Ssh! Australia is back and this year we are floored by the sheer talent and artistry that will be teaming up for the event. Global industry leaders will be coming together this year Sunday November 15th & Monday November 16th for Ssh! Australia, the location is still a secret to maintain the underground feeling of last year’s success. The team is headed by Emiliano Vitale, Benni Tognini and Robert Lobetta. Bangstyle was lucky enough to get the inside scoop from Benni Tognini and Emiliano Vitale and ask them a few questions about this year’s event! The event will be bringing together artists from the US, Australia, the UK, Scotland and Spain!

Ssh! Australia 2015 will include:
Jason and India Miller - Charlie Miller - Scotland
Dover Palmer and Faye Turner - Mazella & Palmer - London
X-Presion - Spain
Caterina Di Biase - Heading Out Hair and Beauty - Australia
Brad Ngata - Brad Ngata Hair Design - Australia
Robert Lobetta - USA
Benni and Jules Tognini- Tognini’s - Australia
Emiliano Vitale and Lisa Muscat Vitale - e SALON - Australia

BANGSTYLE
Ssh! Australia 2015

Q&A with BENNI TOGNINI

What does this event mean to you personally?

The Ssh! event gives us a great opportunity for multiple artists, which are some of the heroes of today’s hairdressing and yesterday’s hairdressing to work together. It also provides a great opportunity to share our creativity and our artistic abilities without feeling that we need to talk about products – it’s a very neutral platform.

What is the hardest part of the planning process, and getting all these amazing icons in one space?

The hardest part of the planning is all about the whole organization of the event, but I will separate this into two parts:
The Artists:

Gathering the caliber of artists together that we have for this year’s event was a lot easier because, off the back of whom we managed to work with in 2014, we have now earned the reputation to have artists wanting to be involved. We have sent a message out to the world that by working on a neutral platform with a variety of skilled artists from all over the world in a successful capacity, it was easier to approach them. The artists love the Ssh! format – where we all work together, and there is no ego. We are recognised for our individual skills and it’s not a competitive platform.
The Planning:

The hardest part about this aspect of the event is purely the grand size of the event to organize. It largely undertaken by ourselves (me, Emiliano and Robert) and we’re still learning in monster steps as we go along. The quirkiest and funniest things that go wrong or we learn from come, I think, from being creative beings and not strategists or event planners! We learnt a lot last year and we’ve taken that into this year where we understand the different kinds of support different people offer and this has made the planning easier.

What was your take-away from last years show?

Last year I was left with a gob-smacking feeling of the industry truly accepting and supporting what we did. It was hard to have people attend an event that had never been done before and that they had no concept of.The success of 2014 was such an achievement of what we believed in, and it was an amazing response to a first time, fresh and new event.

What are you looking forward to this year?

I am looking forward to seeing new faces in the audience and also the people that supported us last year, and taking them to another level working with a new team of artists. I’m also looking forward to the addition of an extra day – from a 2 day event it is now a 3 day event with the addition of exclusive workshops.The first day is the inspiration and the excitement of the show, Day Two becomes more personal and you see the artists again but in an intimate setting, and Day 3 is putting all that together by making it a hands-on experience.

Is there anything in particular you are excited to share with the attendee’s?

Everything! The workshops, the new venue, our new artists and a new format.

For first time stylists attending, what advice can you give them prior to the show?

Don’t ask a lot of questions and go with the flow. Have an immense amount of trust in what we will bring you and what you will experience. And network – talk about the event and what you gained from it.

It is an honor to be able to attend this event and work with this amazing team; from your perspective how does it feel to work with these aspiring stylists?

It is an honor to organize the event but to actually take part in the event, and to be recognized as an artist, but also to share with the rest of the world the work we do here in Australia and how well it interlocks with global hairdressing. People who we respect as stylists and hairdressers and working alongside them, definitely sends a strong message to the industry that we want to continue to advance our skills by learning from each other – it’s your skill that gets you where you are, and not doing anything half-heartedly.

