Annie Blanchette

Growing up in a family of hairstylists is what motivated Quebec-based hairstylist Annie Blanchette to pursue hairdressing—a career she’s been passionate about for nearly 30 years.

“I always knew that I wanted to be a hairstylist,” she says. “I loved that by being a hairstylist, I would have the opportunity for a creative career and find beauty in each of my clients.”

A Family Affair

For her first-ever Contessa collection, Blanchette wanted to push her creative limits while sharing the Contessa experience with her family. “I had entered and won different competitions in the past and that really inspired me to keep going,” she says. “When I came up with the idea for my collection, it was really close to my heart and important to me, so I wanted to show this collection to the industry.”

“Two of my models are my daughters because I really wanted to do this collection with them,” adds Blanchette. “Because they were both so involved in the process, that also really pushed me to enter it into the Contessas.”

Blanchette says she was inspired by the work of Dani Queipo, a London-based tattoo artist. “I’m totally mesmerized by his style, which is old-school, refined and modern at the same time,” she says. “At that time, I wanted to do a project with my girls, so I had the idea of combining both. His work is very feminine, and I thought my daughters fit the inspiration perfectly.”

By taking her inspiration and adding her own flair, Blanchette decided that she wanted her models to have looks from different eras. “Each of my models ended up having their own looks: a pin-up and geisha-inspired look, a Gypsy circus artist and one that was more glamorous,” she says. “I wanted each of them to have a different wave in their hair, so I used curling irons in different sizes and did pin curls. I made the red flower accessories using hair, so I could bring back that oldschool style from Dani Queipo’s tattoos.”

“For the colour, I wanted something natural but also edgy and, because I knew I was going to add the red accessories in, I kept the colour soft,” she adds. “I used a combination of techniques, including colour-blocking, face-framing and a sunkissed technique.”

Lessons Learned

Throughout her career and creating this collection, Blanchette says she learned a lot from her mentor, Guylaine Martel. “The last collection I created, I had Guylaine Martel behind me to help and push me,” says Blanchette. “I didn’t work with her on this collection, but I called her before I started and she encouraged me to do this by myself. Because of her, I was able to learn that I’m able to do things that I put my mind to. She pushed me because she knew that I was capable of things and she was the one who would help push away my fears. She always encouraged me to express my abilities and to be confident in myself and what I’m doing.”

“Most of all, I love the creative process,” she adds. “I had not entered a competition for some time, and I had a strong desire to bring something to life. I learned a lot about myself, and it allowed me to push myself out of my comfort zone while furthering my creativity.”