Global Creative Director Antoinette Beenders’ inspiration for NAHA (North American Hairstyling Awards) in Las Vegas was found right at the heart of Aveda — it’s literally written right underneath our logo! “The art and science of pure plant and flower essences” was the key to Antoinette and Team Aveda’s collection, which featured brightly-coloured hair pieces crafted to resemble lush, exotic blooms.
“As we’re in the middle of our ‘Know What You’re Made Of’ campaign, we thought, ‘Well, what are we made of?’” said Antoinette. “We’re made of pure plant and flower essences! I put the science and the art of Aveda together and we made flowers out of hair.”
The collection came together with help from some incredibly talented Aveda Artists, including Global Artistic Director for Hair colour, Ian Michael Black; Global Artistic Director for Makeup, Janell Geason; Global Artistic Director for Hair Styling, Allen Ruiz; Aveda Artists Robert Grimes and Anne Skubis; and Aveda Artists and NAHA nominees Luis Gonzalez and Jesse Ervin.
The “flowers” in question were made of coloured wefts of hair which were sewn together in bundles of three and then point cut to look like big, friendly blooms. After coloured fringes or extensions were applied to models’ hair, the flowers were pinned in place for a style that was so Aveda — a little edgy and totally chic.
The bright, vibrant colours played beautifully against the deep tones of models’ floral gowns. “We were fully inspired by the kaleidoscope of colours in exotic orchids in India,” said Ian. “It took days to get it right. [The colour is a line] we’re testing for launch in the future. Our colours are developed by our hair colourists for our hair colourists, and we like to put them in the most real situations to see how they hold up. We thought we’d take them to a show, colour some hair pieces, put them under heat and manipulate them to see if we’ve got the formula right.”
No dramatic look is complete without makeup to complement it. “Because the hair and dress are colourful, we wanted to do something equally strong with more neutral shades,” explained Janell. “We did the eye and lip slightly deeper than your skin tones; it’s a very every day makeup look and you can determine how intense you want it to be. This is how a lot of women wear their makeup — finding shades in their skin tone and enhancing them.” Skin was prepped with Tulasāra and Botanical Kinetics products, customized for the models’ different skin types, for a shiny, luminous texture. (Janell recommends using Tulasāra Radiant Oleation Oil for a dewy radiance on both your face and your body.)
