The Denman story Through the decades The hairdressers' hairbrush

75 Years of
Styling
The Denman story
It all started with John Denman Dean...
Through the decades
Influential hairstyles of the 20th Century
The hairdressers’ hairbrush
The Denman mark of quality

Denman 75th Anniversary
3
denman international ltd,
clandeboye road,
bangor, co. down,
bt20 3jh
northern ireland
Contents
tel:
+44 (0) 28 9146 2141
email:
sales@denmanbrush.com
art direction
Peter Wilkinson
design
Helen Royds
www.milestonedesign.co.uk
illustrations
Philip Donaldson
production
Pam Donaldson
contributors
Jonathan King
Claire McComb
Mark Woolley
Martyn Wady
Ian Sutton
Mark Stapleton
editor
Jonathan King
marketing manager
Jonathan King
printer
www.push-print.com
photography p.37-38 & 41:
hair stylist:
Mark Woolley and the
Electric Art Team
photographer:
John Rawson
cover photograph:
model
Zoë Rainey
hair stylist
Mark Woolley
The story begins 4
How it all started...
Pioneers 6
How Jack Dean developed his
range of brushes
Fabulous forties 8
Hairstyles during the war
Denroy & Denman 10
A shift in company ownership
Developing Denman 12
How the Rainey family developed
the brand
Fabulous fifties 14
Excess and experimentation in
the fifties
Freeflow ® 16
The Nuovo contoured handle
The hairdressers’ 18
hairbrush
Used by the world’s
leading hairdressers
Swinging sixties 20
From voluminous beehives to
Sassoon’s short crops
A brush for life 22
The mark of quality
Manufacturing 24
capabilities
Quality standards and
competitive pricing
Sassy seventies 26
After the invention of the blowdryer
A global vision 28
Worldwide expansion
Brand building 30
Denman’s integrated
marketing strategy
Eclectic eighties 32
Frizz, side ponytails and mullets
Jack Dean 34
Introducing the male grooming range
Nineties & noughties 36
The mash-up decades
Mark Woolley 38
Denman Brand Ambassador
Looking to the future 42
Denman’s future potential
and ambitions
www.jackdean.eu
photographer
www.petewebb.com

4 Denman 75th Anniversary
The story begins... 5
The
story
begins...
... Welwyn Garden City Handbook 1962:
‘Established since 1945 Denman Products
Ltd. manufacture hair brushes, multi-row
combs and carry out injection moulding. Of
special note are the high quality nylon
pin, rubber cushion hair brushes with wood
or plastic handles.’
Welwyn Garden City factory,
Hertfordshire.
1938
The Denman story began on 16
February 1938 when Ulsterman, John
Denman Dean ( Jack Dean) applied for patent
protection for his easy-to-clean, rubbercushioned
hairbrush. Jack Dean’s application
was accepted on the 8 August 1939.
Dean was widely recognised as a
prominent engineer and when war was
declared shortly after his patent was granted,
top-secret government work in the USA
interrupted any plans he may have had to
develop the Denman brush further.
In the USA, Dean worked with nylon
– the revolutionary new DuPont polymer.
Dean quickly recognised the potential for
nylon as an alternative to natural bristle
in his rubber-cushioned hairbrush. When
Jack Dean returned from the USA his cabin
baggage on the Queen Mary included one
ton of the new DuPont material.
When World War II ended, Jack
Dean was able to concentrate his efforts in
developing Denman brushes and established
two companies – Denman Products Limited
and Denman Tools Limited, in Welwyn
Garden City in Hertfordshire. Together, the
two companies combined to form a virtually
self-contained operation incorporating a
moulding shop, finishing department and a
full tool-making facility.

