View Schwarzkopf Professional Essential Looks: The Spirit Collection

Welcome The Spirit Collection, our Australian and New Zealand interpretation of the Schwarzkopf Professional Essential Looks 1.0 SS20 trends. Showcasing our local creativity and innovating artistry in an otherwise difficult year, The Spirit Collection presents an aesthetic predicated on a continual sense of change or flux.

Built by a team of award-winning editorial and creative hair artists consisting of Nic Shiun, Travis Balcke and Jason Fassbender, the artists created their versions of the three global trends – Punk Spirit, Refined Traditions and Let It Bloom.

The collection was creatively directed by Anna Plunkett and Luke Sales from Romance Was Born, with the pair fusing design and storytelling in a final collection that celebrates life and identity. Schwarzkopf Professional ANZ Ambassador Dee Parker Attwood joined virtually from lockdown in Melbourne to offer support and advice to the artists.

Artist Rémi Jones pulled from his image archives to provide the set backdrops, which included Australian and New Zealand landscapes and fragments of time. Highlights included Sydney Park during Wattle Season and New Zealand’s rocky landscapes.

Trend 1 is Punk Spirit, with looks created by Nic and Jason to showcase a quirky, rebellious spirit, finished with a softer twist – think layering, transparency and a more subtle and moody glamour.

“This season Essential Looks are really on-trend at the moment and what our customers are asking for, for Punk Spirit we are seeing a lot of short fringes, layering at the back, and a lot of texture. It can be subtle but also fun,” Nic explained.

“Punk Spirt to me was about what is going on right now,” Jason agreed. “There is a rebellion out there, there is a push back and I can’t help but think of Vivian Westwood’s references to anarchy when I was creating my look. The great thing about Punk Spirit in 2020 is that we’ve had so many iterations of punk over the years, and they’ve come together to form today’s version, which is pretty spectacular. People aren’t afraid of change anymore, and we are seeing a big shift in salon with clients coming to us after the lockdown period saying they want to experiment with their hair. They want to try colour; they want a cut.”

The Refined Traditions aesthetic, with looks by Travis and Nic, subverts timeless looks and classic shapes to reinvent tradition with dual flair and precision.

“I feel like we’ve simplified and stripped back life at this point in time, and it’s reflected in this look,” Travis explained.

“In our salons we do a lot of creative colour, like pink and blue. Schwarzkopf Professional gives us a lot of room to be creative. The BLONDME Lightener is amazing and the condition of the hair after lightening is phenomenal,” Nic added.

Finally, the Let It Bloom trend presents distinctly Australian florals for a truly romantic look, offering emerging optimism and bright beauty through creative expression.

“Let It Bloom for me was the girl coming into herself, but also having that confidence about who she is. She’s embracing her own new natural,” Travis said. “Big hair has definitely come back; it’s about encouraging people to embrace what they have. There are so many things that have been invented to remove volume from the hair, so Let It Bloom for me was about embracing the hair that you have. So, if you have big hair or frizzy hair then sometimes that can be an amazing thing too! It’s not always about hiding those things because volume is incredible, frizz can look ethereal.”

“We’re finally at a stage in beauty where we are celebrating uniqueness, and there is a push from consumers to have a better representation of their individuality. People really want to look like a better version of themselves,” Jason continued. “We haven’t tried to change the models too much. We’ve really just enhanced what the models already have, and I think that’s a representation of Australia and New Zealand’s approach to beauty.”