HairCon promised to ignite the industry and it did not disappoint! Over 4,000 visitors immersed themselves in stunning Main Stage shows, in-depth business, social media and creative workshops and sessions, on stand demos, immersive experiences and sampling with our fabulous Headline and Collaborator Partners – all under the roof of the iconic O2 Victoria Warehouse, Manchester.
On the Main Stage highlights included a monumental show from the Trevor Sorbie Creative Team, which saw Trevor Sorbie MBE himself creating stunning styles on stage for the first time in seven years. Saco’s Richard Ashforth and X-presion’s Jorge Cáncer tore up the stage with the first Noise show in the UK outside of London; Jack & The Wolfe blew us away with A Modern Fairytale sponsored by Yuv®; Stacey Wright reminded us about just why we chose Manchester with her homage to her home city, 24HR ART’EH PEOPLE, sponsored by Wahl. James Earnshaw and Grace Dalgleish wowed us with colour shows and the Fellowship Project teams reassured us that the future of creative UK hairdressing is in phenomenal hands.
Trailblazing Caryn Franklin MBE hosted the HairCon Style Challenges, sponsored by the Fellowship for British Hairdressing, giving a hair-focused modern twist to this TV classic with favourite artists going head to head.
HairCon had all the heroes – Errol Douglas MBE, Nicky Clarke OBE, Andrew Barton, Billi Currie, Desmond Murray, Jacqui McIntosh, Ashleigh Hodges, Sally Brooks and Mark Hayes, who led an unbelievable Sassoon show celebrating their 70th anniversary.
And the barbers were out in force – Josh Lamonaca and Sean Moore celebrated 10 years of Menspire; Alan Beak hosted the Main Stage as well as creating cool cuts. Dean Gleeson and Cal Newsome enjoyed a Style Challenge duel whilst Rob Wood created amazing transformations with Novo Cobelo. Richie Finney, Johnny BaBa, James Parr, Jay Foster, JJ Savani, Lucy Muyanga and the legend that is Simon Shaw hosted, shared business insights and technical skills with our inspired and engaged visitors.
HairCon became the home of celebrating UK creative artistry and businesses with our partners bringing their annual Awards to the show, from the Great Lengths GLammies to the UK debut Iconic.24 from Vagaro.
The Fellowship for British Hairdressing gave us a non-stop programme of creative skills and business insight, whilst our other Headline Sponsors; EVO Media Group, Diva Pro Styling, Vagaro, Dense, Great Lengths, yuv® and Design Essentials – all enjoyed packed stands thanks to interactive experiences and friendly welcoming creative teams.
Plus, we welcomed to the festival the Little Princess Trust and Haircuts for Homeless.
HairCon show director, Jane Galpin said: “We have been overwhelmed by the fantastic feedback from our amazing artists, brand partners and the visitors. Our social engagement is blowing up with fabulous, positive comments and we’ve had re-bookings and new bookings for next year already. Having Trevor on stage and moving the Fellowship for British Hairdressing’s Presidents Night out of London for the first time, were both true moments in time which none of us will forget. A huge big thank you to everyone who made our first, of many, HairCon such a successful and pioneering festival.
“A big thanks also to our Collaborator Sponsors: Blonde Solutions, K18, Innersense Beauty, Keratin Complex, Tondeo, Olivia Garden, Procare, Salons Direct, Leaf Scissors, Olaplex, Scrummi, Zen Hair Extensions, Calligraphy Cut, Comfortel, Novo Cabelo, Ergo UK, Glowwa, Phorest.”