6 Denman 75th Anniversary
Pioneers 7
Pioneers
The key value in the design and manufacture
of Denman products is quality.
Under Dean’s guidance, the Denman
product range developed. As is the case
today, top hairdressers of the time, such as
Freddie French, were involved at all stages
of the development of new Denman haircare
products.
Jack Dean continued his pioneering
work with nylon, setting new standards of
innovation, quality and design. In 1959 his
work was recognised by the plastics industry
when he was awarded the ICI Alkathene
Design Trophy.
In subsequent years, a close working
relationship was maintained with ICI which
was also based in Welwyn Garden City.
By the late 1960s the Denman
product range had developed to include:
the traditional rubber-cushioned brush
in three sizes; lower-price variations with
polythene pads; a range of three-row combs
(one of which, the “Mary Anne”, was named
after the office cat); and the famous 1950s
Be-Bop brush.
The famous 1950s Be-Bop brush

8 Denman 75th Anniversary
Fabulous forties 9
Fabulous
forties
Hairstyles in the forties were about being glamorous and
perfectly styled. Luxury goods were in short supply during the
War, so people had to be creative to keep up a stylish look.
Hairstyles were soft, feminine and
kept off the face. Women’s hair length
was usually just below shoulder length or
shorter. Hair was cut with a rounded U
shape at the back, curving up towards the
ears, parted at the side.
Rolls played an essential part in
creating the decade’s look. They were
medium sized and soft, and the hair was
either brushed smooth or it had waves.
Headscarves were often worn decoratively
and practically, to keep the hair out of the
face. They came in a variety of materials,
sizes and patterns, and were often
fashioned into styles influenced by movie
stars like Carmen Miranda.

10 Denman 75th Anniversary Denroy & Denman
11
Denroy & Denman
In 1966 health problems forced
Jack Dean to sell his business and retire
to his place of birth in Cushendall,
Northern Ireland.
By a remarkable coincidence the
business was purchased by the Yorkshirebased
Lindsay and Williams Group
who promptly relocated Denman brush
manufacturing to another company within
the Group - Ulster Plastics Limited in
Belfast, Northern Ireland. Denman brushes
had followed their inventor home!
In 1969 Ulster Plastics Limited
relocated to Bangor, Northern Ireland
however, adverse trading conditions caused
the company to enter voluntary receivership
and in 1972 it was taken over by Martin
Rainey Limited.
In June 1972 Ulster Plastics Limited
and Martin Rainey Limited amalgamated
to form Denroy Plastics Limited under
the stewardship of current owners, the
Rainey family.
In 1998, Denroy’s two divisions,
industrial moulding and haircare, were
established as separate companies –
Denroy Plastics Limited and Denman
International Limited.
In the past 10 years, Denroy Plastics
has grown to become one of Europe’s leading
providers of engineering, design and injection
moulding services to the aerospace and
defence sectors. Its technical sales team has
also been successful in attracting substantial
new business in the materials handling,
medical equipment and construction
industries. Visit www.denroy.com for more
information.

12 Denman 75th Anniversary
Developing Denman 13
Developing
Denman
While Jack Dean was the inventor and creator of the
Denman brush, the Rainey family can claim credit for
developing the product range and elevating the brand to
its current position as one of the most famous and respected
names in the hairdressing industry.
In the years following the
establishment of Denroy Plastics, there
were a number of fundamental problems
to be addressed. In 1972, just prior to the
acquisition of Ulster Plastics, the Denman
patents had expired and tooling for Denman
copies was already being laid down in Hong
Kong. Business consultants advised Denroy
to forget about the Denman brand as the
company could never hope to compete with
an influx of cheap Asian copies.
The company’s design engineers
accepted this advice as a challenge and
concerted efforts were made to improve
existing product quality and to incorporate
high standards of quality into the design of
new products. Of equal importance was the
innovative marketing concept of “brandbuilding”,
based around the now well-known
Denman logo. When compared to the cheap
Asian copies, Denman quickly became
synonymous with unrivalled standards of
quality, performance and durability.
Denman was successful in replacing
intellectual property protection with
the protection of a strong brand image,
challenging the competition on quality of
product - not price.
In the early 1970s, the Denman
brand received an unexpected boost from
Vidal Sassoon through his development of
revolutionary blow-styling techniques using
hand-held hairdryers. Both Sassoon and
fellow stylist, Joshua Galvin, considered the
Denman rubber-cushioned hairbrush to be
the ideal styling tool to meet the demanding
requirements of these new techniques as it
was resistant to heat and chemicals and could
be easily disassembled for thorough cleaning.
Subsequent demand from the
professional trade was overwhelming, and
production doubled in consecutive years
from 1973 to 1979 and a second factory
had to be opened.

