Thousands of hair professionals from the UK and Europe welcomed the return of the Salon International Expo at ExCeL London from 8 to 10 October.
They gathered for three full days of education, inspiration and interaction. Salon International featured key brands from across the industry, including colour houses, software systems, education providers, distributors and more. There were an array of new launches taking place, in addition to plenty of special offers and hands-on demonstrations.
A big component of the event was the HJ Stage, which featured a dazzling array of cutting and styling, hair wrapping and wigs, and the recreating of collections.
Salon owner and Schwarzkopf Professional colour master, Stacey Whyte, showcased two of her favourite looks from her latest collection ‘Resolute’. Stacey created 3D-like high-end, wet-look waves for her first look, followed by a high ponytail made with wire, tape and texturising spray for her second look. When asked where she gets her inspiration from, Stacey says: “I get inspiration from everywhere. TV, catwalk, architecture, the elements, everything.”
Tracey Ann Smith, alongside ASP artistic rebel team members, Mia Rowley, Andrew Gladwell and Amy Goodwin, produced looks with sunflowers, Avant Garde fishtails, and copper breakthroughs. Tracey said: “The brilliant thing about working with this hair is the opportunity to really twist and bend it, and when working on photographs, it can really be brought to life.”
Martin Crean and the Mode team created three striking looks in icy blue, clean white and vibrant red. The looks included dramatic undercuts, bobs and punky crops. All paired with cyber punk streetwear, bomber jackets and knee high boots.
A quintessentially Sophia Hilton catwalk kicked off her show complete with drag queens, braids and vivids. Sophia talked the audience through how to price vivid colour correctly and then her and the team undertook live challenges that included a buzz cut and a speedy braid cut. The motto of the day? “Do things that scare you!” (Source: https://www.hji.co.uk/)