Jock Robson & Peter Burkill Take Gold At The Hairdressing Olympics!

The NZ Wella Trend Vision Award National final was held 1st August at the Auckland Town Hall.  Hundreds from the hairdressing industry gathered to watch 18 visionary stylists from all over the country compete in a live show, hosted by television personality Amber Peebles.

There were two major awards the competitors were vying for; The Gold Color and Young Talent Awards. Big winners on the night were Jock Robson of Dharma in Auckland, who won the Color Gold Award and Peter Burkill of Buoy in Wellington, who took home the Young Talent Gold Award.

As the New Zealand winners in their categories, Jock and Peter will fly to New York to make their mark on the world on October 30 as they compete against more than 50 countries on the global stage at the International Trend Vision Awards, often described as the Olympics of hairdressing.

Competitors were required to recreate their photographic entries at the Wella Studios during the day and then present to the panel of judges and industry crowd at the live show in the evening. Judged on the overall look, the finalists had to show an understanding of their chosen Trend Vision theme (Passionista, Lumina, Glamazon or Polaris), creativity and skill in hair colour work and styling and flair in fashion and accessorizing.

One of the evening highlights was a stunning hair fashion show by Travis Balcke. A visual spectacular with all the models elegantly dressed in RED evening gowns. 

The judging panel were:

Jessica Lean – The golden girl of hairdressing, Jessica from NSW Australia, winner of the Gold Young Talent Award at the International Trend Vision Awards 2010.

Paul Serville – An industry leader, Paul is the founder of Servilles salons and the award winning Servilles Academy of Hairdressing.

Greg Murrell – Well-known for his extensive photographic editorial portfolio and fashion-show work, Greg is also the owner of the iconic Ryder salon in Auckland.

Charmaine Guest – The editor of hair and beauty industry magazine Headway for over 10 years.

Neisha Henry – The Educator and Brand Manager of Smashbox Cosmetics, Neisha is often behind the scenes at many NZ fashion shows. She also travels the world as a Smashbox International Pro-Artist.

Dan Ahwa – As one of the most in-demand stylists, Dan is an integral part of the New Zealand fashion scene. He is currently the Fashion Editor of Canvas magazine.

Paul Serville says, "Wella Trend Vision is a great competition to practice all hairdressers ability. The winning looks were well executed.”

Jessica Lean was impressed with the high quality of New Zealand entries. She says, "the looks that stood out were finished, polished, weren’t overworked with product, their lines were clean, good technique and colour work were used and it could hold its own on the international stage”

WELLA TREND VISION COLOR GOLD AWARD

Jock Robson of Dharma Hairdressing, Auckland - Assistant: Sara Allsop

"I’m over the moon! I really couldn’t have done this without the team I have around me, particularly my wife, Sara. I now get to go to the world-stage and represent New Zealand, which is very, very exciting,” says Jock.

"The trend I chose was Glamazon. With a competition such as this, the inspiration/trend is already given as the brief so the task is to interpret the trend and bring it forward or take it to a new place within the trends guidelines.”

Glamazon is such a "dressed trend”. The hairstyle, complemented by warm, rich colour tones utilises different techniques such as braiding & setting to give a strong sense of shape and strength with a tribal/urban undertone.

Judge Jessica Lean says, "The world stage is completely different. If they keep up the high level of finish and polish, these two [gold winners] are in with a chance.”

Fellow judge Dan Ahwa was also impressed with the calibre of work, "The stylists interpreted the trends really well, with lots of texture, colour and fabric choices matched perfectly. Accessories, shoes and jewellery were a key factor in the outfits.”

WELLA TREND VISION COLOR SILVER AWARD

Lenard Johnston of Dharma Hairdressing, Auckland - Assistant: Sara Allsop

"The trend I chose was Glamazon because I wanted to challenge myself in creating something beautiful by pushing the boundaries a little but still keep it urban and commercial. Inspired by architecture, height and structure, I took the brief and ran with it,” says Lenard.

"The cut is an increase layer, which adds movement and fluidity. I created facial shaping around the face to frame and add texture. Inspired by architecture, I then added height and structure to enhance the cut and

highlight the colour of deep vibrant chocolates and caramel gold.”

WELLA TREND VISION COLOR BRONZE AWARD

Michaela Powell of Blaze, Auckland - Assistant: Mana Dave

"Lumina really inspired me because I feel that metallic, rose and gold tones are very much on trend at the moment. They highlight the fact that you can really play around with blonde tones and make such a statement,” says Michaela.

"I played with a colour palette of deep rose and gold tones in the disconnected panel. Within the perimeter lines of the fringe and nape area I placed metallic tones to showcase the strength and modernity of the shape. I’ve used panels of diluted rose and gold tones within the body of the colour to soften the overall look and to show dimension.”

WELLA TREND VISION YOUNG TALENT GOLD AWARD

Peter Burkill of Buoy Hairdressing. Wellington - Assistant: Biddi King

"A futuristic twist on an old classic” was Peter’s take on his winning entry. "I love precision cutting and bold, beautiful colour and the androgyny of the Polaris woman intrigued me! It inspired me because in my eyes it meant making an avant-garde statement look while still staying true to my passion for beautiful hairdressing and finishing!”

"Winning this is the best feeling in the world. This is the first time I have entered and I’m going to New York to represent New Zealand,” says Peter.

Peter’s edgy look features monochromatic colour blocking of stark black and icy white on a super sleek, sharp bob. An undercut and one-sided icy white panel enhances the futuristic look.

Judge Greg Murrell commented, " I particularly loved the Young Talent Gold Award winner entry. The polish on the haircutting, combined with the animation of the trend made this a stand out winner.”

WELLA TREND VISION YOUNG TALENT SILVER AWARD

Sara Carswell of Blaze, Auckland - Assistant: Simone Brooke

"Polaris to me is a look that represents striking, powerful elegance. I was immediately inspired by its structured shapes and bold contrast,” says Sara. The haircut is two disconnected shapes, clean and short underneath with an interesting bold shape sitting over top. It has strong graduation below the crown and a sharp ‘V’ shaped fringe.

"With this look I wanted to create maximum contrast. I used dark chocolate brown tones fading into jet black with a shade of white sitting on top. Then to soften I used a platinum grey at the roots through the crown,” explains Sara. 

WELLA TREND VISION YOUNG TALENT BRONZE AWARD

Aimee Bergerson of Veronica Jayne, Palmerston North - Assistant: Christina Cleland

Amy’s inspiration for her Polaris look was a quote she found, "striking and untouchable beauty of the 50’s, structure and strictness of the 60’s, glitz and glamour of the 80’s and the timeless simplicity and power of today.”

She describes her look as "a very sleek and powerful graphic shape, yet still a soft and feminine statement cut that’s personalised and elegant.”

WELLA TREND VISION PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD

Terry Whaitiri of Kensington Hairdressing, Auckland - Assistant: Chay Roberts

The People’s Choice Award was awarded through online voting by the industry and general public.

Now in its 13th year, the annual Wella Trend Vision Award is renowned by hairdressers globally as one of the hairdressing industry’s most influential and esteemed competitions. Trend Vision is the biggest competition that offers ambitious young hairdressers the opportunity to showcase their abilities and compete against the best in the industry on a global scale.