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INFEATURE: ACCESS HAIR FESTIVAL
ACCESS HAIR FESTIVAL
L’ORÉAL ACCESS PARTNERED WITH HAIR FESTIVAL ACROSS EDUCATION AND INNOVATION TO SHOWCASE THE POWER OF THIS EDUCATION TOOL ALL WEEKEND LONG.
Hair Festival played host to a myriad of dynamic educators, brands and creators through the June long weekend, as the hair industry congregated at Carriageworks, Sydney, to be inspired. Education platform L’Oréal ACCESS was duly represented, with an unmissable Education Session, on the REALtalk stage and beyond, motivating the crowd with a modern approach to industry growth.
“The partnership between L’Oréal Professional Products Division ACCESS and Hair Festival is an exciting collaboration that combines the power of digital education with the creativity and passion of the hair industry. Together, we are providing a dynamic platform for beauty professionals to learn and grow in new and innovative ways,” said Kellie Glenister, ACCESS Education Manager ANZ, before the event.
The platform’s Education For The Future team joined together education icons, salon owners and award-winning artists Adam Ciaccia, Justin Pace, Mat Johnson and Claudia Cataldo to share their passion and knowledge with the audience as they created live hair looks on stage. As ambassadors and leading educators from the myriad of inimitable L’Oréal Professional Products Division, L’Oréal Professionnel, Kérastase, Matrix and Redken, the team combined to deliver a session that was described as ‘edutainment’, as the ideal mix of creativity, learning and fun.
“It was amazing to be able to showcase ACCESS, the next generation of hairdressing education, an online platform that is multiple branded all under the one umbrella of L’Oréal,” Justin shared. “The exciting part was being able to bring our digital tutorial videos to life in front of a live audience at Hair Festival. This is the true power of online education meeting face-to-face education.”
The session was technique driven, engaging and predicated on trending and creative content, where the educators showed off their specific and versatile skillset. The looks ranged from wearable, salon relevant techniques – Justin’s fringe hacks on his editorial bob look could be taken straight back to the salon, “fringes take time, don’t ever rush them, it takes up three quarters of the client’s face and it’s important”, he reminded the audience – to Avant Garde showstoppers.
Mat showed off creative up-styling in a vibrant, multi-hued, gravity defying high hair look with building techniques taken from artisanal cake shows, and bold, creative colour application was also on the proverbial menu.
The artists talked through the technology, skills and processes in their collective expertise to guide the audience through cut, style and colour secrets. Adventurous shapes, colours and textures were all created on stage and then paraded through the room in an inspiring finale runway show.
“Representing L'Oréal ACCESS at Hair Festival has been a highlight of my 2023 so far,” Mat said. “Sharing knowledge is so important in our industry, I had so much fun ‘giving away’ my Air Touch Express Color service technique. I love helping salon business grow through new innovative ideas. The ‘wow factor’ then came from me relieving my stunning Avant Garde up-style using fishnet stockings and showcasing the Matrix PreBonded SoColor range to create incredible texture in my model’s hair. It was fantastic to be back at an event like Hair Festival on stage uniting our industry.”
Still within the education rooms, L’Oréal ACCESS empowered salon owners as the Platinum Sponsor of the REALtalk Business Forum, which created thought provoking conversations and motivated a packed room of business leaders through discussions about sustainability, technology, education and mental health. These pioneering and future-thinking conversations paired perfectly with the modern L’Oréal ACCESS brand, where the accessibility, top quality and versatility of consistent education is paramount.
Adam provided his insights as an artist, and the impact of L’Oréal ACCESS as a digital tool, as a speaker on the Salon Improvement Through Technology panel, which looked at this concept from artist, educator, salon owner, environmental leader and digital brand perspectives. Adam’s 20 years of industry experience as a successful hairdresser, educator and digital content creator was vital to this conversation.
“Reflecting upon my experience at Hair Festival in Sydney this past June, in collaboration with L'Oréal ACCESS, I am grateful for the incredible opportunity to represent L’Oréal ACCESS. To share the stage with Claudia, Matthew and Justin was an honour,” Adam shared.
“The event itself proved to be top class, I witnessed the convergence of diverse talents, boundless inspiration, and the undying dedication to the Australian Hair Industry. The magnitude of this event, coupled with the unwavering support of L'Oréal ACCESS, reinforced the worthiness of myself as an artist and reaffirmed my belief in me to lead. I am grateful for this experience and the invaluable support I receive from L’Oréal Australia.”
Beyond their impact in the education rooms, L'Oréal ACCESS was also the sponsor of the Hair Festival app, which offered dynamic new features for 2023 to guide the agenda of the event.
The platform’s presence was felt throughout Hair Festival, showcasing their continued commitment to education, artistry and the hair industry at large.
For more information visit www.lorealaccess.com
