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Get creative, British style!
Thursday 1st November 2012 | Laura
Shears graduation’s competition was a taste of how future hairstylists prepare themselves to get into an industry that demands creativity, elegance and innovation.
To be a hairdresser it’s not only about knowing how to cut, blow-dry and chit-chat with the clients, it’s also about shaping, aesthetic sense and creativity. People are always demanding new looks, edgy, trendy and fashionable, but at the same time, that suit their face and personality. Especially on the catwalk, we all expect something surprising, and hairdressing has a lot to do with that.
While they are in college, future hairdressers have to work hard to pass level 2, from shampooing to highlighting, each one finds their own specialty and style. Once they become stylists, probably the hardest part is building a faithful clientele and developing a distinct technique that ends up being their trademark. But nowadays, that’s not enough, the competence and the new trends, such as colouring innovations and hair extensions, which are a growing business, make hairdressers –even the top Salons’ ones- have to still training.
Shears hair show was a taste of hairdressing creativity. From a Big Ben built with hair to a hairy Queen’s soldier hat, from exhibitionism to elegance and trendiness, British culture was represented with hair in all colours and shapes.
To know a little bit more about how they get ready for the competition, we talked to the winner, Chris De Faria.
How did you decide the theme for your model’s hair?
My initial theme was going to be landmarks of the UK, but I didn’t go through with that because I felt it was a little bit too crass, so I decided to go for the English Rose theme. Initially I wanted my model to wear a turn century style dress, maybe a high collar, taking all the hair up and building it to a structured bum with the rose build from hair on the top, however, as time went on, I found it difficult to get the resources that I needed at a reasonable price. So I decided to emend my look and take a modern twist with the hair, still incorporating the English Rose, a bit Toni and Guy with the tight curling, heavy back combing, very structured messy look but fixed, as far as the costume went. And the make-up, I needed something that was indicative of Great Britain, so I looked for someone who was iconic, I happened to cross Twiggie so I chose her for make-up and costume styling which was not too complicated because there is a lot of replication in 60’s clothing and make-up, so I was able to recreate that quite easily but I think the bulk of my work, really, was in the technical part of the hair, the structure, moving the hair around and creating an anchor for the hair piece. So, I felt that the majority of the work was reflected in the hair, not necessarily the make-up and costume, which is what I am most pleased with because, obviously, it is a hair show.
What was the most complicated part of the process?
It was the hair piece itself, it was the rose bud, created from sections of hair, like a weft of hair that was cut into sections. The prep work was repeatedly spraying and ironing each section between sheets of paper to create a stiff effect, so that it will hold its own weight and can be like a petal. Then I cut it into a petal shape after I´d established the strength of the hair to stand up on its own.
What did the judges score on in this competition?
I feel the judges scored on technical expertise, I think they tried to look for someone who worked with the model’s natural hair; and thinking of new ways to use the hair and manipulate it. I think it was quite obvious that they were seeking for a modern edge to a classical theme.
Why do you think these kinds of shows are important for the hairdressers’ future?
I think they encourage students to be enthusiastic about the industry that they are embarking on and people who do well in shows like this will inevitably have a greater to drive to succeed within the hairdressing industry. People, who do well or have worked hard, will continue to work hard as well. And later on in their careers, should it be through session work or theatre or should they become established in a salon, it still means they want to keep that creative edge, because they have taken part in something that is creative and it has required that they need to use their imagination.
By Laura Vila
@LaursTime
