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Kayla Can Cut It!

In January 2021 Christies Direct launched Can You Cut it? The 2021 Brand Ambassador search. The hope was to find someone that was not only a highly skilled groomer, with a wealth of breed and product knowledge, but also someone with passion for the industry, a friendly personality, and a positive can-do attitude.

Event Manager, Amy Donaghey said “We were overwhelmed with the initial response, and the number of fantastic applications is a testament to the grooming industry. Our judges had the task of selecting our finalists and it was not an easy one.”

From these applications the judges created a shortlist of 8 finalists who moved through to stage 2. During this stage, the finalists were asked to create some pieces of content to showcase their skills and product knowledge and share passion.

Amy said “The calibre of content from finalists was incredible and our judges, Michael Shiels, Colin Christie, and Lindy Harper read and re-read, watched and re-watched, but one name stood out.” And the company were delighted to announce Kayla Harrison, as their 2021 Brand Ambassador during their first live-streamed event - Unleashed Live on 11th March 2021.

So … Who is Kayla Harrison?

A young Kayla dreamed of one day becoming an international spy, but when it became clear she couldn’t do a front flip, she realised she’d need to explore another of her lifelong passions – animals. After achieving a whole host of distinctions while studying Animal Management, Behaviour and Welfare at college, Kayla went on to study dog grooming which is where she found her calling.

Kayla has now been grooming for over 10 years. She holds her OCN level 3 in grooming, has studied Pet First Aid, and has almost finished her ICMG qualification. In the future she hopes to complete her Level 4 teaching qualification and use her passion for grooming to inspire up-and-coming groomers in her own grooming school.

Kayla specialises in poodles and schnauzers but is an expert at handling challenging dogs in the salon. She loves creative grooming and her two standard poodles regularly model her talents. Kayla and her sister own two busy salons in Berkshire: ‘2 Left Paws’, and she recently featured on BBC One’s Pooch Perfect.

Along with her well-earned reputation as a top-class groomer, Kayla is also known for preparing and handling long-haired Briards at Crufts. Prepping a dog for a show like Crufts requires specific skills to ensure the coat is show ring ready, but not left fly-away before showing. She has prepped and handled dogs to podium positions in the Good Citizen Dog class, Veteran Bitch, and Post Graduate Bitch classes.

Marketing Director Lindy Harper commented “Kayla naturally and effortlessly talked to camera during her grooming demonstrations, sharing not only product recommendations, but how these products translated to time and money savings for groomers in the salon, and we know how important that is for our customers!” The judges all agreed that her content was educational and informative, but also fun and genuine.”

Christies Direct look forward to producing lots of content alongside Kayla and can’t wait until she can take to the main stage at one of their highly anticipated grooming expos!

Kayla Harrison Brand Ambassador for Christies Direct