A HAIRDRESSER who cut hair for the stars - including the likes of Vera Lynn and Shane Warne - has been honoured at a memorial service.
Hairdressing superstar Trevor Mitchell took Southampton by storm with his scissor skills, with a career spanning more than four decades.
He opened a number of salons in and around Southampton and had many accolades to his name, including 74 gold medals as a world champion hairdresser - and a Guinness World Record.
Trevor died aged 85 in June 2020 after suffering with dementia.
As his funeral was held in the midst of Covid-19 restrictions, his family decided to give him the send-off he deserved on Sunday at Southampton City Art Gallery.
Trevor’s eldest son Jeff Mitchell, 61, said: “Dad was not from Southampton but when he came here, he basically adopted Southampton, and Southampton him.
“When he got into doing hairdressing competitions, which is how he made his name, they were held in the Guildhall.
“So, we decided to hold the memorial in that building for that reason and because it’s in the heart of the city."
'Rock of our family'
Trevor began his barbering and hairdressing journey in 1952 whilst he was in the Army.
Although he could not read or write due to dyslexia, Trevor worked hard and made a name for himself.
Jeff said: “Dad opened his first shop in Woolston and had one customer on his first day, then none on his second, but dad was always good at fighting adversity.
“At one point he had over 10 shops in the Southampton and Romsey area. He spent most of his time in his salon in Hanover Buildings.
“His real success, in terms of finance, was in the 1970s and 1980s. He did lots of hairdressing shows around the world and he was even headhunted by the Russian and Japanese national teams who he trained.
“He was the rock of our family.”
'He did so much for the city'
Around 100 people attended the memorial service, including former footballers and clients Mick Channon and Kevin Keegan.
Also among the attendees was friend and former Daily Echo reporter, Graham Hiley.
Graham said: “Trevor did so much for the city and is so well known. Many years ago he provided wigs to children going through cancer treatment.
“One day he visited the hospital and one young girl was being fitted for quite a cheap wig.
“Trevor said ‘I am not having that’ and he went to one of his suppliers and paid £200 for a new wig for her himself.
“That’s what people didn’t see about him. For all those celebrity haircuts he did, deep down that was what he was like.”
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