Paul mitchell light up las vegas with the gathering 2011
Published
12th Aug 2011
by rachael
The self-styled entertainment capital of the world, Las Vegas became a centre of inspiration and excellence when Paul Mitchell's The Gathering came to town, bringing with it 3,300 hairdressers from around the world, Jayne Lewis-Orr was there.
The schedule of events planned for this 48-hour hairdressing extravaganza at the newly built Aria Resort, promised to deliver on the creative and business elements of the professional hairdressing industry - and deliver it did, on every level.
From the moment Paul Mitchell co-founder John Paul DeJoria burst onto the 3D screens with a film demonstrating his company's commitment to caring for the planet and giving back to the community - an ethos at the heart of the company's strategy -
the energy level and excitement was palpable.
As he parachuted into the venue, John Paul welcomed the audience and reinforced his powerful pledge that the company would never sell direct to the consumer and will remain a family business committed to the professional industry, infinitely. As the lights dimmed in the auditorium, the wait for Mitch was over, a men's range with the mantra, 'Style isn't born. It's groomed'.
In a high-energy show, the Mitch men depicted more than just a hair range; they showcased lifestyles designed to appeal to the widest variety of men, with haircuts and colours that will easily transcend the commercial salon environment and attract the fastest-growing sector of the professional industry. With a UK launch planned for Autumn 2011, look out for the Mitch men at Salon International 2011.
The live cutting continued as co-owner Angus Mitchell bounded onto stage to present The Collection - Autumn/Winter trends in cut and colour with bold haircuts inspired by the curves and twists of modern sculpture, combined with high-shine, glossy colours from blondes through to brunettes and reds. The colour theme continued as Angus vowed to make every client 'chemically dependent on professional colour' with models catwalking to the haunting sound of violinist Jason Yang.
As a beat master took to the stage, a human tea tree was revealed with long-haired models demonstrating the versatility of colour, before tango dancers dipped into the re-energised audience. This high-impact show set the bar for the 48 hours that followed.
Hairdressers rotated during the two days of Symposium between an array of cut, colour and business sessions, with the UK well represented across both. Ken West, director of 3·6·5 Education led an inspiring session, Setting the Pace to Win the Race, highlighting the skills needed to communicate effectively and grouping them into soft, hard and information skills. By understanding what fits into each of these areas, salon managers can identify the training needs of team members by undertaking SWOT (strength/weaknesses/opportunities/threats) analyses. Delivering a hands-on creative cutting workshop for The Collection, Carlo Cardinale, Pep Pasqualino and Rocco Tizzano ran a high-energy cutting seminar that complemented the Look & Learn theme being brought to life by Angus and global artistic director Robert Cromeans.
The second day began with a celebration of the Future Professionals training in the Paul Mitchell schools network, before the audience was treated to an inspiring insight into the world of hearing-impaired comedian Kathy Buckley. Her positive and humorous approach had the audience laughing and crying simultaneously as she powerfully delivered the message that anything can be achieved when the heart and mind work together.
With so much having gone before, expectations for the grand finale were high - and the audience was not disappointed. There was an explosion of all things pink as editorial director Lucie Doughty brought to life the collection that jewellery designer Tarina Tarantino has designed for the company's forthcoming Christmas collection.
What followed was breathtaking, as each of the company's creative directors offered a unique insight into their personal inspiration and creative world - a fitting finale to a fabulous 48 hours.
