One of the more interesting categories at the Hair Expo Awards each year is the Best New Salon Design, providing fresh ideas, decors, themes and inspiration for other salon owners. By keeping abreast of current trends and updating, the look and feel of a salon not only attracts new clientele but also encourages the very best stylists. As always the standard of finalists this year is simply outstanding! Two entries are from Perth, Toni & Guy Subiaco, owner Tracey Laing and Head Studio

One of the most talked about shows from MBAFW was ‘Romance Was Born’ their Berserkergang collection from the design duo of Anna Plunkett and Luke Sales, who count amongst their devotees Cyndi Lauper, Debbie Harry and Aussie superstars the Veronicas, was inspired by the almighty spectral power of colour. Alan White, ghd Hair Director had this to say about the show; “Striking, vibrant, florescent orange hair colour - inspired by the formidable Annie Lennox - really accentuates the toughness

Bronte Surf Lifesaving Club was full of life on April 24th for the Aveda Walk For Water. Since 1999, the Aveda network has raised more than US$22 million to support organizations that directly affect environmental change; since 2006, US$16 million of this amount has been earmarked for water-related causes.Aveda Walk for Water unites the Company’s network of hair and skin professionals, fellow beauty industry media and guests in a series of walks around the world

The Australian contingent have scooped almost all of this year’s major prizes at the eighth iD International Emerging Designer Awards held 29th March at the Lion Foundation Arena, Edgar Centre, Dunedin. Carolina Barua, from Australia’s Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology took out the Peroni 1st Place Prize of $5000 cash, impressing judges with her collection ‘S’swell’, which featured a range of stunning garments including an apron in golden silk dupion, a cotton sateen skirt and lenticular

After years of working New York, Milan and Paris fashion weeks as part of Guido Palau’s team, Richard Kavanagh, Creative Director for Rodney Wayne, was invited to be the hair director for Tribune Standard’s fall/winter 2012 collection. This was an amazing opportunity for Richard to put together and lead his own team, for the very first time in New York, provided by Cutler Salon and Redken NYC. Go Richard!

Under the Estée Lauder umbrella, Darphin is in good company with other iconic brands such as Aveda, MAC, Jo Malone and Smashbox. Darphin remains one of the leading beauty brands in the world today. Darphin’s immutable core belief that outward beauty emanates from inner balance and harmony of the body, mind and soul originated with the company founding father, Pierre Darphin. In 1958, Darphin helped revolutionize esthetic care by opening one of the first beauty institutes in Paris

The largest hairdressing event in the southern hemisphere is almost here, bringing you another year of unrivalled creativity and inspiration. In 2012, an impressive list of artists will descend on Sydney for the June long weekend, to share their expertise and help you achieve success in every aspect of your salon. From creative and business seminars, workshops and look ‘n’ learn sessions to the free inspiration on the exhibition floor, these experts will educate

Fashion is fueled by fantasies, by the freedom to question the well- tried and by the courage to create new things. Freedom, the new collection by Intercoiffure Mondial, defines multicultural trends. “Individuality is sought-after like never before”, says Klaus Peter Ochs, President of Intercoiffure Mondial. “There is a quest for freedom, progress and a personal meaningfulness”. The creative Fashion Team around Klaus Peter Ochs and Mauricio Pina, Fashion Director Latin America

Redken is back at iD Dunedin Fashion Week in 2012 and for the first time it is bringing the entire tribe. In addition to its backstage sponsorship, this year the brand is supporting iD Dunedin by bringing the internationally renowned Tribe 2012 fashion, hair and inspiration event for Redken salons to New Zealand. Directing Redken’s backstage styling team in 2012 are husband and wife Jock Robson and Sara Allsop from Auckland’s Dharma Hairdressing in Mt Eden

Sharon Blain, globally acclaimed as one of the leading creative minds in long hair and one of Australia’s pre-eminent hairdressers is packing her styling bags and bringing her most requested 2 Day Masterclass to New Zealand. This 2 day intensive styling course will be held on February 13-14 2012 at Goldwell Studio, Auckland CBD. Sharon Blain is the winner of over 500 awards and awarded Educator of the Year three times in a row with Australia’s most prestigious hair industry awards.