14 Denman 75th Anniversary
Rock ‘n’ roll fifties 15
rock ‘n’ roll
fifties
Following the austerity of the post-war years, the 1950s
were a time of growing prosperity, which influenced the
hairstyles and fashions of this period.
Influential hairstylists of the 1950s,
including Sydney Guilaroff and Alexandre
of Paris, took French hair fashion to
Hollywood, New York and London,
popularising the ‘artichoke cut’, the ‘pixie
cut’ and ‘bouffant’ hairstyles.
With the advent of rock and roll
music, teenage fashion exploded and
American style was imitated across the
world. Teenage girls wore their hair in
ponytails while boys wore crew cuts or
‘greaser quiffs’.
The development of hair styling
products, particularly setting sprays, hair
oil and hair cream, influenced the way hair
was styled.
A more natural look was favoured
than in the 1940s, even if it was achieved
by perming, setting, styling and spraying.
Mature men’s hairstyles were always short
and neat, and generally maintained with
hair oil.

16 Denman 75th Anniversary
Free flow 17
By the 1980s, Denman had embarked on an exciting
period of design innovation with the development of the
Nuovo contoured handle.
The profits generated from sales
of Denman brushes in the 1970s were
re-invested in developing new products
and the company’s portfolio expanded
significantly. In the USA, Paul Mitchell was
employed by the company on a consultancy
basis. It was through close liaison with Paul
that the long-handled D143 brush, a range of
matt-finish styling brushes and the Freeflow
range of volumising brushes developed.
The Denman brand was also
instrumental in setting styling trends
through the introduction of an important
range of round or Radial brushes. These
brushes were developed to enable stylists
to exercise enhanced grip and control
on the hair by incorporating perfectly
balanced handles into each design.
By the 1980s, Denman had embarked
on an exciting period of design innovation
with the development of the Nuovo
contoured handle. This design developed
from Aldo Alchiero’s concept of a sculptured
handle which allows the stylist to grip the
brush head for firm brushing out, yet still
hold the handle normally during styling. The
development of the Freeflow 2000 vent brush
(known today as the D100 Tunnel Vent) was
even more dramatic.
Sales of the traditional Denman
rubber-cushioned brushes were being
threatened by increasing sales of vent
brushes and it was clear that the company
had to react. The inspired concept of tunnel
venting was born and thanks to a combined
team effort, the idea was transformed into a
production product.
free
flow
Introduced 1987

18 Denman 75th Anniversary
The hairdressers’ hairbrush 19
the
hairdressers’
hairbrush
Freddie French
In 1992, Denman followed the unique Tunnel Vent hairbrush
with the development of the D200 Hyflex Vent.
The D200 is the first styling brush to
be made from Hytrel, a revolutionary DuPont
plastic which is soft yet extremely durable and
heat resistant. More than 50 years since Jack
Dean’s experiments with nylon, the company
maintains the Denman tradition of design
innovation.
More recent developments have
included the launch of new ranges of Cushion
Brushes and Paddle Brushes made possible by
in-house tool-making and investment in new
manufacturing equipment.
Denman’s reputation as a “master
brush maker” has also secured contracts to
manufacture designer brush ranges both for
leading hairdressers - including Trevor Sorbie,
Joshua Galvin and Charles Worthington -
and for large UK retail chains.
Charles Worthington
Mark Woolley
Trevor Sorbie
Paul Stafford
Joshua Galvin
Vidal Sassoon with Mary Quant
John Denman Dean

20 Denman 75th Anniversary
Swinging sixties 21
swinging
sixties
From the sharp, groomed mod look to the carefree style of the
hippies, the sixties were about revolution and invention.
The new decade saw huge social
changes, including the breaking down of
traditional class structures in the UK. The
early sixties welcomed the voluminous
‘beehive’ or ‘B52’ hairstyle. It was followed
by the advent of sharp, short crops by Vidal
Sassoon.
This star of 1960s hairdressing
created iconic styles with geometric and
asymmetrical cuts that revolutionised
women’s hairstyling.
Pop music had a big impact on
fashion and hairstyles too – from the
Beatles’ famous ‘mop top’ hairstyles
onwards throughout the decade. In the
late 1960s, the radical carefree spirit of
hippie culture led to both men and women
wearing their hair longer.

