Wella generation now team 2012/13 announced

Now in its third year, the youth training programme aims to provide a launchpad for a talented new generation of hairdressing talent.

The team were announced in an intimate evening at the Wella World Studio in London, which saw Generation NOW team members from the previous two years share their journeys and showcase their skills.

Presented by Generation NOW team leader Toby Vogler, the evening kicked off with a Q&A session with two members of the first year's group; Dan Spiller of Marc Antoni and Paul Corbett, Francesco Group.

The duo talked about the amazing experiences they enjoyed in the year and explained the benefits that being part of the team brought to their salon. Paul explained: "The more I was out of the salon working with the team, the more in demand I was and the more money I made; it created a real buzz both amongst clients and with my colleagues, who were inspired to be the best they could be."

Next on stage were three of the second Generation NOW team; Luke Benson of HOB Salons in Camden, Kieran Tudor of D&J Ambrose in Pinner and Tom Wright of Soul Hair in Chester.

Each of the stylists presented a model and shared memories from their incredible year as well as advice for the next batch of talented young hairdressers.

Luke demonstrated texture with a model sporting a fluffy head of colourful curls. "I work on the business side of the salon most of the time," he said. "So being able to explore my creative side this year has been amazing and getting to be up close and personal with some top names has been incredible."

Gothic couture inspired Kieran's look with faux twisted dreadlocks, inspired by Chanel. "I learnt lots of techniques from my manager, Darren Ambrose, in the salon" he explained. "But this year I have really honed my skills and learnt more about editorial hair."

Agyness Deyn and Lady Gaga were the starting points for Tom, who presented a closely cropped style with a short statement fringe coloured with a vibrant yellow. "I always loved editorial work," he revealed. "And while I've explored that this year, I've also fallen back in love with cutting thanks to our amazing mentors."

With the editorial presentations over, it was time to reveal the new team. Kicking off their year of education the lucky six will go straight into a bootcamp with masterclasses from mentors and a photoshoot with Adam Reed to look forward to over the next few years.

The lucky six are;

Lauren Brinson, Andrew Price, Carmarthenshire

Michael John O'Gorman, Francesco Group, Chester

Danielle O'Neill, House of Colour, Dublin

Charlotte Boardman, Jamilla Paul Hair and Beauty, Rochdale

Nicola Rice, McIntyres, Dundee

Ben Kristian, Zullo & Holland, Nottingham