October Young Talent of the Month - Ashleigh Ryan

Ashleigh Ryan – Toni&Guy QLD

By Rob Kotevski October 16 2009

Androgyny has been a driving force in the worlds of hair and fashion for quite some time.

Legendary movie actress Marlene Dietrich was often imitated but never beaten when she donned a tuxedo at the height of her career in an image that spawned a thousand imitations.

In the ‘70s and ‘80s, Grace Jones and David Bowie were the epitome of androgyny through their gender-bending costumes, stage shows and music videos. High-end fashion label duo Dolce and Gabbana have handpicked their muse Madonna to model their men’s range in an upcoming campaign.

Hair care label Wella tapped into the captivating and everlasting androgynous theme for its recent Trend Vision Awards. As one of the four categories in the competition – Utopia, De-Lush and Virtual Life being the other three – Intersexion celebrated the point where the male and female genders meet, creating a new world that is both and neither of the sexes.

Beating countless entrants throughout the country, Ashleigh Ryan’s flair for hair saw her take out the bronze award at the Wella Trend Vision Awards with her unique take on the Intersexion theme. Inspired by the men’s suit with the ruffled collar, Ashleigh’s project featured the sleek, tailored lines of the suit, as well as the wave for the ruffles. The awards saw some of the best hairdressing talent in Australia meet for the evening.

Wella Trend Vision Awards ... Asheligh won bronze in the competition.

Intersexion ... Ashleigh Ryan's award-winning look.

“It was very exciting,” Ashleigh tells myhairdressersearch. “I wasn’t expecting it, so it was cool.”

While a photo shoot can put everyone involved – including hair stylists, make-up artists, models and photographers – under a lot of pressure, Ashleigh believes shoots are an unmatched training ground. Shoots can be a lot of work, but so much can be gained from not only being present, but also being actively involved in one. Putting together looks for not only the Wella competition, but the FAME team and the Australian Hair Fashion Awards has whet her appetite for editorial and session shoots.

“I’m trying to push myself in that direction,” she says.

Ashleigh says the inspiration behind her incredible work comes from “anything visual”. Fashion, art and music videos are all fair game when it comes to the talented hairdresser’s work. And what is a young hairdresser without a mentor or two to look up to in the industry?

“I draw inspiration from Kevin Murphy and Matthew Webb,” Ashleigh says.

With an already impressive body of work behind her, it will only be a matter time before Ashleigh becomes a mentor for young hair stylists and colourists in the industry.

Check out some more of Australia's best hairdressing talent.