Total Image Colour and Styling Awards – Hosted by The Circle and CPR Hair
This year, The Mane Event competition returned for its second amazing year, boasting over 190 entries. An esteemed panel of industry professionals judged a shortlist of the top 10 entries, each casting their rankings for their favourite top 3. These votes were then combined to determine the top 3 finalists, who were promoted through CPR’s channels. For the first time, the top 3 entries were open to a public voting system, allowing the CPR community and the finalists’ supporters to vote for their favourite entry.
The winner as well as 2nd and 3rd place setters were announced at CPR’s Mane Gala evening, held at The Ivy in Sydney. It was a night of celebration for the CPR community during the Hair Festival weekend. Guests stepped into the chic Ivy Sunroom for an evening filled with culinary delights, crafty cocktails, and non-stop entertainment.
The Top 3 – The Mane Event 2024
First Place – Paul James Graham
Second Place – Aimee Egan: Owner of Aimee Egan Hair
Third Place – Kristin Gillies: Owner of Salt Hair Newcastle
Last year’s winner, Chloe Taylor, was present to hand over her title to this year’s winner Paul James Graham, co-owner of Paul & Paul Salon, Gold Coast, on stage, with trophy and flowers in hand.
Inspiration and Creative Process behind the winning look
Clean lines and bold, dynamic contrasting colours, are very much in the realm of sassoon.
Paul is inspired by creative thinkers who like to blend classic with modern trends. When looking for inspiration it’s a matter of looking at what is out there and seeing what sings to him.
When creating Paul’s entry image, he starts on the wardrobe and decides what the model will wear. From here this sparks ideas on what hair will work with that look.
And how does it feel to be the winner of The Mane Event? “It feels really good”, says Paul. “ I love CPR, I’m proud to be a CPR ambassador and I love any opportunity to put the skills and knowledge I have to the test and be creative with it. I hope to inspire others through the process.”
For aspiring stylists wanting to enter a competition like The Mane Event, Paul says “Definitely do it, but first decide on why you want to do it. What is your why? If you’re looking for a creative outlet to create something that you really want to create, go for it. If you want to do something to win, reach out and connect with others who have had success in that part of the industry. But ultimately, do it because it’s a really great way to grow your career and your skill set, and it’s an amazing creative outlet.”
Kristin’s inspiration behind her total look was to bring together everything that she loved in life – sunsets, festivals and natural, lived-in colour. Her creative process unfolded as she started to work her magic on the hair, with all the elements she had brought bringing together a fun, tousled beachy look. Kristin says “Have a go and don’t put so much pressure on yourself – enjoy the process because that’s important! Stick to things that you love in and out of the hair world”.
Aimee says her inspiration was based on looks that she has seen that had movement and pops of colour. Her model had clean, scalp-bleached long healthy hair (almost unheard of!) so she wanted to utilise that to create something amazing. As the shoot played out, Aimee says “There was an amazing flow of energy in the room as they got into the groove, throwing the hair to achieve the movement that you see in the final image”
The Mane Event competition opens for another year of entries from 1st September 2024.