Models clad in futuristic three dimensional PVC garments, outfits made from fabric waste and hand-made metal sequins, are just some of the innovative graduate designs showing at next year’s iD Dunedin Fashion Week. Five stand-out fashion graduate collections from the Otago Polytechnic School of Design have been selected from a field of 24 to launch their fashion careers at the 2012 iD Dunedin Fashion Show on Friday 30th and Saturday 31th March. Fiona Clements, 31 (Dunedin), Molly Barrington, 21

Wella’s International Trend Vision Awards was held at Pier 94 in New York 30th October. 2,000 guests which included hairdressers and members of the press, saw the launch of Wella’s Trend Vision 2012 – four hairstyles devised by Wella Professionals Global Creative Directors Eugene Souleiman and Josh Wood - ‘Grace, Blaze, Celeste and Roxy’ female personalities that influence every facet of fashion and beauty. The event was a showcase for young hairstyling talent

New Zealand, the land at the end of the earth lures with a new perspective; that pioneer spirit of the first settler women. Ready to go. Trends and hair design consist of opposites: minimalist and playful, plain and unconventional. New Zealand’s Most Beautiful Hair is as many-faceted as a “best of” all continents. New Zealand surprises, excites and enthralls: there are fiords like in Norway, beaches like in the Caribbean

The long wait outside the venue while the crew prepared the backdrop wasn’t enough to dampen anyone’s enthusiasm for what is always one of our most favourite shows. Against an impressive American frontier backdrop Trelise Cooper kicked off with her sassy ‘Cooper’ line featuring oversized cowboy hats and denim jackets and jeans. Described as ‘American Prairie Couture’ the Cooper range certainly lived up to its name. Corduroy made yet another comeback along with sequined dresses

The 23rd Hokonui Fashion Design Awards were held recently in Gore. An audience of over 400 watched Friday night’s ‘Strictly Design’ show at the Gore Town and Country Stadium and then on Saturday evening a sell-out crowd of 700 attended the Gala Awards evening. From the opening chords of ‘Rebel Rebel’ performed by Dunedin’s ‘Dr Glam’ through to the announcement of this year’s winner of The Ensign ‘Award of Excellence’ the audience were treated to a full on evening of fashion and entertainment.

New Zealand winners of Goldwell’s Colorzoom competition were announced at the national award ceremony held at the stunning Water Bar, Blue Hotel in Sydney on Sunday 14th August. Chosen from 10 New Zealand finalists, the lucky winners won the opportunity to compete at the Goldwell Global Event in Miami on the 15th October 2011. The winner of the Global Event will become part of the Goldwell international creative team

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

It was with eager anticipation that we looked forward to our meeting with perhaps one of the most famous hairdressing legends in the world, the International Creative Director for TiGi, Anthony Mascolo. The youngest brother of the Mascolo family, well known as the creators of the worldwide iconic salon chain Toni&Guy and of course the TiGi brand. Anthony and his creative team are constantly on the move, travelling around the globe

The New Zealand finalists have been announced for Goldwell’s Color Zoom 2011 competition. The 2011 Goldwell Color Zoom collection and competition is developed as an inspirational platform for stylists to create fashion forward looks and express their creativity. There are two categories in the competition; New Zealand Creative Colorist for stylists with more than 5 years experience and New Zealand New Talent Colorist, for stylists with less than 5 years experience

All eyes were on London recently as millions of people from around the world watched Prince William and his bride Kate (Catherine) Middleton tie the royal knot at Westminster Abbey. The bride wore an intricate, off-white gown, designed by Sarah Burton, creative director at Alexander McQueen. Her layered veil was made of soft, ivory silk tulle with a trim of hand-embroidered flowers paired with a Cartier ‘halo’ tiara lent to her by the queen. The bridal gown’s sweeping train measured just over

The 3000 strong audience at the two iD Dunedin Fashion Shows were knocked out by the outstanding designer collections gracing the 110m long runway of the Dunedin Railway Station on Friday 8 April and Saturday 9 April 2011. Australian fashion designer, Akira Isogawa, wowed audiences with his collection of exquisite designs that showcased his internationally renowned flair for innovation, intellect and culture. Further highlights included Liz Mitchell's spectacular couture collection.

