News & Events
Hair raising style
- 12/09/2018
- Posted by: pembscollegesuperadmin
A Pembrokeshire College hairdressing student has proved she has what it takes to stand out in the industry after taking home second prize in the ‘Avant Garde’ competition at the prestigious Salon Cymru 2013 competition organised by ISA Training.
For Nikki Nelson, a trainee hairdresser from Cross Hands, this was her second win at Wales' top event for creative hairdressing after picking up first prize in last year’s ‘Vamp it up!’ category.
Held at the Swalec Stadium, Cardiff, Nikki entered the ‘Avant Garde’ category where judges were looking for stylists to create a music icon inspired look from an era of their choice. With judges scoring on a number of criteria including neatness, complexity of the style and the quality of the overall finished look, including make-up and costume, the quality of Nikki’s 1920s inspired creation caught the judges’ eye. Nikki said: “I went for a 1920’s look as I thought most people would go for the 80s and I wanted to do something different that would stand out.”
As well as picking up a prize in the Avant Garde category, Nikki also entered the Barbering category with the theme of ‘50s Rockability’ where she gained a very respectable 6th place without any formal training in cutting men’s hair – proving she really has a natural flair for hairdressing. Following the competition, which was open to NVQ level 2 and 3 learners, Nikki who works in Ocean Hair Salon in Saundersfoot commented: "Taking part in these competitions is nerve-wracking but a great experience. After my success last year I am pleased to have gone back and picked up another award.”
More than 120 competitors take part in this annual event which attracts an audience of around 500 hairdressing enthusiasts and some of the best judges in the industry including Steven Smart who is seven times British Champion, twice European Champion and Worlds Ladies Hairdressing Champion. Steven is Creative Director for Sexy Hair products and an Educator for L’Oreal Professionnel, WorldSkills UK and Euro Skills. Judging alongside Steven was Scott Smurthwaite, owner of the prestigious CREAM salons and former winner of the British Hairdressing Business Director of the Year.
To find out more about hairdressing courses at the College, contact Admissions on 0800 9 776 788.