton to. He founded the Haircare & Barbering Skills Club to ensure that the afro hair & beauty sector will be in safe hands by 2050 through giving children and young people access to relevant skills and knowledge. The clubs are located in London, Birmingham and Manchester and use an innovative hybrid learning & skills system based on a recognised education curriculum pioneered by Hyacinth Jarrett. The system is designed to promote transferable 21st century skills for youth development.

In October 2020, he was featured on the Channel 4 documentary Hair Power: Me and My Afro. The Birth of Afrodom: Rise of a Pioneer in Afro Hair Care is his first book.