Hair Expo 2009 - myhairdressersearch.com

By Rob Kotevski June 12 2009

“I wanted to take the mickey out of the recession,” Jayne Wild said, of her show at Hair Expo’s opening night gala event.

The song and dance filled number featured a bag lady, a group of homeless dancers and a shopping trolley which appeared to be the centerpiece of the production.

The highlight of the evening, and indeed, Hair Expo, was when six models walked down the runway, wearing over-sized Blythe doll heads. The dolls were big in the 70s and featured huge, almost scary-looking eyes.

Each doll had its own skin tone, make-up and hair. The scalps were made out of tapestry mesh with the hair pieces woven in. The characters of the dolls were geisha, 60s mod, Vivienne Westwood, emo, corporate and ghetto girl.

A big head ... Jayne Wild's show was inspired by the Blythe dolls of the 70s.

Wildlife Hair’s Jayne Wild said clients were still coming into the salon for regular appointments, even with the world in the midst of a recession.

“The most obvious thing we see is they’re going the extra week [without cut or colour] if they can,” she said. “It’s a bit of normality for them.”

Wild cited magazines, Italian Vogue in particular, as inspiration for her work. Advertising campaigns were a highlight and photo shoots were rarely, if ever, fuel for her fiery imaginative work.

It’s entirely possible to listen to Wild talk all day without getting sick of her voice. She calls everyone “poppet” or “darlin’ ” in an adorable accent that sounds like home-baked cookies and warm tea.

Many in the audience couldn’t help giggling when footage was shown of Wild tending to a doll’s head with an extra large comb and scissors right out of “big land”. The doll heads were so unique and creative, they made an appearance on the following Wednesday’s episode of Mornings with Kerri-Anne.

As for her tips for this season, Wild hailed the “new long” as collar-bone length hair, as worn by Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Moss.

On the cutting edge ... Hair Expo is the Southern Hemisphere's leading hair trade show.

This year saw Hair Expo celebrate its 34th birthday. The Southern Hemisphere’s leading hair convention and trade show saw more than 10,000 flock to the Sydney Convention Centre in Darling Harbour. More than 10,000 square metres were filled with world-class exhibitors, education and shows from international and local hairdressing professionals,

Held over the long weekend in June, each day was capped off with a brilliant hair and fashion evening show, showcasing the best work the hairdressing industry has to offer. Toni & Guy presented their Flux collection along with Wildlife Hair’s show on Saturday night. Monday night was dedicated to the Schwarzkopf Professional Hair Expo Awards, which saw Caterina DiBiase take out Australian Hairdresser of the Year.

Three days with the queen ... Sharon Blain's collection was inspired by the Elizabethan era.

Sunday evening’s proceedings showed the work of the next generation of Australia’s hottest hairdressing talent. Hairdressing great Sharon Blain kicked off the evening, with a live presentation of her photographic entry as a Hairdresser of the Year finalist.

“I don’t like working with hard hold hairspray,” Blain told an attentive audience. “If I do something I don’t like, I can’t go back.”

Blain also declared herself a fan of a new invention.

“I’m loving hair bungees,” she said. “Has anyone seen the bungees out there?

“I want to keep people passionate about up-dos,” she said. Blain also mentioned the two biggest hurdles any hairdressing salon faces are finding good staff and the never-ending task of washing towels.

She also led a presentation at a winter hair trends seminar held earlier this year. At Hair Expo, she fixed a model’s hair into a molded shape, which was on trend for this winter. The look was daring and avant-garde and definitely not for everyday wear.

“I wouldn’t recommend you dance with it at the disco,” she pointed out. “Now you know how old I am because I said ‘disco’ .”

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