Melbourne’s Mieka Hairdressing headlined the prestigious Australian Hair Fashion Awards (AHFA) in Brisbane on Sunday 27 March taking home Australian Salon of the Year, Excellence in Training and the coveted Australian Masters Awards. Over 400 hairdressers, makeup artists, stylists, photographers, beauty editors and guests attended the ceremony to witness Mieka take accolades across three categories, the only salon to do so during the Awards’ evening.

KPSS NZ Ltd, the company who distributes KMS California in New Zealand is donating $1 from every KMS product sold until 30th April. Jane Hassall, New Zealand manager says “in this great time of need we want to do as much as possible to help rebuild the future of the beautiful garden city and its residents who have suffered so much. KMS is a top selling brand and we anticipate selling over 25,000 units during this time period. To let their customers know, salons can display a ready made flyer

Sharon Blain, a true ambassador and globally acclaimed as one of the leading creative minds in the industry, has just announced the release of her much awaited collection, After Dark – a juxtapose of her signature style of beautiful dressed long hair, couture gowns and dramatic directional shapes. The collection embodies beauty, fragility and sensuality. Using a combination of hair textures, After Dark delivers a creative twist to her gothic meets Victorian influence throughout the styles.

It was a woolly encounter at the Avenal Woolstore in Invercargill recently. The show, I love Invers 2, attracted 400 fashion lovers wanting their first glimpse into the new trends of the coming season. New Zealand fashion label Huffer was the crowd favourite on the night with designer Dan Buckley bringing his cool factor to the catwalk. Proceeds from the event went to the SPCA and Paw Justice. Paw Justice ambassador Siobhan Marshall was modelling on the night.

The 2010-2011 AIPP Awards Ceremony was held on Sunday, 7 November at Mondial Coiffure Beauté in paris, honouring the artistic achievements of five internationally acclaimed hairstylists & hair salons: Carita (France), Rush (United Kingdom), Gemis (Spain), é Salon (Australia) and Felicitas (Spain). Roberto Pissimiglia, President of the AIPP (Association Internationale Presse Professionnelle Coiffure), hosted the 14th annual event

We attended a fabulous ceremony at Christchurch’s Convention Centre on Saturday night the 16th of October. Bettjemans, from Auckland, collected four awards including the top award of the evening, the 2010 Kitomba NZARH Business Award. Bettjemans were also recognised for their excellence in marketing; as the most successful large salon business; and Sasha Lenski, stylist at Bettjemans, also won the Schwarzkopf Professional stylist of the Year Award

Images joined 450 people in Christchurch on the 17th October, including the best of the industry and experienced the glitz and glamour of the Awards dinner at the Hotel Grand Chancellor as the crème de la crème of New Zealand hairdressers” had their opportunity to compete for the three top industry titles of 2010 Supreme Hairdresser, 2010 Oceanic Hairdressing Master and the winner of the NZARH Photographic Competition.   

Against a beautiful Botticelli backdrop, the theme and inspiration for the latest Trelise Cooper collection was romantic, sexy and so gorgeously Italian. Elegance could best describe the design mood with some interesting renaissance prints, knee high boots, see through chiffons and black tailored suits, It could have been easy to imagine the models strutting the catwalks of Milan, a collection that even the material girl herself would have been proud

One show that never fails to impress is Zambesi. Having been devotees of the label for many years, we are always assured of a wonderful night out! It is a testament to the designers that while others follow the usual trends, Zambesi always manages to come up with something different. Every new season brings a fresh slant and new interpretations and this year was no exception with Zambesi putting together a avant-garde collection

Jane Iredale mineral cosmetics celebrated the launch of their new ‘Perfectly Nude’ collection with a stunning media event in the Orams Marine Village Conference and Function Lounge overlooking Auckland’s beautiful Westhaven Marina. Special guest was International makeup artist for jane iredale Kevin Mendelson along with New Zealand’s own Nikki Lovrich. While sipping on french bubbly and a wonderful array of canapes media and celebrity guests

On Tuesday 24th August the Rt Hon Helen Clark officially opened the new Servilles Academy of Hairdressing at an intimate event hosted by Paul Serville and Servilles CEO Jackie Allum. The new Servilles Academy of Hairdressing and Servilles head office premises are located over three levels and 2,725 m2 at 131 Queen Street in Auckland’s city centre. “We are finally all back together [head office and academy] under one roof.