a brush for
life
The key value in the design and manufacture of
Denman products is quality.
The company operates strict quality
assurance procedures at both of its sites.
All Denman products are monitored closely
to ensure that each conforms to the high
standards expected by customers. This
attention to quality procedures has been
recognised by BSI accreditations for both
factory sites.
Denman International benefits from
a highly skilled and committed workforce
which takes its responsibilities for the
maintenance and protection of the Denman
image very seriously.
The corporate objective is to achieve
product design, quality systems and personnel
attitudes which make excellence unavoidable.
The Denman reputation for
outstanding standards of quality has been
achieved because quality is designed into each
product. Concepts are developed in detail
into reliable products, capable of manufacture
to consistently high standards.
The company uses only the finest
materials and components in the manufacture
of its range of products and is proud to be
associated with GE Plastics and DuPont
which are also brand leaders in the materials
they supply.

24 Denman 75th Anniversary
Manufacturing capabilities 25
Another major strength of the
company lies in its manufacturing capability.
Currently Denman is producing some
250,000 brush units per month.
By manufacturing its brushes and
combs in-house, the company exercises
complete control over quality standards and,
equally importantly, guarantees that products
can be priced competitively providing
customers with value for money.
The manufacturing operation is ably
supported by a well equipped toolroom
which is now capable of manufacturing tools
in-house in addition to carrying out repair
and maintenance work.
Denman’s investment in new design
and manufacturing equipment demonstrates
a firm commitment to long-term growth
and job security for its employees. The
re-equipment programme has enabled the
company to become virtually self-sufficient
which evokes comparisons with Jack Dean’s
vision for Denman Products Limited and
Denman Tools Limited back in the 1960s.

26 Denman 75th Anniversary
Sassy seventies 27
sassy
seventies
The 1970s saw a continuing liberation in fashion and hairstyles,
particularly for men. It finally became acceptable for men to
wear their hair long.
Women’s hair was longer too and
styles were much lower maintenance with
the newly invented hairdryers replacing
hairspray and rollers.
Throughout much of the decade,
women wore their hair with a centre or
side parting – a style carried over from the
late 1960s. Other hairstyles of the early to
mid 1970s included the wavy ‘gypsy’ cut, the
‘layered shag’ and the ‘flicked’ style. Often
referred to as ‘wings’, in which the hair was
flicked out at the temples – a look popularised
by the TV show Charlie’s Angels. Blonde
streaked or ‘frosted’ hair was also popular.
In the late seventies, the Punk
movement reintroduced short hair for
men and women with wild spikes and
crazy colours.

28 Denman 75th Anniversary A global vision
29
A global
vision
sixty countries
Denman brushes are sold in over 60 countries including...
The company’s strong manufacturing base and powerful
brand image have provided a solid platform for its marketing
department to develop sales not only in the UK but in more
than 60 countries worldwide.
BOSTON
LONDON
AMSTERDAM
In 1990 the company established a
subsidiary company, Denman Inc., in Boston
to manage the sales and marketing of the
Denman brand in the United States.
The company also has sales offices in
London – servicing its UK retail accounts –
and offices in Amsterdam which look after
its overseas customers.
The company enjoys considerable
success in the Far East with Japan
representing the second largest export market
for Denman products behind the USA.
This success in the professional
sector provides the Denman brand with an
endorsement from hair stylists. Denman has
always been first and foremost a professional
product range designed and developed
in consultation with hairdressers for use
by hairdressers. This is Denman’s USP
and why the brand is known as “the
hairdressers’ hairbrush”.
It was through constant
recommendation by stylists to their clients
that Denman attracted the attention of
chemist chains and department stores. In
the UK, Denman brushes are now stocked
at most branches of Boots, John Lewis,
Sainsbury’s, Superdrug, Tesco and Waitrose.
The demands of the retail market initiated
the provision of additional product features
such as new colours and special effects.
TOKYO
BANGOR
Stocked by the UK’s leading retailers:
HONG KONG

