This interactive stage was filled with the hottest new talent and industry trailblazers...
The HJ Academy Stage at Salon International 2024 featured some of the best emerging talent. Hosted by Fergal Doyle, it featured three pods at floor level allowing visitors the chance to get close to the action, ask questions and take tips and tricks back to the salon with them. This year also featured a dedicated barbering pod, highlighting the technical expertise from this side of the industry.
Take a look at the timetable below and keep scrolling to see round ups of what the HJ team saw each day...
Saturday 12 October
HJ Pod 1
10.30 - 11.30 Hannah Marcia Larden
11.30 - 12.30 Sasha Perkes
13.30 - 14.30 Darrel Starkey
14.30 - 15.30 Amy Sillis
15.30 - 16.30 Giuseppe Manco
HJ Pod 2
12.30 - 13.30 Aaron Firmstone
13.30 - 14.30 Poppy Devine-Smith
15.30 - 16.30 India Sparacia
Modern Barber Pod 3
10.30 - 11.30 Aaron Ottley
11.30 - 12.30 Aurelija Norvaisiene
12.30 - 13.30 Aaron Halsey
13.30 - 14.30 Jai-Li Rayneau
14.30 - 15.30 Must Dash Barber
Jai-Li Rayneau
Raw Talent 2024 Graduate Finalist Jai-Li showcase Cornrow braiding. Her business aim? To try and bridge the gap between barbering and hairdressing when it comes to braiding. Working from both Hairjessers in Furzton and barbershop Do it for the Heart, Jai-Li is on a misison to change the face of braiding.
Poppy Devine
A slick wet look, inspired by the ocean. Poppy explains: "Myself and Tracey Devine Smith coloured a wig and then we liked how much it looked like a sea creature with the green and lilac colouring. So I thought I'd take it a step further with the wet look styling."
Darrel Starkey
A gorgeous, sculptural Afro was Darrel's style of choice for the HJ Academy stage. “I always teach “Think WIG” - that's Where Is it Going?" If it's a hair loss patient it needs it to look natural, for a show like this you need structure, for a drag queen it needs to be glued to within an inch of its life!"
Aaron Halsey, Max Oliver Lewes
Aaron cut a Mod cut where versatility was key. "I want the client to be able to style it sharp or more undone," he says.
MustDash Barber
A Modern Mullet that is very short at the front moving into longer lengths at the back. "Today we are re-shaping a grown-out mullet, I want to change it up a bit."
Sunday 13 October
HJ Pod 1
10.30 - 11.30 Sammy Bickle
11.30 - 12.30 Casey Styles
12.30 - 13.30 George Newton-Beck
13.30 - 14.30 Ben Brazzo
14.30 - 15.30 Darcy Hosford
15.30 - 16.30 Sara Bergantini
16.30 - 17.30 Lucy Bryan
HJ Pod 2
10.30 - 11.30 Kelly Rowney
11.30 - 12.30 Teresa Weller
12.30 - 13.30 Victoria Tryhorn
13.30 - 14.30 Emma Simmons
14.30 - 15.30 Lucy Upton
15.30 - 16.30 Michelle Summers-Davies
16.30 - 17.30 Andi Pearce
Modern Barber Pod 3
10.30 - 11.30 Sid Da Barber
11.30 - 12.30 Liv Plum
12.30 - 13.30 Tommy Winding
13.30 - 14.30 Emma Moriarty-Richardson
14.30 - 15.30 Dan Burnett
15.30 - 16.30 Jaiden McCarthy
16.30 - 17.30 Killian Maddison
Sammy Bickle
Sammy showcased a bold session look, featuring an extra-long hair piece created out of hair strands and polystyrene. She talked the audience through the creation of the hair piece, while also sharing general session styling tips and tricks. Discussing her inspiration for the hair look, Sammy said: "I wanted to portray a sense of power – that you can be a boss in the board room and still have hair down to the floor."
