On 3-4 October, 2021, Kao Salon Division invited stylists from all over the world to the Kao Salon Virtual Experience 2021. They took the chance to experience 48 hours creativity and inspiration: Different artists shared the best in technical and artistic education in color, cutting and styling. One of several highlights was the Global Creative Awards Evening with the live announcement of the final winners. 

ARTIST SESSIONS 
The inspiring Artist Sessions gave guests from all over the world the opportunity to experience excellent mastery of their craftmanship. 

Mario Krankl - Goldwell Global Brand Ambassador Mario Krankl is an award-winning, internationally sought-after hairstylist and educator known for his ultra-precise cuts, imaginative styling, and breathtaking color work. The Austrian artist’s vast portfolio of editorial and runway looks includes collaborating with some of fashion’s biggest photographers, and his creative workshops and trend presentations have amassed huge audiences all around the world. For the Kao Salon Virtual Experience, Krankl designed this spectacular collection of couture looks, each one a textural masterpiece that showcases the depth and dimension of his artistry. 

We-R – Hairstylist Glenn van Dijke and colorist Fatos Sezgin, who each own a salon in Amsterdam, are two artists at the top of their game. With a combined 36 years of experience in the industry, their gorgeous work has graced the pages of top fashion magazines and the runways of Paris Fashion Week. Their shared passion for educating up-and-coming hairdressers led them to join forces at We-R, a training program in Amsterdam where they teach hairstyling techniques for campaigns and photo shoots. The duo’s editorial-worthy collection for this year’s Kao Salon Virtual Experience is an elegant display of quiet, understated beauty and minimalism as its best. 

GEOGANIC—a blend of the words “geometric” and “organic”—is an award-winning salon in Hasselt, Belgium, recognized for their outstanding color work and ultra-precise cuts. Owners Thomas Laslo and Loredana Danese, partners both in business and in life (the couple likes to say they have three children: their two sons and their salon), have a passion for playing with shape and balance, fastidiously studying the contours of the face, the way the hair naturally drapes, skin tone, eye color, and other characteristics in order to create a completely personalized look. At this year’s Kao Salon Virtual Experience, the duo showcased their incredible eye for detail with a collection of bold geometric cuts that flicker with muted gemstone colors. 

X-Presion – The world-renowned, award-winning team at Madrid’s X-Presion creative hair studio takes cut, color, and styling to spectacular new dimensions. With 80 magazine covers under their belt and a huge social media following (their videos have racked up over 4 million views), this powerhouse group of artists is considered one of the most creative forces in hair. Their innovative techniques and avant-garde designs transform hair into sculptural works of art. Case in point: their jaw-dropping collection for this year’s Kao Salon Virtual Experience, which blends ultramodern shapes with graphic color patterns. 

Visionaries Artistic Team - The Visionaries Artistic Team, a group of highly imaginative hairdressers who hail from Warsaw, Poland, approach hair is an expression of one’s individual beauty, not simply a standalone style. For these boundary-breaking creatives, the design process is a study in form, shape, texture, and color. Inspired by the four elements of nature— earth, wind, fire, and water—they sculpt hair into extraordinary works of art, as they did at this year’s Kao Salon Virtual Experience. 

M&P - A renowned educational and training academy that works with top hairdressers from around the world, Mazella & Partners—or M&P—is famous for helping stylists and colorists build both fundamental technical stills and unleash their true artistry. Headquartered in the French Riviera with courses and salon experiences that cater to all levels of hairdressing, M&P makes exceptional training accessible to all and guides students out of their comfort zone to become masters of their craft. That mastery was on full display at this year’s Kao Salon Virtual Experience, where the M&P team revealed this stunning collection of subtle nuances in color set against exquisitely shaped styles. 

Oribe - The Oribe brand is synonymous with hair that is glamorous, sensual, and that brilliantly reimagines references from the past in completely original, fashion-centric new ways. For this year’s Kao Salon Virtual Experience, US-based Oribe Global Educators Mandee Tauber and Christian Ceja-Compin—both veterans of the backstage fashion show circuit where they styled hair at elite runways shows like Givenchy and Valentino—turned out this breathtaking collection that honors the brand’s aesthetic. Exploring the harmony of shape, proportion, and texture, each gorgeous look is as creatively inspiring as it is wearable, with a soft, touchable quality. 

ACADEMY SESSIONS 
The Academy Sessions showcased Kao Academies from around the world with a team performance from each location. Academies: Kao Academy Milan, Kao Academy Rhein-Main, Kao Academy New York & Kao Academy Hong Kong 

CREATIVITY NEVER STOPS 
Different artists from the global Kao Salon Family shared their artistry and showed that #creativityneverstops. Their technical demos in cut, color and styling inspired the audience. 

Artists: Agnes Westerman, Lydia Wolfe & Jack Mead, Ken Hong & Dylan Tung, Salome de Wet, Jenelle Oldham, Tony Cola, Evelyn Lo, Edwin Johnston, Dimitri Dimitrakoudis, Jacob Kahn, Eason Chen & Hardy Tsai, Jason Davies, Sydney Ann Lopez, Martin Crean, Ali Holmes, Michael Shire, Mila Liang, Sascha Haseloff, Frank Cini, Daniel Bruns, Safy Burton, Nicci Welsh, Anita Gruber, Alex Neo 

SPECIAL INTEREST PANELS
During the 48 hours, the guests had the opportunity to watch various specialty discussion panels about such topics as Leadership, Innovation, Salon Business and Sustainability. 