30 Denman 75th Anniversary
Brand building 31
Showtime
Denman is involved at all the major worldwide trade
exhibitions such as Salon International and Cosmoprof
both in Bologna and in Hong Kong while in the USA,
Denman Inc. undertakes a full programme of trade
show activity each year.
The company has implemented a
fully integrated marketing strategy to
develop the corporate image and standardise
all aspects of the Denman brand. This
encompasses all areas of marketing
communications including: advertising and
promotion; direct mail and sales literature;
e-commerce and social media activity;
exhibitions; public relations; product
packaging and point-of-purchase material.
In addition to a full programme of
trade and consumer advertising and public
relations activity, the company sponsors a
wide spectrum of hairdressing events all
of which serves to strengthen Denman’s
position as one of the world’s leading
hairdresser brands.
Blog
www.ownyourstyle.co.uk www.facebook.com/denmanbrush www.twitter.com/denmanbrush
www.youtube.com/denmanbrush
www.pinterest.com/denmanbrush

32 Denman 75th Anniversary Eclectic eighties
33
eclectic
eighties
The 1980s was a decade of experimentation with hairstyles
for both men and women. It is probably best remembered for
big, permed hair popularised by glamorous TV shows
such as Dallas and Dynasty.
New wave and new romantic bands
took over from punk and disco of the 1970s.
Now hairstyles explored extravagant
colours, shapes and textures. New hair
products led the way including the variety
of gels for shaping and finishing the hair.
Another style synonymous with
the eighties is the ‘mullet’. This ‘short at
the sides, long at the back’ look became
popular with rock fans and footballers.
Mohicans, flattops and hi-top fades were
also fashionable.
Women took advantage of scrunchies,
headbands and other accessories to create
new looks. Princess Diana was a fashion
icon throughout the decade after marrying
Prince Charles in 1981.

34 Denman 75th Anniversary Jack Dean Advertorial
35
Male grooming is experiencing huge growth on the high street.
The Jack Dean range is perfectly pitched to take advantage
of this trend with its combination of traditional formulations
and vintage branding...
John Denman Dean – known to
everyone as ‘Jack Dean’ – was many things:
engineer, racing driver, entrepreneur, writer
and inventor of the original Denman
styling brush. Originally from Northern
Ireland, he travelled all over the world
drawing inspiration and ideas from his many
adventures.
His pioneering spirit inspired Denman
to create the Jack Dean range of gentlemen’s
grooming products. Created using exotic and
exciting fragrances from across the globe, it
takes some of the hair dressings and pomades
used by traditional barbers and makes them
more suited to a modern clientele.
The Jack Dean collection is a complete
styling system formulated to cleanse,
condition and style the hair. It features classic
hair lotions and tonics including Eau de
Quinine, Eau de Portugal and American Bay
Rum which are the very essence of the golden
age of travel and adventure.
To reflect this, Denman commissioned
stunning illustrations of iconic methods
of travel, from the Art Deco elegance of
the Queen Mary to the groundbreaking
performance of the Vincent Black Shadow.
The range is ever expanding, with
hairbrushes recently added and more
new products planned in the near future.
The recently launched Jack Dean website
stocks the entire range online and gives
comprehensive information about individual
formulations and use.
While Jack Dean is a brand that takes
inspiration from the past, its ambition to
become an essential professional barbering
accessory is fast becoming a reality.
The Essence of Adventure
For more information visit: www.jackdean.eu

36 Denman 75th Anniversary
Nineties & noughties 37
nineties
&noughties
The 1990s saw a rejection of the fashion excesses of the
1980s. And in the new millennium many new styles evolved.
In the nineties there was ‘Brit Pop’
and T-shirts, jeans, hoodies and trainers
were all fashionable as a dressed down
look. A noteable women’s hairstyle of the
1990s was the ‘Rachel cut’, taken from the
character in popular American TV show
Friends. From the mid 1990s to mid 2000s
it was fashionable for women to have dyed
highlights and lowlights with red, blonde
or light brown streaks.
The 2000s are often described as a
‘mash-up’ decade, where trends saw the
fusion and evolution of previous styles
including a 1980s revival. Tattoos and
body piercings became more popular than
ever before.
In the mid to late 2000s jet black
hair came in, worn by Katy Perry and
Amy Winehouse who also revived the
beehive. For black women, cornrows,
dreadlocks and curly weaves were popular.
Afros, Jheri curls and short pixie cuts were
popularised by artists such as Janet Jackson
and Rihanna.

