A student who dropped out to pursue a career in the hair industry has won a prestigious award for a product he designed.

Ollie Sunderland, 19, left Leeds University in December 2011 to establish Doll, a hair care company, with his father Gary- a renowned celebrity hair dresser.

The company was kick-started by a project Ollie developed – the ‘Twiddlestic’, a hair curling product that has won plaudits for its innovative design.

The product was named a winner in the ‘Best Wavers’ category by Hair magazine, a leading title in the hair cosmetics market. The product has been well received all over the world, with professional hairdressers in Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the USA and the UK all using the invention.

Ollie was studying for a degree in Graphic Design, and told this newspaper about his decision to leave Leeds:

“I gained a lot of knowledge from my short time at the University of Leeds and the decision to leave was not taken lightly. However, at the time I saw it as too big an opportunity to turn down”

He added: “I miss the university lifestyle, the city of Leeds and all the great friends that I had made, but looking back I have no regrets.”

Words: Phil Mann

Image: TheDrum.com