Hairdressing Industry Awards

Hairdressing celebrities and talented newcomers alike descended on Te Papa for the 40 year celebrations of the New Zealand Hairdressing Industry Training Organisation (HITO).

And what a weekend it was; filled with events, competitions, apprentice awards, networking and the launch of the new face of HITO online at www.hito.org.nz.

Saturday saw a series of salon tours, with guests shown around iconic Wellington salons to met salon owners and staff. An expo was opened at Te Papa that celebrated the past 40 years of formal qualifications in the hairdressing arena and focused on those people who had contributed to the industry in a major way. A selection of historic hairdressing related documents were on display for guests to reminisce over.

Over the two days, a Hairdresser in Training competition was on display where apprentices and trainees sent in entries to copy a Worldskills model hairstyle. Guests were encouraged to vote for their choice and a record number of 65 entries were received from entrants.

On Saturday evening the HITO awards were presented, with the Apprentice of the Year awarded in each of seven areas within New Zealand.

National Apprentice of the Year Nominees were:

Northern – Katherine Minty (Headlines Hairstylist, Whangarei)

Auckland – Ardita Rakovica (Bettjemans, Auckland)

Midland – Haley Barraclough (Ahead of Time, Tauranga)

Mid-Central – Nikita Barter (Spectra, Palmerston North)

Central – Dorien Van der Berg (Pukerua Bay)

Northern South – Krystal Ward (Hair on Brighton, Christchurch)

Southern South – Amber Parkinson (Total Image, Invercargill)

Runner Up was awarded to Nikita Barter and the overall winner of the 2008 Apprentice of the Year was Ardita Rakovica (pictured above).

The awards evening also saw the Jasmine McBeth Memorial Scholarship being awarded to Joel Hornell from Rodney Wayne, Bayfair (Tauranga). This scholarship consists of an prize of $3000 to be used for further training and development within the hairdressing industry. Also, KJ Scissors kindly donated a $1000 pair of specially fitted scissors for the winner.

Sunday's schedule held a series of speakers, Worldskills Training, and demonstrations running throughout the expo. The celebrations closed with a cocktail party on Sunday evening where the Hairdressers in Training competition award winners were announced. Judges from the industry awarded the top prize to Gemma Wigg from Bettjemans in Auckland, with the runner-up prize- and the People's Choice Award- given to Alicia Hampton from Euphoria for Hair in Timaru. This competition drew praise from industry players and judges noted that the overall calibre of the entrants was very high. They also commented that this new competition was one of the best that they had seen over recent years as it encouraged training and put all competitors on the same footing.

The evening ended with HITO unveiling new branding in terms of marketing materials and collateral that will see put its best face forward- to match with its already fabulous hair.

Below: Sasha, Rose Palmer, Ardita Palmer, Erica Cumming and Grant Bettjeman

Cynthia Greep, December 2008

The Great Eclectic Jumble Sale

The Great Eclectic Jumble Sale was held in Newtown, Wellington on Saturday. Call it vintage, retro or antique – it was it all on sale and very well priced. Items ranged from 50 cents to $25 and there were lots of 'em. Everything vintage you can imagine was there, including clothing, fabric, textiles, shoes, bags, jewels, household items, hats and some in-between items.

Vintage-lovers flocked, with some lining up very early. There was very little room to move but it was evident that certain things catch individual shoppers' eyes, depending on their sense of style and past experiences. Many comments were made by buyers such as “This was at my grandmother’s house when I was a child”.

I spoke to two shoppers to ask what they had purchased. One had found a collection of 70’s fabric remnants; prints included geometrics, florals and paisleys in bright colourways. She aimed to cover some vintage chairs, which I thought an interesting idea to match antique chairs with 70's retro designs! The other buyer had found a fur coat she was going to cut up to make new garments from.

Vintage For Dummies: mannequins at the jumble sale

I managed to find a few items: a couple of vintage scarves, a gorgeous antique gold bracelet, a lace Italian top saying “Made in Venice” and some art deco fabric. The turn-out of shoppers was overwhelming- I counted 300 people in the space at one time- and my friends and I needed to go home and sleep to recover from the madness and excitement.

The Great Eclectic Jumble Sale is the initiative of a vintage connoisseur, Maria Henare, of fabulous vintage store Eclectic. Henare has bought up thousands of items from the ‘treasure trove of the South Island’. Based in Nelson, Maria has been collecting items from the South Island, most dating from the 1920s to the 1980s.

Although the jumble sale was a one-off event, if it were to happen regularly it would surely become a staple part of every shopper’s diet.

Cyndi Greep 18th November 2008

de Nada dresses for success

Thread attended a charity fundraising evening supporting Dress for Success (DFS) Wellington at deNada last week. deNada pledged to donate in clothing the same value as anything purchased on the night, with the result that over $15,000 of de Nada clothing was donated to DFS from the evening.