Kelly Rowney
While on the HJ Academy Stage, Kelly recreated a disconnected wolf cut she she submitted as part of her BHA Collection, where she has been named a finalist. Offering up advice for those thinking of entering the competition next year, she said: "Prep, prep, prep! Be brave, experiment and be open-minded to change." Finishing off her look, Kelly added a slight wave in the hair, finishing with texturising spray to highlight the cut.
Sid Da Barber
Sid decided to cut a short back and sides, with a slight taper and some sharpness around the edges. He explained to visitors that his goal was to keep as much length as possible at the front, before diffusing the hair to enhance his model's perm.
Casey Styles
Casey's theme for her hair look on the HJ Academy Stage was 'We Can't Hear You Over All This Noise'. She utilised Koroba braids – an African technique that was used 5,000 years ago. Koroba means 'basket' in Yoruba, and is used as a map to direct you into the afro. To build the look, the hair was prepped with a base of cane rows, and afro kinky hair was crotched in. She also used a brick layer technique to add volume.
Teresa Weller
Teresa, another finalist at this year's British Hairdressing Awards, sponsored by Schwarzkopf Professional, showcased a hair-up. She explained that she wanted to let the hair do the talking, by creating lots of volume (with the help of some padding). To finish off her look, she used a working hairspray, explaining: "These are great because you can just keep moulding and moulding."
Liv Plum
Liv was on hand to showcase a disconnected cut with a taper, leaving the edges "nice and soft for a touch of femininity". To enhance her model's curls, she dried the cit with a diffuser. When asked if this cut would only work for clients with curly hair, she explained: "No, this look could work on different textures – because I've taken some of the weight away it sits really nicely."
George Newton-Beck
George decided to create an editorial look by using the hair as makeup, taking extensions around the side of the face and neck and working them into intricate swirls. To provide hold and shine, he mixed together gel with oil which gave the perfect wet-look finish.
Victoria Tryhorn
Victoria, a former winner of Assistant of the Year at the British Hairdressing Business Awards, created a grunge wave, alternating the direction of the iron throughout so the hair didn't sit too uniformed. to reinforce the grunge theme, she prepped the hair with a dry shampoo to provide a matte look.
Tommy Winding
Over on the dedicated barbering pod, Tommy got to work cutting a soft mullet, before finishing off the edges with a feather razor. He styled the look with a hairdryer and her fingers, working to keep movement in the fringe.
Monday 14 October
HJ Pod 1
10.30 - 11.30 Ashley Long
11.30 - 12.30 Dodge Mackay
12.30 - 13.30 SNAP! Award Winners Announced
13.30 - 14.30 Jess McDermott
14.30 - 15.30 Richard Scorer
15.30 - 16.30 Terri Harris
HJ Pod 2
10.30 - 11.30 Mark Sherwood
11.30 - 12.30 Irene Moreno
12.30 - 13.30 SNAP! Award Winners Announced
13.30 - 14.30 Noel Halligan
14.30 - 15.30 Katie Miller
15.30 - 16.30 Justin Mackland
Modern Barber Pod 3
10.30 - 11.30 Hannah McKnight
11.30 - 12.30 Wez Jones
12.30 - 13.30 SNAP! Award Winners Announced
13.30 - 14.30 Auburne Enkel
14.30 - 15.30 Sam Carter
15.30 - 16.30 Luke Hartley
Ashley Long
Ashley demonstrated the invisible weave method, installing some pastel pink extensions before finishing off the look with a soft wave.
Mark Sherwood
Winner of the Colour category in 2023's SNAP! Awards, Mark took to the pod to showcase not just his colouring skills, but also his styling capabilities. First, he demonstrated colouring some wefts live, explaining: "It's a very visual process, I'm just working to create contrast. You don't want it overly blended because then it becomes a bit muddy." Then, he used some pre-prepared wefts to create a basket weave.
Hannah McKnight
Hannah kick-started the barbering pod on Monday by cutting a taper fade with added texture on the top. While working, Hannah discussed her work as an educator in prisons, and also explored the topic of future-proofing your career.
While you're here, why not check out what happened over on the HJ Stage, too?
