When it comes to creating exceptional hair colour and the hottest catwalk looks, a team of hairdressers from Westrow in Wetherby have
proved they are among the best in the UK having made it through to the Grand Final of the L’Oréal Colour Trophy 2007.
Nicola Hulatt and colourist Gemma Merton beat off stiff competition from thirty-nine salons across the North Eastern region to clinch
their place in the Grand Final in London on Monday 21 May. They are now one step closer to winning the prestigious L’Oréal Colour Trophy
and a once-in-a-lifetime prize that could see them jetting over to New York to produce a photo spread for fashion bible Vogue.
At the North Eastern Regional Final their live hairdressing skills were put under the spotlight by a panel of top hairdresser judges
including Errol Douglas, Sean Dawson, David Lambert and Dylan Bradshaw. Industry luminary and guest judge Sean Dawson commented;
“The clothes styling was some of the best seen so far on this tour, making it a tough region to judge. There were interesting cuts
and some really clever colouring techniques.”
Nicola and Gemma explain the thinking behind their striking image: “We started by scouting for inspiration at London Fashion Week and
surfing catwalking.com. We were struck by the smart tailoring associated with the ‘boy-meets-girl’ trend, particularly high-waisted
wide trousers. Inspired by the clothes, we gave our model a boyish crop but retained femininity with autumnal colouring and flowing
movement throughout the hair.”
The whole room was on tenterhooks waiting to hear who had made it through to the Grand Final and upon hearing their name announced the
team from Westrow leapt off their chairs in delight.
“Everyone was absolutely gobsmacked,” says Nicola of the salon’s winning moment. “Many of our other salons had come down to support us,
so a great roar went up from the crowd as our number was announced. Even standing on stage it was hard to believe. To have an
opportunity to compete at an event as prestigious as the Grand Final is amazing – we feel proud to have made it so far.”
