ColorFest was to the colorist what a music festival is to a music-lover—three days of education and inspiration.

For the first two days of America’s Beauty Show at McCormick Place in Chicago, March 25-27, 2017, industry leaders from some of hair color’s top brands educated guests on their products and innovations, and answered questions from the audience. Workshops were held by Olaplex, Malibu C, Scruples, Redken, L’anza and Aloxxi.

On the final day of ABS, ColorFest culminated in a hair-a-palooza with its main event. About 500 attendees joined MODERN SALON’s Alison Alhamed and Maggie Mulhern for three hours of everything color, plus one hour afterwards to mix and mingle with brands, who were sponsors of MODERN’s PROCESS hair color supplement and program: Aloxxi; Celeb Luxury; Colorsmash; Color Wow; Farouk; GKhair; Hoyu Professional; Keune; L’anza; Malibu C; Matrix; Nouvelle; Olaplex; Redken; Schwarzkopf; Scruples; and TIGI.

Cosmotologists Chicago President Larry Silvestri welcomed attendees to Colorfest. Then, Alhamed and Mulhern opened the show with their presentation, giving pointers on how colorists can build their social media following and attract MODERN to regram their work. They then introduced Eva Scrivo to the stage. Scrivo knows all facets of beauty—from hair to skin care to makeup, to nutrition, wellness and more. Her masterful makeovers attract clients from all over the country and beyond. At ColorFest, she talked business-building, specifically how and when salon professions should raise their prices, and how to do it with confidence.

Next, MODERN’s Publisher, Steve Reiss, went over MODERN’s 2016 hair color research. Reiss is an active participant in the salon industry conversation and has presented on a range of topics—hair loss, booth rental, hair color, you name it. Beyond being a key player in the industry's most widely distributed and respected publications and websites, he plays a tremendous role in MODERN’S research studies. He went over top issues, observations and innovations in professional hair color education.

In two model segments throughout the show, Nick Stenson posed as a “Ryan Seacrest,” interviewing color brands’ key-players alongside models. Platform artist, beauty expert and celebrity stylist, Stenson asked all the right questions and amped up the crowd during each segment. In the first set of interviews, Stenson spoke with Matrix’s Chrystofer Benson and Danielle Keasling, Keune’s George Alderete, and GKhair’s Angie Mendeles.

Alexis Thurston was next to take the stage with two models of her own. With the rise of social media, a hairdresser’s resume has expanded from hair (and running a salon in many cases) to social media extraordinaire. In this changing landscape, Thurston decided to embrace this change, rather than run from it. Alexis is a salon owner and stylist, and currently has 111,000 followers on Instagram. As she applied her co-founded brand Pulp Riot’s colorful hues, she simultaneously shared her journey in embracing social media, and how that helped her rise up and gain recognition for her craft, and led to greater success.

  Alhamed and Mulhern next welcomed Sonya Dove. Dove is and industry icon, educator, and all-around color master. Whether she’s in the salon creating looks for clients or on stage, sharing her technical expertise and educating salon professionals worldwide, Dove continuously inspires the global professional beauty industry. In an emotional, personal, and tear-jerking presentation, Dove discussed what inspires her, and how to interpret that inspiration for clients in the salon.

To round-out the presentation, Stenson again took the stage and introduced more color pros with models—Leah Freeman with L’anza, Masa Teraguchi with Hoyu Professional, Anna Cantu with Farouk Systems, and Nouvelle.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS! ColorFest is returning next year at ABS, taking place April 26-30, 2018. Hope to see you there!

ColorFest celebrated all things color! Take a look at PROCESS 2016 BELOW for more inspiration and education, and look to October 2017 for the next edition!

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