Alongside the innovations on the Hair Expo 2019 floor, three stages situated on each side of the expo space brought the event to life, with constant, free education delivered to packed out audiences. In 20 minute sessions all day, every day of the long weekend, the Main Stage, Men’s Stage and Hot Tools sponsored Styling Stage hosted some massive names and a range of inspiring shows. All in all, over 100 shows meant there was always something to do and lots to learn at Hair Expo.
The festivities began around 11am on Saturday, as the Main Stage started its agenda and filling seats. On the Saturday, acclaimed educator Dario Cotroneo took to the stage, as well as famed groups and brands such as the UK FAME Team, the WAHL education and artistic team and Glampalm, among others, covering cutting-edge collections, clipper work and styling techniques. Robert Cromeans and Angus Mitchell of Paul Mitchell were huge international drawcards to kick off the weekend’s outstanding agenda.
On the Men’s Stage, new collections, classic barbering, shaving and barbering for hairdressers were all must-attend topics for men’s hair enthusiasts, with educators such as Jules Tognini and lil’ off the top, Jake Putan and Eoin McCarthy taking charge. The Styling Stage saw Same James, Lizzie Liros, Seamless1, the Hot Tools Australia Team and other styling experts teach on sustainable styling, romantic braids, hair extensions, frizz control and express styling hacks.
Sunday proved a huge day for the stages, with over 40 shows on expo’s busiest day, and nary a seat in sight at the busy stage shows. The Main Stage welcomed Guy Tang as a major international headliner to present his only show for the expo, focusing on colour identity. Other brands made a huge splash, as the Box Hill Institute and Sustainable Salons’ Shaun McGrath educated on artistic wiggery, lil’ off the top partnered with Excellent Edges, Nick Irwin showcased ANTIFY, Peter Beckett educated for Moroccanoil, the Evo team created cool looks on stage, Palmer&Company finished off the day and Robert and Angus from Paul Mitchell returned to present. Big name hairdressers also educating at this spot included Belinda Keeley, Kobi Bokshish with Stevie English, Emiliano and Lisa Vitale and Sam James, Lorna Evans, Brad Ngata and the Aussie FAME Team, becoming a veritable who’s who in hairdressing. A Q and A with hairdresser to the stars, Jen Atkin, was a daily highlight.
The Men’s Stage was equally active, and features included sessions on precision cutting, alternative techniques, runway looks and more from iconic barber brands such as Kings Domain, WAHL, lil’ off the top, Evo, Andis, Reuzel and the Barbery Artistic Team, with men’s hair heroes leading the way. The Styling Stage saw over a dozen shows with a focus on curls, red carpet hair, long hair looks and Avant Garde, with returning favourites from Saturday and new faces such as Sarah Laidlaw, Paula Hibbard and the O&M Style Stars.
On the final day of the expo, the stages stayed frenetic. The Main Stage welcomed an Excellent Edges dream team including Kobi Bokshish, Sam Overton, Nikki Porter, Matt Minol and Pete Walstab, while the legends at Royals Hair, Mary Alamine and Travis Bandiera, presented on behalf of O&M. Pulp Riot took to the stage to present bright, bold, clickable colour, both the UK and Australian FAME Teams presented new collections. The day ended with a live competition in collaboration with TAFE and WorldSkills in a dynamic and exciting presentation.
Barber Brands was a returning face on the Men’s Stage, educating at different times on shaving and beard work, while Cole Thompson for Hattori Hanzo Shears taught the skills for precision cutting – while the brand also educated in precision styling on the Styling Stage. Many of the big name brands from the first two days returned to wrap up expo with more skills and must-see men’s techniques to take back to the salon. The education continued on the Styling Stage as well, as Hot Tools continued their diverse education portfolio, Lorna Evans taught deconstruction and reconstruction in styling and Jodie XO and the Australian/NZ Young Gun taught the prevalent topic of social media styling.
There was never a boring moment at Hair Expo, especially with three stages dedicated to diverse, comprehensive, awe-inspiring education complementary with the admission ticket. With hairdressing legends inspiring from the stages, to the classroom, events and beyond, you couldn’t turn around without something inspiring catching your eye – just the way we like it.
For more information visit www.hairexpoaustralia.com.au
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