First ever Concept Hair Apprentice of the Year Winners Announced
The first ever Concept Hair Apprentice of the Year has been crowned - along with a group of talented winners across eight competitions.
Ryan Mossop from Nelson & Colne College made history by being named as the overall Concept Hair Apprentice of the Year after being selected by the judges as having shown the most technical skill and creative flair out of hundreds of competitors who entered this year.
Ryan, who also won the Colouring category, said:
It’s amazing, I put in so many hours towards it. I feel like it’s really paid off. I didn’t know what to expect. When you go to a live competition you can see what other people are doing. But with the online final, I had no idea what the outcome would be, so it’s a really nice surprise.
The recognition and support from this is going to be so beneficial in helping me get that step further. My confidence has gone up massively. I didn’t expect to win in my first competition, so it’s been amazing.
Celebrity hairdresser Andrew Barton, who helped judge the final, said:
The standard of entries from all of the categories was outstanding. It’s great to see the future of hairdressing in such talented hands.
The overall winner of the first ever Concept Hair Apprentice of the Year, Ryan, blew us away with his ability to fulfil, understand and interpret exactly what the category brief was asking for and deliver this in a truly amazing colour transformation.
The final was held virtually this year, rather than being live as originally planned, for safety reasons, and each of the finalists was asked to complete their hair work at home, college or in-salon.
Our panel of expert judges - Andrew Barton, Fellowship for British Hairdressing Chancellor Ashleigh Hodges, Wahl Global Artistic Director Simon Shaw, Jamie Brooks, co-owner of prestigious London salon Brooks & Brooks and VTCT’s Apprenticeship Business Development Manager Jacqui McIntosh – judged the submissions based on before and after photos of the competitors’ work.
Five categories were split into eight competitions based on the competitors’ qualification levels:
- 1920s themed Styling Level 1 and Level 2 (sponsored by Cloud Nine)
- Prom-themed Hair Up Level 2 and Level 3 (sponsored by Salons Direct)
- Peaky Blinders vs. The Great Gatsby-themed Barbering Level 2 (sponsored by Bettertons) and Level 3 (sponsored by Wahl)
- Colouring (sponsored by L'Oréal Professionnel)
- Avant-garde, themed on Fire and Ice (sponsored by Cloud Nine)
The winners
- Styling Level 1 - Rabia Khan Muhammad, Nelson & Colne College
- Styling Level 2 - Rayna Kovacheva, East Durham College
- Hair Up Level 2 - Samantha Twist, New College Durham
- Hair Up Level 3 - Lauren Hobbs, Shrewsbury Colleges Group
- Barbering Level 2 - Samuel Winson, Derby College
- Barbering Level 3 - Ethan Daniels, Guerins Barbers (Educ8 Training)
- Colouring - Ryan Mossop, Nelson & Colne College
- Avant-garde winner - Ella Templeton, Carlisle College
- Fellowship Spotlight Award - Rayna Kovacheva, East Durham College
- Concept Hair Apprentice of the Year - Ryan Mossop, Nelson & Colne College
In addition to the prestige and experience that comes with winning a national competition, incredible prizes were donated by competition sponsors L'Oréal Professionnel, Cloud Nine, Wahl, Bettertons, Salons Direct and the Fellowship for British Hairdressing.
Concept Hair Magazine’s Emily Hilton said:
We were absolutely amazed at the standard of work on show in the final, especially as the competitors had to adapt and work from home rather than in a live final. The judges said many of the decisions were difficult, but we are delighted to announce this group of winners in the competition’s first ever year. The competition has been incredible to watch and we hope that any learners thinking of entering the 2021 competition will be inspired by this year’s success.
Entries are already open for the newly-named Concept Hair Learner of the Year 2021, which will kick off with a photographic round. For more information and details on how to enter, head to www.concepthairmag.co.uk/events.