Kao Salon family of almost 2300 stylists from around the globe came together in Amsterdam to experience the Kao Salon Global Experience – two days full of extraordinary shows, an exciting competition and inspiring artist sessions. After the great success of the Kao Salon Virtual Experience Event in the past two years, Kao Salon Division has uniquely committed to going LIVE again in 2022. Amsterdam was the host city for this year’s Event on October 2-3, 2022. All guests who were not able to join live in Amsterdam had the chance to watch the Event on the Kao Salon Division Website or via Youtube Live.
The Global Creative Awards evening with the announcement of the new Gold Winners and the premiere of HAIR EVERY WEAR 2.0 – Goldwell’s new Collection from Goldwell Global Ambassador Angelo Seminara, was one of the numerous highlights of these two days.
ARTIST SESSIONS
Five inspiring Artist Sessions gave guests from all over the world the opportunity to experience excellent mastery of their craftmanship:
The internationally renowned J.7 Creative Team from Stuttgart, Germany combines hairdressing professionals and styling artists. At the Kao Salon Experience J.7 presented their new collection ,,SEROTONIN“.
Frequently featured on TV, in magazines and fashion shows, EVOLVE is an award-winning salon based in Singapore. For this year’s Event, EVOLVE presented their collection REGOTH: Reimagined Gothic. This couture collection is about to reimagine the gothic in a more modernized and edgier way. All masterpieces are in sleek avant-garde with colors infusion that blends seamlessly into the darkness for celebration of unity and togetherness.
STACEY CICERON has been carving her own path in the beauty industry for many years. As an ambassador for Oribe Hair Care, Stacey shares her enthusiasm and expertise in the highly textured hair category, with Oribe salons around the world.
HUUB EYSINK, a top international hairstylist, based his collection on the vision of the future. He used the combination of clothing, make up and virtual hair colors as a total package with the message: Kao Salon Division is ready for the future.
TAZ HAIR CO. and their work have continuously appeared on fashion runways as well as on television networks. While they continue to be multiple NAHA-, Contessa- and Mirror-award winners, Taz remains true to its roots: hair behind the chair. The salon’s clients are and always will be the team’s first priority: each cut and color is reflecting Taz Hair Co.’s dedication to fabulous style.
ACADEMY SESSIONS & COMMUNITY AREA
Following the success of the Academy Sessions in 2021, the Academy stage in 2022 showcased five Academy Teams from around the world sharing the newest trends of their cities. The best educators & artists joined them live on stage: Sona Brado & Daniel Bruns, Agnes Westerman & Sascha Haseloff, Salome de Wet & Neil Barton, Kylie Bussing & Jacob Khan and Nicci Welsh
During the 48 hours, the guests had the opportunity to explore and interact with Kao Salon Division Brands, which have presented their upcoming innovations at different Brand Booths for Goldwell, KMS, Varis and Oribe. Additionally, guests were able to learn about the company’s Sustainability efforts through an interactive exhibition, jointly presented by Kao Salon’s Sustainability team and the Kao Research & Development team. ‘Showcasing Kao Salon’s sustainability efforts and our commitment to Climate Neutrality is one of the most important messages for our event. With this in mind, we have worked with our event partners to ensure that the Kao Salon Global Experience is 100% Climate Neutral’, says John Moroney, Vice President, Global Creative & Communication.
GLOBAL CREATIVE AWARDS EVENING
The Global Creative Awards evening started with an amazing show and impressive presentations. Stylists and Salon Owners from all over the world were excited to discover the new Goldwell Collection from Angelo Seminara: HAIR EVERY WEAR 2.0. A continuation of emotion, places, styles and history, this year, HAIR EVERY WEAR 2.0 builds on diversity, combining art, architecture, fashion, philosophy and beauty. “I look at people as one because I am a people person and I believe in a world without preference and prejudice. Hair Every Wear 2.0 embraces that feeling, where everyone is unique and everyone is free to be whoever they want to be. It’s going to bring you an emotion, and from an emotion, it becomes a feeling, and from a feeling, it becomes a piece of art’, says Angelo Seminara, Global Goldwell Ambassador.
