In celebration of their 135th anniversary, Wella held their highly anticipated International TrendVision Awards in Berlin and acknowledged some of their longest standing partners.
A fitting tribute in the year of their 135th anniversary, Wella returned home to Germany for this year’s Wella TrendVision extravaganza – the highlight of the hairdressing calendar. The event, which took place in Berlin on Sunday, November 22nd, attracted over 1,400 hairdressers from all around the world, looking to celebrate their incredible industry and Wella’s undisputed place at the very heart of it.
Opening the show at Berlin’s impressive STATION-Berlin – a building steeped in history and one of the most extraordinary locations in Europe – Wella Executive Vice President, Sylvie Moreau, paid homage to Wella’s rich heritage and dedication to the future of our industry:
“As we celebrate our 135 years of rich heritage and groundbreaking innovation, we are looking forward to our exciting future. In the Wella Family we are dedicated to nurturing millions of talented and passionate hairdressers around the world and this is why we are here today.”
Celebrating the Future of Hairdressing: The 15th International TrendVision Awards
This year, 69 competitors travelled to Berlin from 37 countries – all winners from the local National TrendVision Awards, chosen to represent their countries out of 5,000 applicants. They each prepared a creative masterpiece to showcase their skills in their specific field: Young Talent or Color Vision.
Each category included four awards – the Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze awards – and also recognized the ‘People’s Choice’, an additional honor bestowed on the finalist receiving the most votes from the LIVE online audience. The online audience watched the competition from all around the world, with an incredible 25,000 votes received in the People’s Choice awards.
The Young Talent category was judged by a panel of experts including Wella Professionals Global Creative Director for Care and Styling, Eugene Souleiman. The finalists in this category were challenged to create their own editorial interpretation of one of Wella’s 2015 trends, SS15’s Distilled collection or AW15’s Uncharted Territories, originally revealed at last year’s TrendVision event. The deserved winners in this category were:
Young Talent PLATINUM: Anastasia Krupovich, Kirpimo Meistrai, Lithuania: “This is such an honor! It took so long to create this style but it is all worthwhile. This is probably the seventh or eighth version of the look, it had to be perfect so I looked at a lot of natural forms until I found one I loved and that’s why I created this mossy style with lots and lots of hairspray. I don’t think it’s sunk in yet...I will take my trophy to bed with me tonight and in the morning I will know it’s real!”
Young Talent GOLD: Mikaela Edwards, Runway, New Zealand
Young Talent SILVER: Zoe Huang, Zoom Hairdressing, Taiwan
Young Talent BRONZE: Sonya Rättö, Prof Tampere, Finland
Young Talent PEOPLE’S CHOICE: Calogero Castellana, Mimì Hair Fashion, Italy
Of the talent in this year’s competition, head Young Talent judge, Eugene Souleiman said: “This year has been brilliant and I’ve found it really hard judging – so many beautiful ideas that have been extremely well executed. We are looking for something really strong that has done incredibly well and something that is beautiful as well. And this year it was really, really hard, but for me Anastasia really stood out – she showed a lot of bravery in her styling and great taste.”
The Color Vision category – lead by head judge and Wella Professionals Global Creative Director for Color, Josh Wood – was just as hotly contested, as the competitors were eager to show off their skills and technique in their interpretation of 2015’s trends and Wella’s premium color ethos. Entrants were challenged to create a luxurious color result, which is beautifully styled to give their models the perfect look. After much deliberation, the winners were announced:
Color Vision PLATINUM: Craig Clark, HOB Salons, United Kingdom: “I’m overwhelmed and speechless! This is such an incredible night! I took an organic approach when I was looking for inspiration – looking at the fluidity of natural beauty, the colors in feathers and minerals. One of my main inspirations was a blue lace crystal and I wanted to show the crystallization of the color tones in her hair.”
Color Vision GOLD: Patcharee Apirom, MOGA, Thailand
Color Vision SILVER: Guiping Zhang, Tiffany Salon, China
Color Vision BRONZE: James Fang, Headline, Taiwan
Color Vision PEOPLE’S CHOICE: Alina Iulia Calin, AYO Salon, Romania
Lead judge, Josh Wood, praised the Platinum winner, Craig Clark, on his incredible product knowledge, using Koleston Perfect Innosense shades* to create a stunning color result: “There are some very diverse ideas in this year’s competition but for me, Craig’s incredible skill, talent and his interpretation of the theme really stood out.” Josh continued, “This year’s TrendVision has really blown me away – the competitors have used the whole color portfolio really well to create amazing quality hair.”
Wella Life Achievement and Family Awards
The ITVAs weren’t the only honors bestowed at this year’s TrendVision. In its 135th year, Wella also recognized just a few of the dedicated professionals who have helped elevate the hairdressing industry around the world.