This event was the second of its type hosted by de Nada, and as it was last year, this year was a phenomenal success for all concerned. PEARL played, guests swayed, Rick Armstrong/Audi sponsored, Samanath Hannah (Wellington Stylist) styled and upcoming artist Amy Saunders launched an exhibition coined "Shades of Grey, but mostly White".

Since the evening, we caught up with a delighted and busy Creative Director Nada Piatek, Creative Director after the event. Nada says that “It was a huge success and we were really chuffed with how it went. The feedback we have been getting from our customers has just been overwhelming!”

I asked Nada some questions on the event and her boutique de Nada.

Was there an even larger turn out than last year?

"We had a capacity crowd - the store was chocker. I would guess that over the night there were more than last year, especially as we had more space with the changes we have made to the store since then. It was certainly standing room only at both events, but this year people stayed for longer."

What is your next event?

"Each month deNada hosts a styling event for interested customers. We invite about 20 women to join us for bubbles and nibbles. I talk a bit about a facet of the collection - colour, profile, accessorizing etc and Zara (our fabulous store manager) and I put together a few outfits using the principles we are discussing for our group. Kerri reviews some of the CDs and talks about the CD collection as part of the deNada brand, and then with our help to encourage our customers into some new and exciting ideas, they get an hour or so to get stuck in and try everything on. We are pretty consistently oversubscribed and end up with a waiting list most months."

Below: Guests Lizi Castro and Kat Austin at the deNada evening

How would you describe your summer collection? What was the inspiration?

"Once again I have an Asian-y thing going on. I think the new bags project really drove that for me (images attached - these were launched a few months back) and also the addition of the Laika label into our deNada store. Our designs are also driven by our customers feedback as to what works and doesn't for them - I work hard to design and produce garments that are at the same time quirky and curious but also functional and completely wearable."

What can the customer expect as a staple purchase for their upcoming autumn/winter 2009 wardrobe?

"Colour, colour, colour! Our deNada customers have come to expect that of us and winter will be no exception. There are some great oranges and kingfisher blues coming through and lots of dresses. Winter is the season of layering and there will be lots of pieces that this can be done with in-store too."

Nada is very supportive of her team.

“I have a great team committed to giving our deNada customers both a great product and an exceptional experience getting hold of it. We have a lot of fun bringing all these facets to our customers and will aim to continue our efforts with events, gigs, art, music etc. It is just such a pleasure that with events like we had last week that we can also get involved in the community and help others benefit from it all too."

Below: Wellington band Pearl play instore at the deNada fundraising party

To receive the newsletter for de Nada or for more information go to www.denada.co.nz or visit the gorgeous store on 128 Featherston Street, Wellington.

Cynthia Greep, December 2008

Photos Angelina Lee

'Allo gaitors

If you are shopping in Christchurch in the High Street fashion quarter a good place to go is a gorgeous shop called One Big Sugar Bowl. We were lured inside on our hunt for the gaitor. Gaitors are fashion accessories that can be added to an ensemble to give it that Italian edge.

Virginia Disomma owner of the One Big Sugar Bowl store and company started designing her range of gaiters in 2003. "Gaitors look fabulous with long or short shorts, skirts, dresses and pants. They will turn almost any shoe into a boot and are a great travelling option as you can have the boots in your luggage without worrying about the weight".

"I designed The Gaitor in 2003" says Disomma. "I've always designed and made things - not always fashion items, sometimes interior design and homewares product but fashion and jewellery is my passion now."

Trelise Cooper bought her entire range of feather and flower hairclips that she was making in 1998 and she can safely claim credit for bringing feather and flower clips and fascinators back into vogue in New Zealand because at the time, no one else was doing them. Now, as we all know, they're everywhere!

Virginia Disomma has had her store since March 2001; first in the Christchurch Arts Centre for three and a half years and now in the up-market fashion quarter of High Street for the past four years. She states that the inspiration behind the name, One Big Sugar Bowl was "to give the feeling that this was a space full of sweet and sumptuous treats for women of all ages and somewhere they could truly celebrate femininity". And it certainly is. Filled with trinkets, slightly European styled accessories and a lovely atmosphere, it is the kind of place you will not leave empty handed.

One Big Sugar Bowl provides a makeup and styling service for bridal parties and in 2009 will be specialising in bridal jewellery, headwear and specialty bags, garters and more. As Virginia says, every woman needs "at least one piece of jewellery they can have for many years and love enough to pass onto their children."

One Big Sugar Bowl, 173 High Street, Christchurch. Ph 03 3773600 email: virginiadisomma@gmail.com

Cyndi Greep 18 December 2008