Mario Krankl’s presentation was a declaration of love for Goldwell and a teaser for the Brand´s 75th anniversary coming up in 2023. He took us away to his “creative hair factory”, a dream world where anything is possible when it comes to hair and creativity. He shares with hairdressers how a long-lasting collaboration with Goldwell can virtually take them beyond themselves. ‘’In my presentation, the square of the Goldwell logo was one of the creative key elements. You can find it in the shapes of the hair and in the fashion as a token of appreciation to my strong partner“, said Goldwell Ambassador Mario Krankl.
The Announcement of the Global Creative Awards Winners was one of the most outstanding moments of the Global Creative Awards Evening:
New Talent Colorist of the Year
GOLD: Tiew Pei Yu from Malaysia
SILVER: Emily Kooistra from Canada
BRONZE: Lucia McEvoy from United Kingdom
Creative Colorist of the Year
GOLD: Junz Loke from Singapore
SILVER: Ian Lee Jia Pei from Malaysia
BRONZE: Tasha Yip from Hong Kong
Creative Haircutter of the Year
GOLD: Daniela Farzetti from Italy
SILVER: Rafael Monzó López from Spain
BRONZE: Alex Tant from USA
Editorial Colorist of the Year
GOLD: Ben Driscoll-Price from United Kingdom
SILVER: Amy Wardley from United Kingdom
BRONZE: Jack Mead & Lydia Wolfe from United Kingdom
Avant Garde Stylist of the Year
GOLD: Tom Yek Teng Siong from Malaysia
SILVER: Manou Grijsen from Netherlands
BRONZE: Abbie Jackson from Australia
Salon Team of the Year
GOLD: Siew Thiam Kui from Malaysia
SILVER: Rafa Monzó López from Spain
BRONZE: Donna Page from United Kingdom
Men’s Hairstylist of the Year:
GOLD: Andrew Plester from United Kingdom
SILVER: Jeffrey Den Dikkenboer from Netherlands
BRONZE: Jos Verzijlberg from Netherlands
Another highlight of the show was the recognition of one salon per continent for their leadership in salon sustainability.
Representing Europe, the recognition for “Salon Sustainability Leadership” goes to:
Floke, Norway.
Representing North America, the recognition for “Salon Sustainability Leadership” goes to:
Gene Juarez Salons, Spas & Academies, United States of America.
Representing Asia, the recognition for “Salon Sustainability Leadership” goes to:
Red Hill hair salon, Hong Kong.
Representing Australia, the recognition for “Salon Sustainability Leadership” goes to:
Shibui, Australia.
“It was a huge pleasure to be able to do host the event live again this year. Our salon owners and stylists were thrilled. According to our stylists, attending this year’s Kao Salon event was like coming home to a family reunion – if your family was made up of the coolest, most creative people in the industry. It’s a place to meet up with like-minded artists and create friendships for life. Every type of creativity was waiting for the guests – from the contemporary color and style of Goldwell to the street style craftsmanship of KMS and the chic, editorial styling of Oribe”, said John Moroney, VP Creative & Communication.
About Kao Salon Division
Kao Salon Division is part of the Skin Care and Hair Care Business of Kao Corporation, offering professional products and services to stylists around the globe. It is a thought and trend leader in the hair care industry as well as home to the Goldwell, KMS, Oribe and Varis brands. The mission of Kao Salon Division is to make life beautiful for salons, stylists and their clients through partnership, commitment to sustainable practices, salon business growth and a portfolio of advanced services, innovative products and inspiring education. Kao Corporation creates high-value-added products that enrich the lives of consumers around the world.
Please visit the Kao Group website for further information: www.kaosalondivision.com
Please visit the Kao Group website for further information: www.kao.com