On Sunday 15 October, the world’s most inspiring hair artists took to the stage in one spectacular show. The Alternative Hair Show (AHS) returned for its 41st year at the ICC Capital Suite in ExCel London at Salon International. Welcoming the most innovative hair artists to London for a live extravaganza titled ‘Tapestry’, the event also hosted the globally renowned International Visionary Award finals.
Long-time AHS supporter, Linda Evans, was first to arrive on stage before founder of the AHS, Tony Rizzo, and President of AHS, Anthony Mascolo, emerged to host the show. Each AHS Artist was presented with a trophy and acknowledgement of their hard work. Next came the announcement of hairdressing legend, Trevor Sorbie MBE, as the new Worldwide Honorary Patron of the AHS. Tony Rizzo commented: “We think it is fitting that the man who Vidal Sassoon called the ‘best hairdresser’ is the new worldwide patron.”
Trevor was given a one-of-a-kind trophy and shared a heartfelt speech with the crowd. He began by saying: “What an honour for me to follow in the footsteps of my hairdressing hero, Vidal Sassoon. When I started in hairdressing, I had no idea of the future of my life. In fact, at one point I gave up hairdressing because I thought I was no good. I was so wrong.”
Trevor went on to talk about Tony’s special affinity for the Blood Cancer charity 'Fighting Leukaemia' and how important the Alternative Hair Show is when it comes to annual fundraising for the charity. He said: “Tony lost his son to leukaemia, and I can’t think of anything worse. But Tony’s determination and passion to want to help others who are in a similar situation through a charity is one of the most commendable things a human being can do. Tony deserves his own medal because he is a man of action.”
The International Visionary Awards opened the show. All 51 finalists took to the stage with their models before the winners were announced. The winners were:
Mens
Winner - Daniel Gallego , Spain
Runner up - Yildis Charbachi, Sweden
Cut and Colour
Winner - Jaeyoung Lee, South Korea
Runner up - Sara Piera Cano, Spain
Avant Garde
Winner - Ulderico Nasti , Italy
Runner up - Tom Yek Teng Siong - Malaysia
The Alternative Hair Show 2023 then commenced with a showcase of the world’s most renowned artistic teams presented in three segments, packed with stunningly beautiful, intricate and inspired work. Tony Rizzo, Anthony Mascolo and Trevor Sorbie MBE closed the show presenting a cheque to announce that this year’s show had raised a total of £121,000. The night was testament to how art and charity can support one another in the most wonderful way.
Show Teams:
Dmitry Vinokurov
Beauty Underground
Lorenzo Marchelle
Tindaro Orifici
Ken Zhou
Gogen
HC Salon
Viktoria Viradii
Saco
Sanrizz
Lucian Busuioc
Shogo Ideguchi
Rudy Mostarda
Trevor Sorbie Creative Team
What else happened at Salon International 2023? Read next: Say Hello To The Denman Global Stage Star Winner 2023
Image credits: Alex Barron-Hough