Sustainability Expert Panel: Dr. Elmar Mussenbrock, Kao Salon’s Director of Sustainability spoke to four experts in different areas of Environmentalism and Sustainability. The speakers discussed current issues and developments in the area of sustainability and offered expert advice on what salons can do to become more sustainable and reduce their carbon footprint. 

Experts: Shane Price (Green Circle Salons, Canada), Solitaire Townsend (Futerra, UK), Tristan A. Foerster (ClimatePartner, Germany), Etienne White (Brands for Good, USA) 

Sustainability Salon Panel: Dr. Elmar Mussenbrock, Kao Salon’s Director of Sustainability talked to three Salon Owners from around the world who have transformed their salons into ”green salons.” The salons discussed the impact of sustainability on salon life and offered expert advice on what salons can do to become more sustainable and to reduce their environmental footprint. 

Experts: Christie Bazemore (dandelion Salon, USA), Scott Lee (FOUR Hair Concept, Taiwan), Sophie & Simon Webster (Simon Webster Hair, UK) 

Kao Salon Future Talks: Global Creative Director John Moroney discussed different topics for the future growth of salon owners and stylists with the following experts: 

• The Future of Leadership with Daniel Kaner, Founder of Oribe Hair Care 

• The Future of Innovation with Dominic Pratt, Global President Kao Salon Division 

• The Future of Salon Business with Allyson King, President of Beauty 360 

• The Future of Salon Sustainability with Dr. Elmar Mussenbrock, Kao Salon’s Director of Sustainability 

GLOBAL CREATIVE AWARDS EVENING 
Stylists and Salon Owners from all over the world were excited to discover the new Angelo Seminara Collection. Inspired by his unrelenting curiosity surrounding nature, the romance of the wilderness and the emotion it evokes, Goldwell’s Global Ambassador Angelo Seminara has, once again, leveraged his unmatched creativity to introduce the HAIR EVERY WEAR collection. 

The Announcement of the Global Creative Awards Winners was one of the most outstanding moments of the Global Creative Awards Evening and was broadcast live from the virtual studio: 

New Talent Colorist of the Year 
GOLD: HARLEY LIU, EROS Hair Styling from Taiwan 
SILVER: BRITT STURING, Twins Hair & Beauty from Netherlands 
BRONZE: CHLOE NG, Mainstage Hairdressing from China 

Editorial Colorist of the Year 
GOLD: SVETLANA ZAYTSEVA, Laimalux Academy from Russia 
SILVER: CARLOS ALVARES, Trademark Salon from United States 
BRONZE: CASEY COLEMAN, CHAIR Studio from United Kingdom 

Avant Garde Stylist of the Year 
GOLD: SEAN CHIU, M Plus Salon from Hong Kong 
SILVER: SHI-HAN ZHOU, EROS Hair Styling from Taiwan 
BRONZE: MARCELA BLECHOVÁ, Salon TOP from Czech Republic 

Salon Team of the Year 
GOLD: HAIRSTUDIO INFINITY from Netherlands 
SILVER: K-HANS from Taiwan 
BRONZE: NEW WAVE HAIR from United Kingdom 

Men’s Hairstylist of the Year: 
GOLD: RENAT MURZAHALEIEV, HDRM Salon from Ukraine 
SILVER: LYDIA WOLFE & JACK MEAD, Jack & the Wolfe from United Kingdom 
BRONZE: RUSTAM MIRASOV, Samedy from Russia 

Another highlight of the show was the recognition of one salon per continent for their leadership in salon sustainability. 

“We have chosen three salons from around the world who have demonstrated clear leadership in their salon business with regard to environmentalism and sustainability. We want to recognize their efforts and leadership and make them “lighthouses” that other salons can follow in their own sustainability journey,” said Dr. Elmar Mussenbrock, Kao Salon’s Director of Sustainability. 

• Representing Europe, the recognition for “Salon Sustainability Leadership” goes to: SIMON and SOPHIE WEBSTER, Simon Webster Hair, United Kingdom. 

• Representing Asia, the recognition for “Salon Sustainability Leadership” goes to: SCOTT LEE, FOUR Hair Concept, Taiwan 

• Representing North America, the recognition for “Salon Sustainability Leadership” goes to: CHRISTIE BAZEMORE, dandelion Salon, USA 

“Hosting the Kao Salon Virtual Event for the second year allowed us to showcase even more of what Kao Salon Division has to offer salons and stylists, from the artistry of our Kao Salon Family to our strong focus on sustainability. In addition, the first ever Global Creative Awards proved that stylists around the world are ready to create inspiring images again, proving that despite the times we live in, Creativity Never Stops”, said John Moroney, VP Creative & Communication.

About Kao Salon DivisionKao Salon Division is part of the Skin Care and Hair Care Business of Kao Corporation, offering professional products and services to stylists around the globe. It is a thought and trend leader in the hair care industry as well as home to the Goldwell, KMS, Oribe and Varis brands. The mission of Kao Salon Division is to make life beautiful for salons, stylists and their clients through partnership, commitment to sustainable practices, salon business growth and a portfolio of advanced services, innovative products and inspiring education. Kao Corporation creates high-value-added products that enrich the lives of consumers around the world.