Top Trends at Hair World
From 3 to 5 May 2014, the hairdressing world will be looking towards Frankfurt am Main. At the start of Hairworld /Hair and Beauty, sector representatives will present the latest trends in hair and cosmetology. Franz-Josef Küveler, Art Director at the Zentralverband des Deutschen Friseurhandwerks (ZV), anticipates that people will be wanting fashionable hair makeovers as soon as the warmer weather arrives.
Together with the fashion designers from the association’s creative studio, he has identified the trends for the summer of 2014. “The ‘in’ look for the summer concentrates on unusual and very sophisticated hairstyles, which appear fresh, light and extremely individual. In addition, beautiful color combinations with a mixture of warm and cold tones provide exciting accents.”
The catchword is ‘individual’. On this one point all the sector’s trailblazers agree: it’s not the trend but the individual person that matters most. Gone are the days when every customer would leave the hairdressing salon with exactly the same hairstyle as the person before them. Today there’s just one look – and that’s your own. “There isn’t just the one single haircut that suits all heads and face shapes,” explains Paul Mitchell hairstylist, Peter Hartmann. “Instead, it’s all about the hairdresser, who gives the customers their own haircut, their own style and hair color – and that’s what makes our hairdressing job more exciting than ever.”
Make-up artist Beni Durrer has also observed this hair trend and the responsibility that goes along with it. “Thanks to the great choice available, every woman can find her own style and personality – now it’s up to us to help her create a complete look from it.” The move towards being yourself runs throughout the entire sector, from hairstyle to make-up and even the salon interior and equipment. “The main reason for this is the strong individualisation within our society – we’re less and less interested in conformity,” says Dr. Peter Wenzel, CEO of salon equipment suppliers Olymp.
Hair color trends: blonde, red and metallic
The freedom to create your own look is also reflected in the new hair colors. There are hardly any limits any more to the hairdresser’s imagination; and there are many innovations to be presented at Hairworld / Hair and Beauty, specifically in terms of hair coloring. “Creativity is one of the most important drivers in our sector,” explains Katharina Jahrling, CEO of Schwarzkopf, Germany. Classic chocolate brown and ash blonde are being replaced by warm blonde tones, from apricot and peach to light strawberry blonde. By nature, hair contains both red and gold tones; the new trend colors no longer work against them but allow the natural features to filter through. Alongside glamorous blonde, red is also once again playing a major role, from dark red to reddish shading, which is used in a fusion of colors to create that wow effect. Metallic sheens complete the list of the top three.
The new length
Where the cut’s concerned it’s all about the hair length – Rapunzel is a thing of the past: today hair, cut into a half-length bob, gently brushes against the shoulders. The bob is a timeless hairdressing classic, but the new length allows many more styling options. To go with the more natural blonde tones, the trend is moving away from hard, geometric cuts towards soft curls. Even the era of straightened, smoothed hair is coming to an end. Men continue to display beards – as full as possible and accurately trimmed – and, to go with them, precision-cut, short, contoured undercuts with longer hair on the top, retro looks with slicked-back hair or flat side partings.
Photo source: Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH / Pietro Sutera