Sunday morning began far too early after Saturday night’s Power Point shenanigans, but isn’t that how it always goes? We have traveled enough as a trio to make Carrie set her alarm for an hour earlier than everyone else! So while she rocks out to Pandora and does her makeup, Amanda and I grab a couple more Zzzzz’s.
Steve Elias
We knew we had to get to the convention center early because Steve Elias‘ – Conception to Realization class was at the very beginning of the day. The premise behind this class was really genius and if you know anything about Steve… was perfectly suited to him. It sought to answer the question: So you decided to enter NAHA…. now what? How do you get started? Where should you look for inspiration? Should you agency models or friends and family? Steve definitely made NAHA seem far more accessible for a hairdresser who isn’t sponsored.
Steve Elias is a two-time NAHA winner and billion time Finalist (We’re sure there is an actual figure, but we lost count!) Let’s just say.. this man knows a thing or two about the world of NAHA and what has been the most inspiring is he enters on his own every year. These are $30,000 photo shoots. He pays for them with Starbucks money and Hugs. (Ok, we made up the hugs part.)
ARROJO
It was no surprise to us that the ARROJO Center Stage presentation was packed. Literally, every seat was filled…
Nick invited several ARROJO Ambassadors to join him on stage: Adam Federico, AJF; David Gatt, Square Root; and Brian Bode, Oya .
We just love Nick and Gerard and think any excuse to hang out with them and learn is a good one!
Gerard spoke about his journey with ARROJO and Hairbrained.Me (If you haven’t signed up, yet… Get it together!! How many times do we have to say this?)
We love the ARROJO shows because they have made it their mission to showcase styles you can utilize in the salon. These are looks you can replicate on clients, and inspiration you can put into practice is worth every penny of your show ticket.
We had roughly 30 minutes between the ARROJO show and Sassoon Academy presentation. While we hung out waiting for Sassoon, Randy Taylor gave JoshXO a little airplane ride… #YesThatShitHappened
(this picture was stolen from Kaitlin Butler’s instagram)
Sassoon Academy
We were excited to see Cole Thompson on stage as we hung out with him after Wella TrendVision 2013. Randy Taylor was kind enough to invite us for dinner and drinks with Sassoon Academy after the show. We have stayed in contact with Cole through Twitter… (albeit mostly sexual harassment)
Mark Hayes and Traci Sakosits completed the finale before presenting a visual memorial to Vidal Sasssoon.
The entire tribute was absolutely beautiful, but then the final model came onto stage adorned 100% in I <3 Vidal buttons and Vidal’s revolutionary 5-point hair cut.
There was an audible reaction from the crowd. In that moment, people were taken back and the result was breathtaking.
Happenings
It was afternoon and we were already beginning to feel the effects of zero sleep. With a long night ahead of us we made some executive decisions and changed our previously planned schedule, a bit. This is not something we typically do, but a Hair Nerd has to think on the fly and spot opportunities as they come.
We ran into Katey-Bug Browne and chatted about a very special photo shoot she had planned for the next day. We are IN LOVE with this girl! She is so young and driven. Katey- Bug knows exactly what she wants out of life and she is creating the path for herself. What an incredible mentor for new stylists and Hair School Nerds.
We visited Steve Elias’ packed Bombshells Class. It was awesome to see so many people taking hands-on education at the show. We think these classes are some of the most under valued items at the shows. When else will you have the opportunity to take an intimate hands-on class with someone like Steve Elias or The Teals for less than $150? (PLUS, PBA members get a discount!)
Definitely had to check out, The Teals: Cut and Color ‘Em All Class. Having actually visited their salon, we have seen their genius in action. Trust us when we say you NEED these classes. After chatting with DeAnnalyn and Ryan for a bit, Ryan showed us his “Tool Belt” and we stole Baby Teal. We love our Tuester and hadn’t had an opportunity to really hang out with her alone on this trip.
After feeding our little vegetarian photographer, Nina Kovner of PassionSquared.net text us to hang out at the Hyatt bar. The Hyatt is the ultimate Nerd Stalking location! We are so incredibly grateful for all the friends we have made over the years, both old and new. Sometimes it is hard not to geek out when you are chatting with some of the greatest minds in the industry.
This is the reason ISSE has been and remains our VERY favorite show of the year. It feels like home for hairdressers… a place to migrate to each January because you know your family will be there.
Pictured Above: Erin, Nina Kovner, Kelly O’Connell, Randy Taylor, Douglas McCoy, Amanda, Gordon Miller, Carrie & JoshXO
*Pictures from the ARROJO and Sassoon Academy were taken by the extremely talented, Randy Taylor.
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