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INDIE OF THE MONTH F rate ll i H air SIOBHAN GODWOOD DISCOVERS WHY THIS FAMILY-RUN SALON IS A CUT ABOVE THE REST
business, too. “The ethos behind our salon is that we are a family,” says Joey. “When you describe a family, maybe you’ve got the crazy uncle, the quiet cousin, the one who’s not actually related but is always there anyway… that’s what Fratelli is like; everyone is unique and individual, but we’re a family all the same, and each person brings their own strengths to the table. We want every customer to feel welcome at Fratelli; everyone who works here has a lot of talent and a lot of experience, and we are always pushing the creative, innovative side of what we do.” In 2018, Fratelli became a gender- free salon, meaning that its pricing is based entirely on the time taken on an appointment, not on whether a customer is male or female. “Some women have short hair, some men have long hair, and it doesn’t seem right that women should be charged more simply because of their gender. We call it gender neutral, but a more accurate phrase is ‘equality pricing’. The price is based on you as an individual,” explains Joey.
was ready to take a chance on running a business. I gradually began to see that if we were going to do it, this was the perfect opportunity. So I decided to go for it, and it was the best decision I ever made.” The brothers completed on the building in October 2013, and opened two months later. Running a business with your brother has its ups and downs, admits Joey. “We’re hot-headed Italian brothers, and we shout at each other every five minutes,” he laughs. “But I love him dearly, and if there’s something Luigi’s passionate about, then I let him take the reins, and he does the same for me if there’s something that’s really important to me. And sometimes we meet in the middle. But one of the secrets of our success is that we also have Kathryn; she’s the scales, the one who keeps us balanced. I’ve known her for years, and she officially joined Fratelli a year after we opened, but she’s been there guiding us and helping us right from the start.” The rest of the team at Fratelli are hugely important to the success of the
or Joey Altomonte and his older brother Luigi, the idea of starting a hairdressing business together started with a family conversation around the dinner table at home in Cambridge. “Luigi said, ‘I want to do hairdressing,’ and I said, ‘Yeah, that sounds cool!’” recalls Joey. “Our dad said that if we were going to do it, we should go into it with the aim of running a business together. Our uncle is a barber who has his own shop in Cambridge, and our dad runs his own business in the city, too, so it seemed like a natural goal, although it was a while before it actually happened.” Both brothers started out working in London for a company called Jingles. Back in Cambridge, Joey worked at Toni & Guy for ten years while Luigi was at Al Couture, and Toni & Guy for seven years. One day, their dad spotted a salon on Mill Road, run by his neighbour, Ron, was up for sale. “Ron wanted to retire,” says Joey. “My dad reminded us of that conversation around the table 12 years previously. I said no to begin with; I was happy where I was. But Luigi, being two years older,
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