Fashion changes so quickly, being a hairstylist involves doing your homework right up until the last minute, one of the organisers of the region’s annual competition says.
The top floor of the Edgar Centre was a hive of activity yesterday afternoon, as stylists and their models showcased exotic hair designs, including a hairpiece from Moha Hairdressing inspired by dystopian thriller The Handmaid’s Tale.
Sixteen stylists, most of them from Dunedin, competed in the Otago Association of Registered Hairdressers Inc 2018 Hairstylist of the Year contest.
Association president Kylie Crutchley, from Sliver Haircutters, said numbers were fairly low because this year was not a "supreme" year, meaning the winners would not be attending a national competition later on. However, Ms Crutchley said yesterday afternoon the quality of the work was still "extremely high".
"It will be a very hard competition to judge," she said.
Ms Crutchley said the designs were creative and often "futuristic".
"[We’re] always looking for the next big thing," Ms Crutchley said.
As a hairdresser she did research on the kind of look she wanted to create "right up until the day".
The competition started about 1pm and eight different categories were held throughout the afternoon — ranging from barbering to "hair by night", and including a make up category. There was one entrant from Alexandra, but most hairdressers competing were from Dunedin.
Prizes included $50 each for category winners, and a trophy. Overall winners were Moha Hairdressing duo Brooke Dawson, who was named the Otago Next Generation Hair Stylist of the Year, and Jen Smart, who won the Senior Hair Stylist of the Year.
