A hair clinic that could give a bald man a perm is "finally" receiving some national recognition - which its director says is down to her late Hackney father’s vision.

If you have not heard of Stepney Green-based Hair Development UK, you will likely have seen their hairpieces and extensions on the heads of famous faces on screen and stage.

Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean, Spitting Image, and Strictly Come Dancing are just some of the productions they have worked on.

But after 60 years in business, the company says it remains just as dedicated to providing extensions, state of the art laser hair regrowth therapy, and tailor made hairpieces to everyday customers.

Hackney Gazette: Gone today, hair tomorrow. Hair Development UK has a variety of methods for regrowth.Gone today, hair tomorrow. Hair Development UK has a variety of methods for regrowth. (Image: Hair Development UK)

Despite helping hundreds of clients over the years, Hair Development UK has been relatively under the radar. But after being invited by Lord Eric Pickles to be part of the prestigious Parliamentary Review journal, their name is set to be seen by half a million.

Creative director Janis Levy, herself a former actress who strolled through sunflower fields in the famous 1985 Flake advert, has said the credit should be with her dad and company founder Stanley Levy – who grew up in Hackney and died in 2019.

“My father was the backbone of the industry,” she said, “It is only since he passed that we have been getting recognised.

“He worked so hard all of his life and was so devoted and dedicated. He was hugely respected and stylists would come to him.”

The business has won rave reviews among men, Ms Levy said, some of whom felt depressed or even suicidal at facing baldness. The centre can offer laser therapy, which provides positive results in 80 per cent of participants, as well as invisible hairpieces.

Ms Levy now operates the business alongside managing director Mark Burns, her cousin. They have 12 full-time staff and reps around the world, but no desire to leave London any time soon.

On the Review recognition, Ms Levy added: “I did not know anything about it. They approached us and wanted us to be part of it. It came out a couple of weeks ago, and it has been really taking off. We have been invited to a gala now. None of this is ever what we sought, it just came to us.”