Tell us the importance of passing on knowledge to the younger generation…

It’s always important to share your knowledge. I live by the saying that you need to continuously empty out the container of knowledge in your head and continue to fill it so you can take on new ideas. You have to continue to share and what you take is what you give back. It’s great to share our knowledge with the younger generation and inspire them, but at something like Ssh! I think it’s important for the younger generation to see their idols or the older generation of hairdressing who are still open to learning coming along and being taken on this new journey.

We know certain aspects of the event are secret, but are there any secrets you can share with us before the event? Something secret to look forward to?

You can come by train, cab, bus, car, plane, uber, boat – whatever means of transport to get you there! But most importantly, don’t forget to purchase a ticket and come on this journey with us!

BANGSTYLE
Ssh! Australia 2015

Q&A with EMILIANO VITALE

What does this event mean to you personally?

I really LOVE this event as it is something that brings incredible creativity to the forefront and celebrates individual creative thinking in a platform of equality. The message is pure - free of commercial bias and comes direct from the hairdresser to the hairdresser. Artists for Artists.

What is the hardest part of the planning process, and getting all these amazing icons in one space?

What's hard is the whole process. We are running an event, so everything from booking flights, booking talent, selling tickets, running production, sponsorship etc., it all comes with challenges along the way, as well as "challengers". Getting the iconic teams together is probably the easiest part, because our event is void of commercial messages everyone loves the opportunity of working together celebrating our craft in its purest creative form.

 

What was your take-away from last years show?

My take away from 2014, was the hunger for a pure message and how uniting this event was between artists and attendees. This event is about building community at its very core and establishing a platform that brings hairdressers together to celebrate our craft.

What are you looking forward to this year?

I just love working with all the artists to be completely honest. Working together with a common purpose, a single goal of producing work that inspires and gives true value for money to all our attendees.

Is there anything in particular you are excited to share with the attendee’s?

I am excited to share the idea of community and the importance of working together as an industry. From hairdresser to manufacturer, mentor to novice, teacher and student we are all in this together. United we will overcome any obstacle we may face and through the art of harmonious collaboration a new level of community is formed.

For first time stylists attending, what advice can you give them prior to the show?

Come with an open mind and no pre-conceived ideas. We cover every aspect of creative learning and education. Our show is designed to inspire. There are short and punchy shows with an insight into the thinking of these world-class artists. 
Our Masterclass is "Unplugged" - a 55 minute seminar which delves deeper into the creative processes of our teams with up close and personal level of communication bridging the gaps between audience and artist. 
Our WORKSHOPS delivers an even more in-depth learning, working hand-in- hand with the artists over a full day hands-on workshop, allowing attendees to enter and live the creative process with the artist.
Come with an open mind and you will leave filled with a renewed sense of appreciation of our craft, inspired to get back to the salon with that fire in the belly and motivated to take your hairdressing to another level, whatever that may be for you as an individual creative.

It is an honor to be able to attend this event and work with this amazing team; from your perspective how does it feel to work with these aspiring stylists?

It’s simply mind-blowing. Jason and India have blown my mind since I first saw their work in the 80's and they continue to create innovative new work that transcends common beauty. 
Mazella and Palmer have taken modern education into the future and are arguably the leaders in education globally. Their detail and precision is masterful and I can't wait to see their work in detail, up close and personal.
Caterina and Brad are two hairdressers I greatly admire for what they have done in Australia and around the world. They have an incredible eye for detail and a capacity to think outside the square that is so inspiring. 
And then my two heroes and best friends Robert Lobetta and Benni Tognini, my partners in this event-WOW I have no words to be able to partner with these two.
Really this event is a dream come true.

Tell us the importance of passing on knowledge to the younger generation…

It's not that it's important it's imperative. We MUST share everything we know with them and give them the tools to forge a path for themselves so they can create an industry far beyond what we have ever imagined. The younger we start the better. We need untainted, pure dreamers to be able to dream as we once did. The more we can share with them the greater the tomorrows of our industry will be.

We know certain aspects of the event are secret, but are there any secrets you can share with us before the event? Something secret to look forward to?

That an open mind delivers an open, creative and exhilarating journey!