The judging day took place on Sunday 8th March at Hunter Collective in London. Young, talented hairdressers worked hard to impress the judges with their skill, technique and creativity. The judging panel included the incredibly talented and renowned session stylist Louis Byrne, Chair Salon owner and FAME team member Casey Colman, industry star and session stylist Pete Burkill and How to Cut It podcast extraordinaire, Dom Lehane.
Each entry had to be pre-coloured with Schwarzkopf Professional colour and at least 5cm had to be cut on the day, other than that the finalists had free range to create their own distinctive looks.
The judges were keen to see how the young hairdressers to showcase their own personalities through the looks they created. Despite the nervousness, each of the finalists demonstrated an abundance of the creativity and passion, reflecting the wealth of talent coming through in the industry.
Dom Lehane said of the day:
“It was my first time judging the Schwarzkopf YAT and I found the whole process very enjoyable and exciting. As someone from the industry who loves to champion the next generation of hairdressers, I came away buzzing from the looks presented by the finalists.
Engaged and passionate on the many possibilities the industry and Schwarzkopf Professional can offer these hairdressing stars of the future was my big takeaway from the day.
“With time and thought going into both their looks and presentations, they should all feel proud of what they achieved on the day. The future looks very bright and perhaps we will hear from them on the How To Cut it podcast in the future.”
Casey Colman added:
“Being a judge for the Schwarzkopf Professional Young Artistic Team was a great experience. After auditioning for numerous teams myself, I knew exactly how they all felt – the excitement, the nerves, the not knowing. It was very interesting for me to be on the other side of that”
“There was some incredible talent within the finalists, a couple of them really stood out, but for all of them to get to the finals is an incredible achievement that they should all be proud of. I’m super excited to see these 6 young hairdressers start their journey and to see how they put their personal stamp on our industry.”
Previous YAT team member and Judge, Pete Burkill concluded:
“YAT finals is my favourite day of the year! Not only does it take me right back to being in their shoes all those years ago, I always leave feeling so inspired by the young talent. Personally, I was really looking for finalists that had the drive and passion to be able to inspire our next generation. I feel it’s so important for the young hairdressers to be getting out there and experiencing all the amazing opportunities our industry has! So many personalities shone through – what a pleasure to watch.”
All in all, it was a fantastic day. It was brilliant to watch these incredibly talented young artists and we cannot wait to follow their journey throughout the next year – watch this space!
The 2020/21 Young Artistic Team are:
Georgia Todd – Rick Roberts – Beverly, England
Lucy Routledge – Robert John – Bristol, England
Alannah Finnegan – Natural hair company – Lisburn, Northern Ireland
Claire McGowan – Bombshell – Motherwell, Scotland
Alijah Nerheim – Rainbow Room – Bearsden, Scotland
Rachel Kirk – Brassy 2 Sassyy, Dromore, Northern Ireland
