MAJOR MOMENTS: MANESTAGE 2023

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It’s the whirlwind day of education, globally revered talent gathered and inspiration overload that officially kickstarts AHFA Weekend in the best possible way and sets up attendees for their biggest year ahead yet. 

With global heavyweights Errol Douglas MBE (UK) and Richard Mannah (US) flying in to amp up the crowd throughout the massive day, the vibes were high from the moment The Star Ballroom’s doors swung open.

“It’s just great to be here,” expressed Errol when we caught up with him morning of. “For me, the main thing – get it, MANE thing – is supporting the young guys. It’s been really amazing to see the FAME Team do their thing, education in Australia is so strong and what I love about walking in here is seeing so much enthusiasm in the room.”

Continues Richard, “We believe that education equals motivation, and this whole event is really about you – coming along, being inspired, walking away with some ideas that you can take away to your salon and keep your clients up to date with the ever-changing trends.”

Here, we gather all of the highlights (pun intended) from MANE STAGE 2023.

EXPLORING THE WORLD OF LIQUID COLOUR WITH REDKEN

Let’s be honest – we all love a colouring masterclass, and relish in the concept of walking away with a new technique to take our talents to the next level on the salon floor. Kickstarting proceedings for the day was Redken, who did exactly this. 

Utilising a team of their Artists to inspire attendees – including Sheree Knobel (Bixie Colour), Justin Pace (Co & Pace), Kaine Vakai (KV Hair Artistry), Kyra Williams (Tkay Studio), Ash Wuilleman, (Tkay Studio) and Sara Briscoe (Roca Verde) – the techniques imparted on the crowd challenged them to take their colouring to the next level utilising Redken’s world of liquid colour.

DYSON’S STYLING SUPERSTARS SPILLED THEIR SECRETS

Global Styling Ambassador Peter Thomsen and Australian Styling Ambassador Eoin McCarthy were up next, and on hand to demonstrate the versatility of the Dyson lineup in creating the perfect finish each and every time – regardless of client. 

From beautiful blowouts to textured style techniques and working with tools on shorter cuts (both male and female), the session certainly turned up the heat and ensured that those gathered were blown away by the styling secrets revealed.

CRUSHING COLOUR BLOCKING WITH WELLA PROFESSIONAL’S JAMES EARNSHAW

Joining us all the way from the UK was Wella Professional’s very own James Earshaw, who coloured the crowd inspired with his colour blocking expertise and in depth Funpacking of this massive colouring trend. From high contrast shades of blonde clashed with cool tonal brown combos to dreamy pastel pairings and bold brights, James’ take on the trend ensured that your client’s desires are addressed whilst empowering you to challenge them into embracing a unique, energised look to complement their personality – all made possible with Wella’s incredible colour offering.

​As well as James’ worldclass colour blocking session, the 10 Wella TrendVision finalists showcased their interpretation of the trend for the final stage of the competition ahead of the two winners being announced later that evening.

EDITORIAL MADE ACCESSIBLE WITH DAVROE’S JORDAN ROBERTSON AND MADISON VOLOSHIN

Now THIS was a styling session that quite literally pumped up the volume and took hair to new heights. Davroe Ambassadors, editorial superstars and world revered session stylists Jordan Robertson and Madison Voloshin took the MANE STAGE by storm with their presentation that showcased both the power of the homegrown Davroe range and also their distinctive styles that acted as an avant-garde inspo highlight across the day. 

From Madison’s reimagining of his show-stopping looks created for Marriam Seddiq through to Jordan’s recreation of his Versace blowout, all aspiring session stylists left with a thirst to create and more than a few new tricks up their sleeves from the two session superstars.

THE FAME TEAM UNLEASH NEXT-LEVEL GIRL POWER ON THE MANE STAGE

The culmination of their FAME Team journey, 2023’s fab four took to the stage with an unmatched energy and fervour that whipped the crowd into a frenzy and sent a wave of feminine power through the room. Joined by their FAME Team mentors and some very special guests, the talented troupe wowed with their looks created on stage whilst they relived the year that was and unpacked their highlights from their career-changing journey.  

R+CO TURN LIFE TECHNICOLOUR ON THE MANE STAGE

Fresh from the states specifically for MANE STAGE, R+CO’s Richy Kandasamy and Renee Valerie gave audiences a look at upcoming colouring trends – made stunning and simple with R+COLOR – set to take the style set (and your clients) by storm in coming months. 

It was an unparalleled colour education experience that showcased the most dynamic trends, top-tier techniques and eye-popping technicolour transformations from two of the world’s most respected colouring luminaries.

Audiences were left with a supercharged love of colour, and imagination set alight with inspiration.

HOW TO GROW YOUR SALON - AND CAREER - WITH SOCIAL MEDIA

Last but certainly not least were our crew of Social Media Superstars, who filled the MANE STAGE room with enough personality to send a session viral and lessons in building an online personal brand that empowered audiences to make 2024 their biggest and busiest yet – all harnessing the power of socials.

With a panel consisting of Sarah Emilia, James Earnshaw, Belinda Mills, Kaine Vakai, Dom Pelli, and Chantelle Maree (and over 1.5 MILLION combined followers), insider strategies on taking your social media game to the next level in ‘24 were shared – alongside many a laugh to wrap up an incredible day of learning across all areas of hairdressing.