Mandurah hairdresser and business owner Stephanie Bellairs has reached new heights in her career after being named WA/Northern Territory Hairdresser of the Year for 2022.
Ms Bellairs took out the title at the Australian Hairdressing Industry Awards (Creative), which was held at the International Convention Centre in Sydney on June 13.
“I am beyond excited to have this opportunity to represent WA hairdressing and really proud to bring home this trophy after many years of being a finalist,” she said.
Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE
Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.
READ NOW“This award means the world to me — to be recognised as the AHIA WA/NT Hairdresser of the Year represents a lot of hard work, dedication and passion for this industry.”
The awards were launched in 2012 by Mocha Publishing and recognise and celebrate exceptional talent and their contributions to the hair industry.
For Hairdresser of the Year, participants were asked to submit a collection of six styled images, along with a written submission outlining career achievements, goals and a vision for the future.
The submissions were then judged by a panel of industry experts.
Ms Bellairs’ winning collection Freya was inspired by the powerful emotions of being an artist, with her models styled to tell a story of broken ballerinas.
She has been an awards finalist in previous years and said an ongoing theme in her collections was “strength and resilience”.
These are qualities Ms Bellairs knows a lot about, with 27 years experience under her belt and as the successful salon owner and creative director of Cabello by Stephanie Bellairs.
She established the salon 19 years ago, which specialises in on-trend, lived-in colours, customised cuts and professional hair extensions. It is now one of the longest running independent salons in the State.
The salon also offers Cabello-Education, which is an independent education platform for WA stylists.
“The idea came about during our salon rebrand in 2019, although it has always been a goal of mine to expand the Cabello brand into hair education,” Ms Bellairs said.
“I saw a gap for WA stylists to be able to expand their knowledge and skills, so Cabello Education was exactly what we needed.
“It was really important to me to offer this platform in order to boost the WA Industry.”
For young and emerging hairdressers, Ms Bellairs said the key to success was to follow dreams and aim high.
“Create, create and create,” she said.
“If you want to be recognised in a creative industry you have to put yourself out there; enter these award platforms and make a name for yourself.
“Don’t be afraid to be different and of course, work hard.”
Mocha Group owner and founder of the awards Linda Woodhead said she was thrilled to recognise Ms Bellairs’ expertise.
“Stephanie is the perfect example of an industry leader and will make an excellent ambassador for the awards program and her local area,” she said.
“As with all of our 2022 winners she is now looked to both nationally and globally as an innovator in technique, trend and service.
“The local community should be so proud of her achievements.”