Long Eaton Apprentices through to finals of top hairdressing industry competition

A Long Eaton-based hairdressing company is celebrating after two of its apprentices secured their places at the UK finals of a major hairdressing industry competition.

The TrendVision Award celebrates exceptional talent in the hairdressing industry and has become an iconic hair competition. For many previous winners, this is the first step towards truly unleashing their creative career.

19 year old KH Hair apprentices, Sophie Taylor and Megan Maloney who train at the Derby Road Academy, were named finalists in the Creative Colour Category – an award which specifically celebrates hairdressers in learning. Their first round brief was to ‘showcase the creative use of colour and its placement to create a visible hair colour, maintaining hair quality and condition’.

Sophie hones her skills on the salon floor in Nottingham. Director, Debbie McMenamin described being thrilled for her. She said: “It’s amazing that our apprentices have the courage and talent to put themselves and their work forward at such a young age,” she says. “We actively support this in the salon and are delighted that Sophie has been recognised! She is a great inspiration for future trainees and we can’t wait for the final in October.”

As for Megan, she says she is very excited and a little bit nervous but couldn’t be more thrilled. “My first words to my team in Leicester were ‘I could literally cry!’ she says. “It’s going to be such a new experience and something to really look forward to. I can’t wait to be there showing the look I’ve worked so hard to create. I’m also really happy for the other KH Hair members who got through to the finals.” 

Former apprentice at the Academy, Amelia Krasinski (also 19) and a newly-qualified stylist at a Nottingham-based salon, has also been named as a finalist in the Colour Visionary category where the first round brief was for entrants to ‘showcase their innovative colouring skills using a sunrise to sunset colour pallet’. 

“I’m very excited to have finalised for the second time in this category!” Amelia said, “Knowing how amazing last year’s experience was, I can’t wait to get back down to London and prove my worth on that stage again and hopefully bring the title back home to Nottingham!”

Salon group managing director, Darren Messias, added: “We are absolutely delighted that Sophie, Megan and Amelia, have finalised. To reach the final and compete against the whole of the UK is a tremendous achievement and will be a fantastic experience for them all. I’d like to wish them the very best of luck.”

For the first round of the competition, all entrants were asked to enter a before and after image of their model on Instagram which was then judged by a prestigious panel of highly experienced and respected industry experts. The TrendVision finals, where a live competition will decide the ultimate winners, takes place at Old Billingsgate, London on Monday 7th October as an audience of industry experts gather to celebrate the best of UK and Ireland’s hairdressing.