The Kao Salon Virtual Experience 2021, held from 3-4 October, was an incredible feast of hairdressing, inspiration and trends, that brought together hair professionals from all over the globe in an engaging, accessible format! Thank you Kao for this wonderful event! The full report back on this event, with photos, is published below.
Stop Press: Win a Trip to Global Creative Awards in 2022.
In 2022, one lucky SA stylist will get the trip of a lifetime! You can win in a trip to Amsterdam and attend Global Creative Awards live in October 2022, including flights, accommodation, event entry ticket and spending money.
For details, contact your Kao rep or Kao Head Office 011 312 5070, or Kao Cape Town 021 551 3010.
Here’s a report back on all the activity and excitement from the 2021 Kao Salon Virtual Experience.
The Artist Sessions
The inspiring Artist Sessions gave guests an up-close and detailed insight into the incredible talent, vision and expertise of international icons. These included Goldwell Global Brand Ambassador Mario Krankl from Austria, renowned for his ultra-precise cuts, imaginative styling and breathtaking colour work. He designed an incredible collection of couture looks with masterful texture. What a brilliant experience!
We-R, is an amazing hairdressing training programme featuring the power combination of Amsterdam hairstylist Glenn van Dijke and colourist Fatos Sezgin. These two iconic professionals created an elegant collection for the virtual experience, showcasing beauty and minimalism at its finest.
Geoganic (a combination of ‘geometric’ and ‘organic’), is an award-winning salon in Belgium known for outstanding colour work and ultra-precise cuts. Owners Thomas Laslo and Loredana Danese showcased their incredible eye for detail with a collection of bold geometric cuts that flicker with muted gemstone colors.
The world-renowned, award-winning team at Madrid’s X-Presion creative hair studio takes cut, color, and styling to spectacular new dimensions. Their jaw-dropping collection for this year’s Kao Salon Virtual Experience, blended ultramodern shapes with graphic color patterns.
Visionaries Artistic Team, a group of highly imaginative hairdressers from Warsaw, Poland, believe that the design process is a study in form, shape, texture, and colour. Inspired by earth, wind, fire, and water, they showcased their hair sculptures as extraordinary works of art.
Mazella & Partners in the French Riviera holds courses and salon experiences that cater to all levels of hairdressing. Their mastery was on full display where they revealed a stunning collection of subtle nuances in colour set against exquisitely shaped styles.
The Oribe brand is synonymous with hair that is glamorous, sensual, original and fashion-centric. Oribe Global Educators Mandee Tauber and Christian Ceja-Compin created a breathtaking collection that explored the harmony of shape, proportion, and texture in creatively inspiring and wearable looks.
The Academy Sessions
It was such a treat to have the Academy Sessions in this year’s experience. These showcased Kao Academies from around the world with a team performance from each location. Academies included Kao Academy Milan, Kao Academy Rhein-Main, Kao Academy New York & Kao Academy Hong Kong
Creativity Never Stops Featuring SA Artist Salome de Wet
Leading artists from the global Kao Salon Family shared their artistry and showed that #creativityneverstops. Their technical demos in cut, colour and styling inspired the audience. The line up of artists from around the world included our very own Salome de Wet from South Africa.
Artists included Salome de Wet, Agnes Westerman, Lydia Wolfe & Jack Mead, Ken Hong & Dylan Tung, Jenelle Oldham, Tony Cola, Evelyn Lo, Edwin Johnston, Dimitri Dimitrakoudis, Jacob Kahn, Eason Chen & Hardy Tsai, Jason Davies, Sydney Ann Lopez, Martin Crean, Ali Holmes, Michael Shire, Mila Liang, Sascha Haseloff, Frank Cini, Daniel Bruns, Safy Burton, Nicci Welsh, Anita Gruber, and Alex Neo.
Special Interest Panels
These included various fascinating discussions about such topics as Leadership, Innovation, Salon Business and Sustainability.
There was advice on what salons can do to become more sustainable and reduce their carbon footprint, as well as discussions on the future growth of salon owners and stylists in the areas of leadership, innovation and business. These were incredibly worthwhile with powerful take-home messages that every salon owner can use in their own business.
Global Creative Awards Evening
What a huge highlight this incredible event was!
It began with the launch of the eagerly awaited new Angelo Seminara Collection. Inspired by his curiosity for nature and the romance of the wildnerness, Goldwell’s Global Ambassador Angelo Seminara introduced the HAIR EVERY WEAR collection.
And then, it was time for the announcement of the Global Creative Awards Winners, broadcast live from the virtual studio and watched by the Kao global family of hairstylists all over the world. What a celebration of creativity, vision and perfection!
Congratulations to all the category winners listed below.
Salon Team of the Year
Global Gold Winner: Hairstudio Infinity, Netherlands
Global Silver Winner: K-Hans, Taiwan
Global Bronze Winner: New Wave Hair, United Kingdom
Men’s Hairstylist of the Year
Global Gold Winner: Renat Murzahaleiev - HDRM Salon, Ukraine
Global Silver Winner: Jack Mead/Lydia Wolfe - Jack & the Wolfe, United Kingdom
Global Bronze Winner: Rustam Mirasov - Samedy, Russia
Editorial Colorist of the Year
Global Gold Winner: Svetlana Zaytseva - Laimalux Academy, Russia
Global Silver Winner: Carlos Alvarez - Trademark Salon, USA
Global Bronze Winner: Casey Coleman - CHAIR Studio, United Kingdom
Avant Garde Stylist of the Year
Global Gold Winner: Sean Chiu - M Plus Salon, Hong Kong
Global Silver Winner: Shi-Han Zhou - EROS Hair Styling, Taiwan
Global Bronze Winner: Marcela Blechová - Salon TOP, Czech Republic
New Talent Colorist of the Year
Global Gold Winner: Harley Liu - EROS Hair Styling, Taiwan
Global Silver Winner: Britt Sturing - Twins Hair & Beauty, Netherlands
Global Bronze Winner: Chloe Ng - Mainstage Hairdressing, China
A final highlight of the show was the recognition of three salons from around the world who have shown leadership in their salon business with regard to environmentalism and sustainability. These important awards were won by Simon Webster Hair, United Kingdom, Four Hair Concept, Taiwan, and Dandelion Salon, USA.
“Hosting the Kao Salon Virtual Event for the second year allowed us to showcase even more of what Kao Salon Division has to offer salons and stylists, from the artistry of our Kao Salon Family to our strong focus on sustainability. In addition, the first ever Global Creative Awards proved that stylists around the world are ready to create inspiring images again, proving that despite the times we live in, Creativity Never Stops”, said John Moroney, VP Creative & Communication for Kao.
Would you like to find out more about the brands that inspire hairstylists all over the world? Contact Kao South Africa and a friendly rep will be in touch to introduce you to the phenomenal products and brand ethos of Goldwell and KMS.
Call 011 312 5070 or email Kevin.tabilo@kao.com
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