Voting has now officially closed for the Voting Categories of the 2022 Hairnews Industry Awards below and the results of the Voting will be published in Hairnews on Saturday 6th August.
• Best Industry Educator
• Best Service and Support (from a Company or Supplier)
• Best Treatment / Repair Product
• Best Hair Regrowth Range
Meet the Judges of our Creative Categories
We’re delighted to introduce the expert judges who are busy assessing all the entries into the Creative categories of the Hairnews Industry Awards. It’s a privilege to have their time and professional input, and we value this immensely. Thank you, judges!
BEST BALAYAGE
Inge Ramos
Master Stylist in Pretoria
Hairstylist Inge Ramos is a Master Stylist in Pretoria who started her hairdressing career in 2009. She has travelled the four corners of the world sharing her artistic ability and passion for her craft!
As a multiple award winner herself, Inge likes to keep her finger on the pulse when it comes to the latest trends and techniques.
BEST BALAYAGE
Donovan John Foti
Owner of DJ Hairdressing in Durban
Growing up, Donovan spent his days in and out of his father’s barber shop: priceless moments that would shape the rest of his life. He feels his observations and charisma paid off, when at the young age of 13, he started professional gents cuts until he grew into a fully-fledged barber.
However, with a desire for more out of life and more out of the hair industry, he decided to leap into the world of ladies’ hair. His experience and foundations as a barber made the transition very easy.
His passion, experience and enthusiasm for hair has stayed with him throughout the years, being the true fuondation of his success, paving the way for two of his current salons in Vryheid, and Durban, KZN SA.
He feels very honoured to be a 3 times Wella Master Colourist, with his passion to learn and teach has bringing him to Intercoiffure SA where he is currently the FG Director for KZN SA.
“I am so proud to be part of the Wella family. The professionalism of the organisation coupled with their innovation has seen me grow and develop as a stylist to the point where I have now been recognised by Wella as a Master Stylist. As with any trade, it takes thousands of hours to achieve mastery, and while I don’t yet see myself as THE master stylist, I am certainly humbled and grateful for the Master Stylist recognition from Wella.
“In the fast paced and high energy industry, the words “I can’t” never features for me. Learning from everyone around me has been my driving force. I have always asked, “Let me show you something, then you show me something”. The aim is to always be better than yesterday, no matter how amazing you were. “The difference between failure and success is perseverance, only when you stop trying, you will fail.” Hairdressing has given me an amazing platform to share and live life BIG.”
BEST DAMAGE FIX-UP BEFORE AND AFTER
Thelma De Klerk
Owner of Collab Hair in Bedfordview
Thelma has been in the hair industry for 12 years and loved every moment of it! She’s a colour specialist for both blondes and brunettes, and prides herself on mastering the art of keeping hair as low maintenance as possible yet maintaining that extreme impact with signature colour placement.
She represents leading brands Schwarzkopf Professional South Africa and GHD South Africa as one of their ambassadors, and believes strongly in continuous investment in education to keep on trend and up to date. She’s also an educator herself, holding Balayage & Social Media classes across SA to other hair professionals.
“I love sharing knowledge and helping other stylist reach their full potential!”
BEST DAMAGE FIX-UP BEFORE AND AFTER
Donovan Grove
Owner of DNA Salon in Bedfordview
Donovan has over thirty years’ experience in the hairdressing industry and is the founder and owner of DNA salon. He feels he is truly blessed to be acknowledged by the SA industry as an icon as far back as 2012 and he has always enjoyed staying involved in the competitive sector of the industry.
“We focus on our business and make it our goal to really deliver world class standards of hairdressing to our valued patrons. DNA has a motto enhancing our patrons’ natural beauty and what’s naturally “you”. This is what we strive for in every transaction. I’m also a proud member of Intercoiffure SA.”
BEST GENT'S CREATIVE CUT
Warren Theunis
Founder of the Barbers Association and Partner to Barbercraft New Zealand
Warren is a well known figure in the South African barbering industry! He’s a Qualified Barber and Assessor, and appointed “Subject Matter Expert” by the Department of Higher Education.
He’s been in the industry for 22 years and during that time, has done judges training with EOHCB and HITO (Hairdressing Industry Training Organisation New Zealand), as well as judging both local and international competitions, including Western Province competitions with EOHCB and “The Dual of the Barbers”.
One of his favourite projects was hosting “Barbercraft”, a men’s grooming and lifestyle expo for three years pre-covid. We look forward to seeing him in that role again soon!
“I belief that industry competitions are a fundamental building block to the advancement of both the competitor and the industry. It brings to the fore that creativity that a barber and stylist should possess.”
BEST GENT'S CREATIVE CUT
Duncan Gosling
Owner of Kitsune Hair Design in Cape Town
Duncan is a Cape Town-based hairstylist and cultural entrepreneur. With ten years of experience in the professional hair industry, Gosling has apprenticed under David Gillson (UK) and Candice Wyatt (ZA).
In 2020, Duncan opened his own salon, Kitsune, which has since grown into a multi-cultural artistic hub experience. Kitsune is home to the hair salon together with hairstylist Marchay Linderoth, Rosé Nail House, and has expanded to include the Kitsune concept clothing store and art gallery run by Brandon Reef, and an artist studio to local artist Georgia Munnik. It’s already become an iconic fixture on the CT scene with curations of selected pieces by local designers and artists.
Duncan looks forward to expanding his creative talents even more in a diverse entrepreneurial portfolio while perfecting his craft as a full-time hairstylist.
BEST MAKEOVER BEFORE AND AFTER
Shantal Benecke
Owner of Blu Gel Hair Studio in Pietermaritzburg, KZN
Shantal is the owner of Blu Gel Hair Studio for over 22 years. She’s been a member of Intercoiffure for 6 years and is a founding member of the inspirational education forum The Hair Republic SA.
She is well experienced, having been in the hair industry since 1989, having entered, placed & won various competitions. She’s also judged numerous competitions and revels in the hair industry because it's forever changing, she says.
With the importance of good education in mind, she says further, “We are an award winning salon. I encourage my staff to enter as many competitions as they can - we are a training salon for future upcoming stylists.”
BEST MAKEOVER BEFORE AND AFTER
Nicolas Anamourlis
Owner of Nikolas Michael Salon in Umdloti, KZN
Nicolas Anamourlis is a Master Stylist and owner of Nikolas Michael Salon in Umdloti on the North Coast of KZN. Nicolas has been in the industry for 25yrs and his passion for his craft and the industry is undeniable. Nicolas is also a proud ambassador for Wella South Africa and has showcased his work both locally and internationally.
“My job is my passion and hair my playground”.
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The Shortlist finalists in the Creative categories will be published in Hairnews on Saturday 20th August, and the Final results of the Judging Categories will be published in Hairnews on Saturday 3rd September.
The Hairnews Team wishes each entrant all the best for the judging round.