Australian designer label and pioneer of organic fashion, ‘gorman’ hosted an intimate collection preview lunch within the lush surrounds of The Gazebo Wine Garden, Elizabeth Bay. Heralding gorman organic’s seventh season, Samantha Harris ‘opened’ in a ‘waterpaint’ printed Bubble dress which was worked back to an oversized matching bow, all made of organic cotton and 35% of the looks shown were organic.

China is at the same time a hairdresser’s paradise and a blank canvas. That’s the opinion of master hair stylist Paul Serville who recently returned from hosting an innovative L’Oréal Master class programme in the Republic. “It’s a delight because the Chinese have the most amazing hair but it’s a blank canvas because fashion and beauty are way more popular than hair styling.” Said Paul. Auckland based Serville spent three weeks

Shane Henning of Sydney’s Noddys on King salon was named the 2010 Hair Expo Australian Hairdresser of the Year, as part of the Schwarzkopf Professional Hair Expo Awards 2010. In a unique industry achievement, Henning beat five other top Australian hairdressers, to take out the award for a record-breaking fifth time. Having previously won the title in 1999, 2000, 2002 and 2003

Michael Gordon and Craig Teper’s revealing and inspirational portrait of how one extraordinary man changed the world with a pair of scissors, had its world premiere at the 2010 tribeca film festival held in Manhatten in April. A fast-paced feature documentary spanning 80 years of revolution in history and culture, Vidal Sassoon The Movie is a true rags to riches tale, tracing Sassoon’s path from a london orphanage to international success

London Fashion Week :MARK FAST - This softly spoken Canadian knitter has become a champion of size-inclusive modelling, making headlines the world over. This year his collection featured waterfall scarf trails and flippy skirts in viscose knits here and there. But mostly he kept to his tried and tested device of matte, elastic open-stitch cobwebby knits, engineered to cling to everything you’ve got. Clean, modern, sexy and sporty

‘Twenty Ten’ brings together the talents of the entire Lee Preston Artistic Team. It has been the focus of the Artistic Team this year to work as a team, rather than as individuals working together. The main focus for the collection was to illustrate the work they do as a team, as well as the skills of the individuals involved in the team. As a successful boutique salon, Lee Preston Hairdressing is known for their cutting and colour departments

If you have ever felt the urge to simply pack your travel bags and jump on a plane to a beautiful Pacific island - then there is a hundred reasons why Rarotonga could be for you. Idyllic, peaceful and romantic, the Cook Islands are as close as you can get to paradise. Comprising of 15 amazing islands spread over 2.25 million Sq km, with the capital Rarotonga and the breathtaking Aitutaki only 45 mins north by air, there is much to see.

The name Kevin Murphy has long been associated with his various celebrity clients, but the Australian hairstylist is a name recognized in his own right. Murphy’s list of clients reads like a ‘who’s who’ (or ‘who’s gorgeous’) in Hollywood; he has styled Cate Blanchett, Naomi Watts, Selma Blair, Monica Belucci, Vanessa Hudgens, Heidi Klum, Australia’s current top three supermodel exports, Miranda Kerr, Catherine McNeil and Jessica Hart, and is known for being the Minogue sisters’ stylist of choice

Associated with the catwalks of Paris, New York and Milan, the images of famous fashion photographers, and the advertising campaigns of the most prestigious houses, Odile Gilbert’s work as a hairstylist has been one of the mainstays of the fashion industry for the past decade. Born in Brittany, Odile started her career in 1975 as an apprentice in the Paris studio and salon of the late Bruno Pittini where she learned the basics of the profession.

The launch party for the exquisite Chaun Spa took place on the 16th April at the five star Langham Hotel in Symonds Street. Images were invited to be part of this very special occasion. We were delighted to be given a personal tour of this absolutely stunning urban oasis and wow!... we were impressed! The newly built 4 million dollar Chaun Spa facility has six treatment rooms, individual and dual suites, a heated outdoor pool and jacuzzi, relaxation lounges and a state-of-the-art fitness centre.

After attending L’Oreal Professional’s Business Forum at the Sheraton 4 points Hotel on Friday we made our way over the bridge to North Ryde where the new Tigi Creative Academy was celebrating its official opening that evening. Located in the new division of Macquarie Industrial Park in Eden Park Drive the Academy stands out from its prominent ground floor corner position underneath Tigi’s Australian & NZ Head Office on the first floor.