After a day of rigorous judging, the winner of the Sassoon Scholarship has been chosen. The 12 finalists were invited for a live audition and interview in London in front of a prestigious panel of judges, including Editor of Professional Hairdresser, Nicola Shannon, Rachel Gould, Trade Marketing Manager, Denman International, Carla Salceda-Vasquez, Colour Director for Sassoon Academy and Karoliina Saunders, Fellowship Chancellor.
The Scholarship, supported by Denman International and powered by the Fellowship for British Hairdressing and Sassoon Academy, is designed for someone who is passionate about their craft but may not have the opportunity to undergo training. The Scholarship is open to all Fellowship members, and the winner will receive their choice from four Sassoon courses to learn and enhance skills in cutting, colour and styling, as well as a professional took kit and expenses courtesy of Denman International.
Phoebe Carraro was chosen as the winner, with Jodie Wheeler and Emma McLaughlin as runners up.
“I was ecstatic when I received the phone call to say I had been chosen, and my heart was pounding out of excitement and joy. I ran back to my salon to tell everyone the good news. This really is a career changing opportunity and I will continue to feel the value from this for the rest of my career. I hope to gain much more knowledge on cutting techniques and applying these to different hair types. And to my knowledge on creative hairdressing techniques so I can continue to create beautiful hair every day.”
Judge Rachel Gould said: “It was an incredible privilege to hear the finalist presentations. Without exception every finalist showed passion and an incredible commitment to the craft of hairdressing. I really appreciated the diversity and variety in their approaches too. It was very tough to pick just one overall winner and I would encourage any finalist to reapply next year.”
Chancellor Karoliina Saunders added: “I was impressed with the effort that everyone had put for their presentations and the distances some had travelled to attend the auditions. What stood out for me was the huge interest towards learning and self-development. Cutting skills education was the main interest, which was also great to see. All entrants should be proud of their achievements.”
Phoebe added: “As humans we are constantly learning and developing. I want to push myself to learn in every way that I can, and the Sassoon scholarship is an immense programme that pushes the boundaries of education and precision haircutting. I know that with a stronger and more advanced skill set I can help others to achieve great things too.”
Winner
Phoebe Carraro, Sean Hanna, London
Runners up
Jodie Wheeler, Jodie Wheeler Hair, Shilton
Emma McLaughlin, Meraki Hair Lounge, Carlisle
Finalists
Eleanor Maguire, The Hair Bar, Gwynedd
Amy Sultan, FG Ringwood, Ringwood
Kay Binnersley, Kay Binnersley Hair, Pontefract
Meg Piper, Prestwich
Abby Quinn, Karoliina Saunders Hair Design, Highworth, Wiltshire
Luke Logan, Strand & Lock, London
Katie Cook, Brooks Evans, Ironbridge
Kayleigh Byrne, Tribe Salons, London
Hannah Davies, MJT Salons, Manchester