Wella Company’s The He(ART) of Hair featuring the Trendvision Beauty Envision Awards Recognizing Top Industry Artists took place in Las Vegas from October 29-31, 2023! It was a phenomenal experience that brought together artists from all over North America. After what felt like too long apart, it was lovely to see stage artists, salons, hairdressers, and those leading the brand all back in the same room again. While digital education continues to be a way forward in our industry, having the essential in-person experiences felt like a breath of fresh air for everyone. To see the artists up on stage, thriving and doing what they love best was inspiring and ignited that passion for the industry all over again.
The Details Behind Wella Company’s The He(ART) of Hair 2023
To kick off the event, three Wella executives – Yannis Rodocanachi, President for the Americas, Lori Pantel, NA VP & Chief Marketing Officer, and Carole Protat, Sr. Director Brand Education, Artists & Events – spoke of Wella’s commitment to artistry, professionals at every level of their careers and the trends established by the beauty industry.
Then, the show featured Wella NA Ambassadors, Global Artists and Sebastian Global Artists – Sonya Dove and Daniel Mora detailing Brunettes and Reds, Zach Mesquit and Dereq Clark talking about Ultimate Blondes, James Earnshaw and Briana Cisneros chatting Creative Color, and Anthony Morale and Marylle Koken detailing Cut & Styles – sharing cutting- edge techniques and inspiring looks as they showcased their creative skills and demonstrated live on models.
" Stylists are the heart and soul of Wella Company,” said Wella Company President Yannis Rodocanachi. “We are committed to being their partners by enabling stylists to be the best at their craft through a harmonious fusion of artistry, science, and creativity,” he added.
In addition to the amazing show, we were able to catch up with some of the Wella Company’s leaders and Wella Professionals Artists about the event and what’s next!
Lori Pantel — NA VP & Chief Marketing Officer @
The past few years have been a successful journey with Lori Pantel as head of Marketing and Brand Education and as the company heads into 2024, there are plenty of things to look forward to.
In terms of Pantel’s goals for Wella Professionals, she hopes to reconnect with the brand DNA while modernizing it for the future. Making sure that the brand is reaching its professionals and connecting internally about the pride and passion of the heritage brand.
Heading into 2024 and beyond, it starts with the He(art) of Hair and continues with the community. This year’s event was all about inspiration and inviting professionals back to let them play. Bringing the professional voice back into the conversation and connecting with the next generation of stylists is a huge goal. As a brand, Wella is hoping to continue to evolve to meet the expectations of today's hairdressers (and clients), while rooting education in trends that are future-proof. From an education standpoint, it’s not just about right now — it’s about what’s coming six months to three years down the road.
Carole Protat — Sr. Director Brand Education, Artists & Events @carolepro
As education begins to shift from a digital footprint to more hybrid and in-person education, Sr. Director of Brand Education Carole Protat leads the way. Editing their previous classes down from 250 to 100 streamlined options, Protat has simplified the program and is excited to promote their extensive Certification Program which includes everything from cut to color, curl and coil, styling, nails and business options.
The goal for the future of Wella Education and the Certification Program is to help stylists stand out and grow their business. The program strikes a balance between digital and face-to-face education to ensure critical peer-to-peer interactions.
Of the program, Protat stresses that digital education isn’t going anywhere, but there are certain things that you can’t learn online. You need live demonstrations, and hands-on approaches to be an expert in your craft. An in-person instructor will lift your elbow or change your back position when needed, and it’s all those nuances that will help you master the craft.
Briana Cisneros — Wella Professionals Brand Ambassador @brianacisneros
As both a stylist and a colorist, Cisneros uses a roundabout approach to crafting her looks. Sometimes the cut comes first, other times it's the color, and most often both come together at the same time to create the finished look.
Cisneros has ignited trend after trend, but this artist doesn’t create hairstyles just to make them go viral. She sees a need and creates styles to fill those gaps. Speaking of her fan-favorite Bixie cut, when creating the look she notes that there was nothing between a pixie and a bob at the time, at least there wasn’t a name for it. The look was inspired by a very Meg Ryan-esque, 90s cut that was always out there to an extent, but it needed a name. And it came at a time when we needed a new direction in cutting.
When it comes to color, Cisneros absolutely loves the quality of Wella Professionals products and the culture that goes along to match it. From every type of tonality to coverage option, the palettes are extensive and the shine is incredible — it’s what helps elevate her art with prestigious, dependable lines.
Color and styling wouldn’t be anything without the care to keep it looking its best and like many Wella Professionals artists, Cisneros absolutely can not live without Wella Professionals ULTIMATE REPAIR - especially the Miracle Hair Rescue. In her words, it is everything the hair needs for repair and restoration, it is an amazing tool with immediate benefits for everyone.
Daniel Mora — Wella Professionals Brand Ambassador @danielmbeauty
You’ve seen his styles and probably gushed over his ability to make brunettes anything but bland. As an artist, Daniel Mora is paving the way for new color techniques while also catering to the new generation. He admits that learning the basic and classic looks is absolutely essential, but making your own style is all about paying attention to what’s next and never losing your vision in that. He describes his work as sexy and demure and has been a big fan of brunettes, reds, and coppers this season. He attributes his finished looks to the help of a few Wella Professionals favorite tonalities to really make his shades stand out. Letting us in on some of his secrets he loves anything stroke /7 (/71, /73) for brunettes, it gives a beautiful rich brown no matter what base you're working with. And when it comes to copper, he has been loving anything /34 or /43 with refinement from /71 or /73 to bring a little cowgirl copper.
For him, the Wella Professional Color ranges just work! While he loves Shinefinity, Illumina and Color Touch are also his go-tos from Wella to create amazing blends with plenty of shine and softness.
At the end of the day, Daniel attributes much of his healthy-looking colors to Wella Professionals ULTIMATE REPAIR. Obsessed with Miracle Hair Repair, it detangles, offers heat protection, and repair, and doesn’t weigh fine hair down, which makes it essential for any color or lightening service.
Heading into 2023, Mora sees us entering the “natural era” as he calls it, with plenty of natural texture and the embrace of natural undertones. Instead of clients fighting their natural bases, we’ll see them working with it and playing up their natural colors so that everything from upkeep to care and longevity is streamlined.
Dereq Clark — Wella Professionals Brand Ambassador @dereqc
As a stylist, Clark says no matter whether you specialize in color or styling, it’s all about doing everything with passion. He admits that haircutting is his true love, but color can totally marry the cut, making it an essential element to any style. As you grow in the industry, Clark recommends never thinking that you know it all. A big reason behind his success has been that he always keeps learning and always seeks more education. It’s those little things that will take your artistry to the next level.
Speaking of little things that will take your style to the next level — he can’t live without the Wella Professionals ULTIMATE REPAIR line, especially Miracle Hair Rescue. More than anything else, for him, Miracle Hair Rescue is life-changing for the hair. He sends all his clients home with it, especially color-treated and textured hair. According to Clark, if you want to keep your curls and be high-level blonde, it needs to be part of your home care maintenance.