One such award went to Eva Graham, Founder of NIOXIN who was honored with the Wella Life Achievement Award. Eva Graham started what’s today a globally leading brand back in 1987 and since then, under Eva’s visionary guidance, NIOXIN has not only broken the social taboos by speaking up about the issue of thinning hair, but has pioneered a new professional hair category. She attributes her success to understanding the importance of entrepreneurship and education, having courage to pursue your dream and the unwavering support of her family.
The celebration continued with the “Wella Family” Recognition Awards, honors for some of Wella’s longest standing and most committed partners who were acknowledged for their talent and support of the industry. The first award was for Dolores Kondrashova, President of the Russian Hairdressing Union, founder of one of the most prestigious salons in Russia, the No.1 private academy and Russia’s most important hairdressing magazine. She was recognized for her services to elevating the hairdressing industry in Russia.
The second award recognized Jesus de la Calle from Spain, a partner of Wella since 1979 who now has ten salons in Spain. Jesus was acknowledged for his passionate support for education and training during his more than thirty year relationship with Wella.
Also recognized was Inger Ellen Nicolaisen of Raise salons – an incredibly successful chain of 130 salons and seven schools across Norway and Sweden. Already well-known at home as a business advisor on the Norwegian version of the TV show, The Apprentice, TrendVision gave the Wella community from all around the world a chance to celebrate Inger’s success.
The forth award was for Walter Cabral from Brazil, in honor of his 35 year partnership with Wella. Walter’s inspirational journey began in 1965 in a small barbershop in Rio de Janeiro, and has grown into a business including 12 salons, 190 hairdressers, a total of 650 employees and an unwavering support for education and the elevation of the industry.
Next up being recognized for unrivalled dedication and support to the Wella family for more than 40 years were Paul and Marie Gaglioti. The unstoppable force behind the Dieci Lifestyle Spa and Dieci Uomo salon, Paul and Marie have broken new ground in defining eco-friendly, sustainable salon design and service.
Looking to Japan and forty four year Wella partner, Yoshinori Shima was recognized for his work developing young talent in Japan and his forward thinking ‘hair fashion’ trend leadership in the industry – a topic particularly close to his heart which he presented to the audience during the day in the Wella TrendVision Couture Color Sessions.
The next award recognized Michael Gerrard from England as he enters semi-retirement after a 44 year partnership with Wella. Michael is the founder and owner of Barard hairdressing and has a number of prestigious salons in North West England. This Wella Family Award is a fitting tribute to his successful career.
Regular fashion show and editorial session stylist with six salons and a successful Hair Fashion Club which has 160 affiliates in Italy, James Longagnani was awarded for his dedication to the industry. A firm believer in education and talent development, James established his training academy in Reggio Emilia to give young stylists the same support he did when he joined the Wella family at the age of 15.
Next came the celebration of a partnership which has spanned over fifty years - Gennadios Palas from Palas of Hair and Beauty in Cyprus was recognized for his enduring dedication to the industry and ethos of reinvention and education which ensures his teams are always at the forefront of hairdressing trends and innovations.
The final award honors a partnership with one of the premier families in hairdressing which has spanned over 90 years. Klaus Peter Ochs is a world championship hairdresser, creative visionary and global President of the world’s largest hairdressing association, Intercoiffure Mondiale, a role that he has held for fifteen years. With a long hairdressing tradition in their family, the roots of this partnership are in Frankfurt in 1920s with Klaus’ grandfather.
After celebrating the “Wella Family” Recognition Awards, Sylvie Moreau said: “This year’s TrendVision, which celebrates Wella’s 135th anniversary, is the perfect time to celebrate the community, talent and unbreakable bonds between the Wella family.”
International TrendVision Awards judging panels
COLOR VISION
Josh Wood, Wella Global Creative Director of Color
Klaus Peter Ochs, Wella Top Artist (Germany)
Sonya Dove, Wella Global Creative Artist (USA)
Frank Apostolopoulos, Wella Top Artist (Australia)
Olga Piontek, Elle Poland Editor (Poland) – Media judge
YOUNG TALENT
Eugene Souleiman, Wella Global Creative Director of Care and Styling
Luciana Nilo, Wella Top Artist (Brazil)
Cyrill Brune, Wella Global Creative Artist (France)
Oscar Blandi, Wella Top Artist (USA)
Petra Weinzieri, Clips Editor (Germany) – Media judge
About: Wella’s products help make beauty dreams real every day for millions of stylists and consumers worldwide. Wella brands are distributed in more than 180,000 salons across the globe, and include Wella Professionals Care and Styling as well as Koleston Perfect, Illumina Color, Color Touch and Blondor by Wella Professionals; Sebastian Professional; Clairol Professional and Nioxin. The Vidal Sassoon Professional Beauty Education Scholarship grant is part of Wella’s “Hairdressers at Heart,” an industry-wide program that supports stylists at each stage of their career with scholarships, through artistic competition, and with assisted child care and salon grants for community service.