Hosted by professional stylist and haircare expert, Chlöe Swift, our Artist Spotlight Stage featured the hottest new talent and trailblazers leading the way. Brand-new for 2023, there were a whole host of incredible looks created throughout the pods. Keep reading to find out more about what went on...
Saturday 14th October
Pod 1
10.30 - 11.30 Rory Mason from Rory Antonio
11.30 - 12.30 Daniel Argenio
12.30 - 13.30 Dylan McConnachie
13:30 - 14:40 Vinny Brennan
14.30 - 15.30 Ryan Lewis
Pod 2
10:30 - 11:30 Sid Da Barber
12:30 - 13:30 Charlie Gray
13:30 - 14:30 Leanne Pollard, The Hair & Beauty Academy
14:30 - 15:30 Jonathan Neale
15:30 - 16:30 Daz Lloyd
Pod 3
11.30 - 12.30 Amir Tilavi
12:30 - 13:30 Gaz Curley
13:30 - 14:30 James Parr
14:30 - 15:30 Vinay
15:30 - 16.30 Ainsley Cuts
Day One Round-Up
Rory Mason, finalist for Midlands Hairdresser of the Year at the British Hairdressing Awards 2023, sponsored by Schwarzkopf Professional, took to the Artist Spotlight Stage to share a creative wedding updo utilising extensions and hair nets. The look was all about creating volume and making an impact, while he also shared tips for working with damaged hair.
Meanwhile, Sid Da Barber set to work cutting a mid skin fade, keeping the look shorter at the back and completing the style with a carefully crafted quiff. Roots & Co director Vinay Lakhatariya made light work of an ultra-clean skin fade, and spoke to visitors about the importance of branding.
Daniel Argenio was also showcasing his skills with extensions, creating a soft glam look inspired by the work he does in his Chelsea-based Salon.
Sunday 15th October
Pod 1
10.30 - 11.30 Giuseppe Manco
11.30 - 12.30 Emy Rocabella
12.30 - 13.30 Lyla May Woolley
13.30 - 14.30 Victoria Tryhorn, Smith England
14:30 - 15:30 Ben Brazzo
15.30 - 16.30 Emma Simmons
16.30 - 17.30 Andrew Plester
Pod 2
10.30 - 11.30 Luca Jones
11.30 - 12.30 Teresa Weller
12:30 - 13:30 Zanear Barber
13.30 - 14.30 Sophie Goldsworthy
14.30 - 15.30 Evelina Lundgren
15.30 - 16.30 Charles Rose
16.30 - 17.30 Danny Malone
Pod 3
10.30 - 11.30 Bethan Brennan, Creswell Barbers
11:30 - 12:30 Wez Jones
12:30 - 13:30 Natalie Cresswell
13:30 - 14:30 Mark McKenzie
14:30 - 15:30 Hollie Watson
15:30 - 16:30 Liv Bain
16:30 - 17:30 Rose Sinclair
Day Two Round-Up
Liv Bain took to the stage to showcase a style incorporating different textures, utilising gold leaf to amplify the look and make it more editorial.
Andrew Plester also spoke about elevating a style, explaining that he met his model Chen in a pub and thought she already had a great look, but wanted to help take her existing cut to the next level.
Meanwhile, Emma Simmons took the opportunity to work on a curly cut, sharing that she still thinks education is lacking in regards to this hair type, and was hoping to share some tips with visitors.
Monday 16th October
Pod 1
10:30 - 11:30 Dean Lawton Taylor @ Clipso
11:30 - 12:30 Fergal Doyle
12:30 - 13:30 SNAP! Competition Winners Announced
13:30 - 14:30 Sasha Perkes
14:30 - 15:30 John Ross
15:30 - 16:30 Farah Naz
Pod 2
10:30 - 11:30 Robert Kirby
11:30 - 12:30 Darrel Starkey
12:30 - 13:30 SNAP! Competition Winners Announced
13:30 - 14:30 Melissa Timperley
14:30 - 15:30 Kat Duke, Jack and the Wolfe
15:30 - 16:30 Sammy Bickle
Pod 3
10:30 - 11:30 Lucy Bryan
11:30 - 12:30 Lucy Boodell, Goldsworthys
12:30 - 13:30 SNAP! Competition Winners Announced
13:30 - 14:30 Aimee Newman
14:30 - 15:30 Heather Robertson
Day Three Round-Up
Robert Kirby was demonstrating his skill with artificial wigs – that he had coloured himself. He explained his process behind the colour journey, and added that despite common misconceptions, wigs are actually harder to work with than real hair as they don't behave the same way. However, he added that the benefit of using wigs is that you can be more creative and out of the box. While working on the Artist Spotlight Stage, Robert took time time to pause and chat to students passing by, sharing his wealth of knowledge.
Wigs appeared to be the theme of the morning, with Fergal Doyle also demonstrating his skills. He showcased a Barbie-inspired, hyper-feminine concept, which also featured a slight nod to the upcoming film, Priscilla. Fergal decided to create two styles on one model, starting with a down look before transforming it into a powerful up-do. Explaining his inspiration in more detail, he said: "I wanted to create a salon-friendly look, keeping Barbie modern, soft and wearable."
Darrel Starkey is known for his wig-making skills, so it's no surprise he also chose to illustrate this while on the Artist Spotlight Stage. His look incorporated textured wefts hand-sewn from protein hair, in an extreme style. Chatting about his experience on the stage, Darrel said: "As an independent artist, it's really nice to be able to showcase me and my work, in whatever way I choose."
Lucy Boodell took a different approach to working with a wig on stage, sharing the creation process. She shared: "I do a lot of wig making and working with wigs, so I thought, why now showcase it at Salon?" She also echoed Robert, adding: "You can look at wigs and think it's easy, but a lot of time and effort goes into making them, cutting them and colouring them."
Sasha Perkes took to the stage to showcase stunning orange, peachy coloured hair with custom hair extensions for an added feather effect and dramatic finish.
Joe from Melissa Timperley Salons took to the stage to showcase a pink bixie cut. He said: “I wanted to showcase that sometimes it’s not about what you take off, it’s about what you leave on,” before taking the weight out of the cut, shattering the layers, and taking out corners to create little features, live, and styling to complete the look.
Kat Duke from Jack & The Wolfe created a vivid pink look inspired by Y2K/Bratz, by adding custom coloured hair pieces and micro-crimps for added texture and “little pops”, for an overall cool and dramatic look.
Meanwhile, Heather Robertson prepped her model’s hair in her pod by blow-drying, explaining to the audience the importance of prepping the hair properly, before creating a stunning updo.
If you're interested in finding out what else happened at Salon International, why not take a peak at the HJ Stage round-up?