38 Denman 75th Anniversary Mark Woolley: Brand Ambassador
39
Mark Woolley
Renowned for creativity, precision styling and highly polished
work, Electric Hairdressing has become one of the UK’s
leading hair salon companies. Guided by the inspirational and
creative visionary Mark Woolley, Electric Hairdressing continues
to produce award winning collections that are published
throughout the world.
In 2009 we invited Mark to
become Denman’s first Global Brand
Ambassador as he shares our core values
of professionalism and commitment
to the hair industry. Since then, Mark
and the team have worked closely with
us to develop new products and to
demonstrate the creative possibilities of
Denman tools around the world. Mark
comments on current industry trends
and on his relationship with Denman:
“Today, clients are spending less
money in many areas of their lives but
research has shown that, while they are
looking for value for money, they will not
compromise on their hair. New trends
and techniques in areas such as colour
application like ‘Balyage’ and ‘dip-dye’
actually allow clients to spend a little
less and have longer between colour
appointments making their visits more
cost effective.

40 Denman 75th Anniversary
Mark Woolley: Brand Ambassador 41
Soft movement and bend also helps
reduce the definition between colour and
re-growth as the curl softens and masks the
line between the two colours beautifully.
This extends the life of the colour service
so the current trend for soft movement
is both practical and aesthetic. Denman
tools like the Ice Diamond styler and the
Head Hugger enable us to create these
looks. The shape and temperature control
of the Ice Diamond means these looks can
be created on all hair types.
The low settings protect
fine or damaged hair while
still producing enough heat
to create the curl, and the
higher temperatures
give control
over thicker,
stronger hair.
The Head
Hugger is another
example of how Denman
tools and current trends enable
us to create and deliver the results our
clients are looking for. The technologically
advanced Head Hugger brush retains heat
without damaging the hair creating real
root lift, volume, curls and soft waves with
just a hairdryer. As with the Ice Diamond,
using the Head Huggers to finish our hair
work is something we can both do in the
salon as well as teach our clients to do
themselves at home.
Fashion and trends are very
important to our clients so it’s vital that
they can continue their salon experience
beyond the salon visits. We do this through
social media platforms as well as educating
and demonstrating to them how they can
easily recreate their personal look or other
seasonal trend at home. A key factor in us
being able to do this is to be able to offer the
right tools to do the job.
The Electric Art Team and I have
a close relationship with Denman and
the continual development of Denman
styling tools enables both
our team and our clients
to explore and enhance
their creativity. And when
the trend changes, you can
guarantee there will be
another Denman
tool that will
create whatever
effect is needed.
The Electric
Art Team and I travel
extensively demonstrating the
latest cutting and styling techniques
to hairdressers all over the world and it
essential we have the best tools to deliver
the best results. We need reliability,
precision, versatility and freedom to
explore new areas of creativity – Denman
tools have always delivered these key
attributes. Denman will always remain a
crucial part of our tool kit and with them
we will continue to create our collections,
inspire audiences and above all keep our
clients happy.”
Mark Woolley – Electric Hairdressing, London

42 Denman 75th Anniversary Looking to the future 43
Looking to the
future
In 2013, Denman celebrates 75 years, although there is
a tide of opinion that believes that the brand has still
to realise its full potential.
Denman is determined to maintain its
market position as the brand of hairbrushes
and combs preferred by professionals.
The future for Denman products is
an exciting one. The company has ambitious
yet realistic plans with a clear strategy for
progressive development.
The ultimate aim is to become the
foremost manufacturer and supplier of
haircare durables, ensuring the Denman
brand remains the number one choice in the
professional and retail sectors.
Success for Denman depends on the
styles and effects that can be achieved using
Denman products. Continually improving
standards in hairdressing combined with ever
more innovative styles and fashions makes the
position as manufacturer of quality haircare
products very satisfying. The next chapter in
Denman’s history is already being written...

www.denmanbrush.com