Hairdresser to the stars Jaye Edwards opens up on motor neuron disease

He’s a trusted hairdresser to the stars and lives life to the full after recently losing his father and sister to motor neurone disease, which he knows will claim him too.

When Jaye Edwards opened his first hair dressing salon at just 23 years old, he “never would have imagined” the success he has had, which has seen him become the star to celebrities.

Some of the country’s biggest names trust him not only for his talent and signature colouring, but as a loyal friend they can trust with opening their lives up to.

Confidentiality is important to Edwards, perhaps the reason why his client book includes the likes of Lara Worthington – a lsong term client – Mia Freedman, actress Liana Cornell and Bree McCann.

Lara Worthington is one of Jaye Edwards’ clients. Picture: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images

Edwards, now 31, often flies interstate to visit celebrity clients inside their homes to work around their busy schedules and protect their privacy.

With star power behind him, and a bevy of loyal clients, Edwards’ success has transformed to him owning eight EdwardsAndCo salons across Australia, an empire which has employed roughly 150 people.

But his success hasn’t come without extraordinary loss.

His personal philosophy is to live life unapologetically, a skill he has learned to do fairly recently after losing his father and sister to Motor Neuron Disease – a cruel condition doctors have told him he will also develop at some stage in his life.

Jaye Edwards of Edwards and Co. Picture: Simon Fitzpatrick

But there isn’t room for sympathy, and Edwards himself has said he doesn’t want people to feel sorry for him.

Instead, he channels his energy into leaving behind a strong legacy, which is his passion and business, Edwards and Co.

Nestled in Brisbane’s trendiest location adjacent from luxe hotel The Calile, Edwards’ uber popular salon sits.

His James St salon has become a hub for Brisbane models and influencers, including Cartia Mallan, Abbie Chatfield, Lily Brown and Isabelle Mathers.

Cartia Mallan is one of Edwards’s clients. Picture by Damian Shaw

“My career goal evolved over time when my dad and my sister passed away from Motor Neuron Disease,” Edwards says.

“It became about leaving something behind and making sure I would be remembered for something good.

“I think that’s been my driving cause now for the last three years.”

Edwards has inherited a defective gene for MND, and it is the unfortunate reality the gene will become active at an unknown point in his life.

Edwards counts model Isabelle Mathers as one of his clients.

Motor neurone disease affects the nerves that communicate between the brain and the muscle, making it difficult for sufferers to move and – over time – speak, swallow and breathe.

There is no known cure and no effective treatment. Tragically, the average life expectancy after diagnosis is two to three years.

It is the disease which claimed the lives of his dad, Dean Edwards and sister, Skye Edwards, who was just 25-years-old. They both died only six months after they were diagnosed with MND.

He has said in the past he never wants people to feel sorry for him, that it “pisses him off”, but the disease has taught him one thing, life is too short to not take risks.

“I was divorced about two years ago, I left my husband and now I’ve left someone else as well…so it’s made me live unapologetically,” he says.

Edwards lost his father and a sister to motor neurone disease. Jaye has also inherited the same gene, meaning he too is at risk of falling ill. Picture: Richard Dobson

“I don’t regret doing any of that, I may have hurt people along the way and that sucks, but I just make sure I make the right decisions that make me happy.

“I honestly think more people need to be like that.”

Edwards paints a fierce picture of himself - a man who has endured incredible lows and increasingly sensational highs.

Risk-taking has been the other hallmark of Edwards’ success.

It’s this risk-versus-reward mentality that he believes has made his no-apologies lifestyle easier.

“From my work perspective it just makes risk taking so much easier because at the end of the day if you don’t take the risk you won’t get the reward,” he says.

“And if you do take the risk and it falls flat – like it has before – you just pick yourself up and try again.”

Along the way, Edwards has managed to make plenty of the right decisions for his business and “never would have imagined” he’d have the success he has now when he was a 15-year-old runaway.

Hairdresser Jaye Edwards with his family. His sister Skye (purple hair left) and father, Dean, have both died of MND. Jaye has the gene for the illness. Picture: Chontelle Perrin

Growing up in Young, NSW – a regional town with a population of just over 7,000 people where he went to Young Primary and High School – Edwards dreamt of what it would be like to make a new life for himself, so he made it happen.

“I wanted to escape the monotony of life on the fringes,” he said.

“I honestly had no idea what I was going to do, but I knew that there was more waiting for me in the city.”

He moved to Sydney at 15-years-old, and had “no idea” what to do and needed a job, so he landed an apprenticeship in hairdressing.

“When I first started my apprenticeship, I hated hairdressing. I really, really hated it,” he says.

After about four years of the daily hairdressing grind, Edwards finally found his love for it – mostly because he realised it was something he excelled in.

As a kid bullied in school, Edwards had fallen in love with making others feel beautiful.

“During my school life I was bullied a lot,” he says.

“It does take quite a toll on your emotional wellbeing, and I think when I started to enjoy doing hair was when I started to make people feel good about themselves, and that feeling can be quite addictive.

Edwards cuts actress Liana Cornell’s hair. Picture:Justin Lloyd

“When you get to a point where you can really make people feel beautiful and so good about themselves, it’s so rewarding for me.

“It’s the same thing when I’m teaching other hairdressers, it’s the reward that they feel good about what they’re learning or they are amazed with what you’re showing them.”

Edwards is determined to elevate the hairdressing industry in Australia, and make sure his staff are appreciated for the amazing work they do.

“In Australia people do look at hairdressing like it’s a drop-out job that you do because you couldn’t get into University or something like that – so I made it my goal to change how people view hair stylists as a profession,” he said.

It’s Edwards’ durability and internal fortitude that made his latest leap of faith – moving to Brisbane one of his “best decisions yet”.

After coming out of a relationship and developing close friendships in Brisbane, Edwards bought a home in Teneriffe earlier this year and packed his two dogs, Hercules the French Bulldog and Stannis Baratheon the Spoodle.

“I love it so much, I’m never moving back to Sydney,” he says.

“I was also looking at buying a property and when I compared prices from Sydney and Brisbane you could just get so much more for your money in Brisbane, everything just started to add up and I kid you not, people are actually nicer in Brisbane… Even I’m nicer when I’m here.”

While Edwards has been face-to-face with the loss of loved ones, he has built a family for himself through his chain of salons.

Jaye Edwards with Elle Martin in the hairdressers chair at Edward and Co on Crown St in Surry Hills. Picture Rohan Kelly

“They make me feel safe and I think that’s so important,” he says.

“I feel like when you’re in your thirties you don’t really think about making new friends, and it’s actually a lot harder compared to when you’re in your twenties… so being able to make great friends here has made the move much better.”

It’s in Brisbane that Edwards aims to take his professional and personal lives to new heights.

He is focusing on evolving his own brand, Jaye Haircare, and is in the process of designing Australia’s first subscription-based blow dry bar on James St.

“I would encourage young entrepreneurs to have strong friendships with their staff because it helps to build a long lasting and sustainable business,” he says.

“People (in Brisbane) are so supportive of everyone, all the businesses want you to succeed.

“I think Brisbane is an incredible opportunity for young entrepreneurs, I’m excited to be here and I think it’s the best decision I’ve made in a long time.”