Harrison Sansom of A.H Salon in Sydney is the poster child of throwing your hat in the ring – after entering four categories in the 2024 Hair Festival Competitions, he not only medalled in every category, but was also awarded the title of overall Barber Champion at the event. Harrison took home the title of first place in Women’s Street Style and medalled in Men’s Total Look, Men’s Street Style and Inspired by Colour, as well, receiving the trophies and prize money that goes with these accolades.
“For my Women’s Street Style hair cut I wanted to create something that was true to myself and that showcased precision hair cutting but also to be exciting and engaging for the crowd to watch,” Harrison revealed. “I cut a very sharp graduated bob and cut the internal shape first but left the external shape until the last five minutes after drying and then cut the remainder, which I felt looked quite cool on stage as that’s when the crowd could see the vision and see the hair come alive.”
With these medals on the mantle. Harrison extols the possibilities of competing in live competitions, with Hair Festival 2025 rapidly approaching to test your skills.
“The Hair Festival competitions provide a platform to demonstrate unique skills and vision. I feel this is an amazing space for hairdressers and apprentices to build their confidence with on stage performance but also to get creative and showcase their work. Winning or even participating can enhance your reputation and elevate your career,” he shared. “I love that it allows the individual artist to be creative and showcase their work in front of lots of other hairdressers in the industry. I also really appreciate that it is the raw haircut or colour with no editing capabilities and showcases the actual live image.”
Nine categories across men’s hair, women’s styling, colour, new skills and more are available in the Hair Festival Competitions, as well as three overall Hair Festival Champions named in men’s, women’s and emerging talent. The Competitions take place on Monday, June 30, at The ICC, Sydney, across two stages in the Festival Hub. They are a highlight in hairdressing’s bona fide weekend alongside versatile Education Sessions, the REALtalk Business Forum for salon leaders, the Wonderland party and free Festival Hub of activations across the full Hair Festival weekend on June 29 and 30.
For more information visit www.hairfestival.com.au
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