The HJ Academy Stage at Salon International 2024 featured some of the hottest new talent and industry trailblazers, and this year it featured a dedicated Barber Pod.
Visitors were able to get up-close-and-personal with the best emerging talent in the industry, giving them the opportunity to ask questions and take the best tips and tricks back to the shop with them.
Keep scrolling to find out what the barbers got up to on the HJ Academy Stage...
HJ Academy Stage: Barber Pod Line-up
Saturday 12th October
10.30 - 11.30 - Aaron Ottley
11.30 - 12.30 - Aurelija Norvaisiene
12.30 - 1.30 - Aaron Halsey
1.30 - 2.30 - Jai-Li Rayneau
2.30 - 3.30 - Must Dash Barber
Aaron Halsey, Max Oliver Lewes
Aaron presented a mod cut where he told us versatility was key: "I want the client to be able to style it sharp or more undone."
Jai-Li Rayneau
Raw Talent Barbering Competition 2024 Graduate Finalist Jai-Li Rayneau brought her cornrow braiding skills to the barbering pod. Her business aim? To try and bridge the gap between barbering and hairdressing when it comes to braiding. Working from Do it for the Heart in Milton Keynes, Jai-Li is on a misison to change the face of braiding.
MustDash Barber
The MustDash Barber (Liam Leahy) took to the barbering pod to cut a modern mullet keeping it short at the front and moving into longer lengths at the back, he told us: "Today we are re-shaping a grown-out mullet, I want to change it up a bit."
Sunday 13th October
10.30 - 11.30 - Sid Da Barber
11.30 - 12.30 - Liv Plum
12.30 - 1.30 - Tommy Winding
2.30 - 3.30 - Dan Burnett
3.30 - 4.30 - Jaiden McCarthy
4.30 - 5.30 - Killian Maddison
Sid Da Barber
Sid Da Barber started day two with short back and sides, with a slight taper and some sharpness around the edges. He explained to visitors that his goal was to keep as much length as possible at the front, before diffusing the hair to enhance his model's perm.
Liv Plum
Liv was on hand to showcase a disconnected cut with a taper, leaving the edges "nice and soft for a touch of femininity". To enhance her model's curls, she dried the cut with a diffuser. When asked if this cut would only work for clients with curly hair, she explained: "No, this look could work on different textures – because I've taken some of the weight away it sits really nicely."
Tommy Winding
Founder of Winding, Tommy Winding, got to work cutting a soft mullet. His focus was to add structure to make it a softer, wearable cut with movement in the hair. Tommy finished off the edges with a feather razor and styled the look with a hairdryer working to keep movement in the fringe, he told us he uses visuals skills as well as his cutting technique when approaching a cut.
Dan Burnett
Dan Burnett brought some colour to the barbering pod, styling a faded mohican on his model's textured/Afro hair, he commented on his clients hair type of tighter curls and looser curls, educating visitors on the importance of understanding that each client will have different hair types throughout their head and scalp.
Jaiden McCarthy
Raw Talent Barbering Competition 2024 Post Graduate finalist, Jaiden McCarthy cut a classic fade with keeping the height and texture on top. When asked for his tips for the perfect fade he commented: "Just practise, use different techniques and find the right clippers - it all depends on the type of hair the client has."
Monday 14th October
11.30 - 12.30 - Wez Jones
12.30 - 1.30 - Sam Carter
1.30 - 2.30 - Auburne Enkel
3.30 - 4.30 - Luke Hartley
Sam Carter
Sam Carter, barber at Attitude Men's Hair, showed us a 00's mod cut on the barbering pod using just a texture razor to achieve his look.
Hannah McKnight
Hannah kick-started the barbering pod on Monday by cutting a taper fade with added texture on the top. While working, Hannah discussed her work as an educator in prisons, and also explored the topic of future-proofing your career.
