MBFWA 19: Aje, TONI&GUY and ghd Open Under Sydney Backdrop

The who’s who of the Australian fashion scene glammed up for one of the most important nights of the year; the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Australia 2019 (MBFWA) opening show. This year Aje had the privilege of opening fashion week with a stunning spectacle that showcased two of Australia’s iconic landmarks in all their glory: the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House.

Models strutted their stuff on a long, outdoor catwalk for the high end fashion label, created by Edwina Forest and Adrian Norris 11 years ago, at the newly unveiled Campbell’s Store down in The Rocks.

The collection showcased a palette of colours synonymous with the typical Australian landscape – eucalyptus greens, outback dust reds, golden yellow wattles, dusty pinks, sandy beiges and midnight blacks, with embroidery showcasing Australian natives and even typical Aussie road signs.

TONI&GUY had the honour of being the show’s official hair sponsor, under the direction of Katy Reeve, while ghd was the official hair tool partner under the direction of Pauline McCabe. Katy and Pauline collaborated to create a look that embodied the new season collection and ensure the hair complemented the Australian aesthetic and landscape showcased.

Inspired by ‘the land and the sea’, the hair featured strong partings to mirror the coast lines of Australia and gentle waves inspired by the ocean. Hints of masculinity were paired with soft, feminine touches in perfect synergy.

“Tough but beautiful” was how Katy Reeve described the hair. “What we’re creating is hair to complement the collection as hair always should. We’re doing this with a combination of textures,” she said.

Katy explained the hair created was “like the ocean”.

“Like the waves in the ocean, the hair has movement,” she said. “It’s not too big or too done.”

Only two products were needed the create the “less is more” styles – label.m Wax Spray Fashion Edition, a spray wax which was created specifically for London Fashion Week, and label.m Blowout Spray.

“We prepped the hair with label.m Blowout Spray, which is like a primer for the hair, and used label.m Wax Spray on the roots, which was then smudged through to the mid-ends to give it that lived-in look.” Depending on the length of the hair, a ghd curve soft curl tong or ghd classic curl tong was used to give the hair a natural soft ‘s’ bend.

“The product at the roots was used to give it that natural but strong look and there’s a soft bend in the hair for a hit of light,” Katy said.

Katy said it was extremely exciting and an honour to be involved in the opening show and the hair looks would subsequently be translated into all 24 TONI&GUY salons.

“We’re so proud to be an official hair sponsor of MBFWA,” she said. “The looks will be shared with our 150 staff that work in the salons through videos and how-tos.”

The looks will also be shared across TONI&GUY’s social media channels post-show for those wanting to create the look at home themselves using ghd and TONI&GUY products.

Pauline emphasisesd that she didn’t want the hair looking too over-done. “Katy and I wanted to ensure that the hair didn’t feel too ‘overdone’, so it had a very loose, natural feel to it,” she said. “We had a vision to create hair that was not heavily styled, but instead echoed the inspiration behind the collection with soft, clean textures that complement the natural hair formation. It has been a pleasure to work alongside Katy to bring this vision to life.”