Hj's british hairdressing awards 2015: the winners

The winners of the British Hairdressing Awards, sponsored by Schwarzkopf Professional have been announced. The hairdressing elite flocked to London's glamorous Grosvenor Hotel last night to see who would be crowned the best of the best in the annual HJ British Hairdressing Awards, sponsored by Schwarzkopf Professional. Winners were chosen across the nine regional and six specialist categories before the coveted British Hairdresser of the Year title was revealed. The crowd were welcomed by TV personality, David Walliams who had everyone howling with laughter with his repertoire of industry jokes before moving onto the first awards of the night; the regional category. X Factor winner, Ben Haenow then took to the stage before winners in the specialist category were announced. [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWrIa_TUfC4[/youtube] It was then time to move onto the most anticipated award of the evening; The British Hairdresser of the Year. This year's nominees, Darren Ambrose, Errol Douglas, Mark Hayes, Gary Hooker & Michael Young, Akin Konizi, Mark Leeson & Jamie Stevens put on a stunning showcase of their nominated collections before Darren Ambrose took home the title. He described his collection of beautiful imagery as, 'a collection paying homage to strong iconic woman influenced by oil paintings on canvas using an amalgamation of colour techniques and couture.' When accepting his award Darren said: 'I'm just absolutely gobsmacked. Massive thank-you to my wife Jackie and to my team who are amazing guys.' [hji-gallery-legacy] HJ's British Hairdressing Awards 2015 Midlands Hairdresser of the Year Shaun Hall, Mark Leeson, Chesterfield, Derbyshire North Western Hairdresser of the Year  Gary Taylor, Edward & Co., Brighouse, West Yorkshire Northern Ireland Hairdresser of the Year Julie Cherry and Collette Fitzpatrick, Shane Bennett Salon, Co. Down Scottish Hairdresser of the Year Caroline Sanderson and Claire McIntyre, Ego Hair Design, Inverness North Eastern Hairdresser of the Year Jill Watkins-Wright, Watkins-Wright Hairdressing, Thirsk, North Yorkshire Southern Hairdresser of the Year Robert Masciave, Metropolis Hairdressing, Kingston-upon-Thames Wales and South West Hairdresser of the Year Martin Crean, Mode, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire Eastern Hairdresser of the Year Callum Standen-May, The Egg, Norwich London Hairdresser of the Year Cos Sakkas, Toni & Guy, Sloane Square. This is a third win for Cos meaning he will now enter the British Hairdressing Awards Hall of Fame! Avant Garde Hairdresser of the Year Lucie Monbillard, seanhanna, London Newcomer of the Year Sophie Springett, Toni & Guy, South Kensington, London Men's Hairdresser of the Year Marcus King, Hooker & Young, Wynyard, Billingham Afro Hairdresser of the Year Michelle Thompson, Francesco Group Advanced Academy, Stafford Artistic Team of the Year Shane Bennett Salon, Hillsborough, Co. Down Schwarzkopf Professional British Colour Technician of the Year Issie Churcher, HOB Salons, Camden, London British Hairdresser of the Year Darren Ambrose