IHF Championships award Irish stylists in range of categories

The annual Irish Hairdressers Federation (IHF) Irish Hairdressing Championships took place on Sunday, 19 September, with the event honouring hairdressing talent in a range of categories.

With the ceremony being held virtually this year due to Covid-19 restrictions, the big winner on the night was Shannen Hughes, a stylist working in Colour Republic in Athlone, who picked up two awards for Trend Image of the Year (Senior) and Colour Technician of the Year (Senior).

The award for Commercial Trend Image (Senior) went to Amanda Hogan, Ross Adams Hair Salon, Tallaght, Dublin 24, while Orla O’Byrne, House Of Colour, Abbey Street, Dublin 1 won for Trend Image of the Year (Trainee).

Others winners included Aoife O’Toole, Vanilla Hair Design, Tullow, Co Carlow for Photographic Collection (Editorial Team/Individual); Richard Gorman, Richard Michaels Hair Design, Collooney, Co Sligo for Gents Full Fashion; and Eimear Rutherford, Frame Creative Hair Design, Skerries, Co Dublin, who was recognised as Newcomer of the Year (Trainee).

“This was a highly competitive year and I know the judges had a very hard time in deciding the winners,” said IHF president Danielle Kennedy. “The IHF Irish Hairdressing Championships is a celebration of the world-class hair stylists we have here in Ireland. Once again, the calibre of the entries and the winners shows that Ireland really punches above its weight when it comes to hairdressing talent.

“As with every year, the championships place a very strong focus on the many highly talented trainees working in our sector. Our trainee winners this year, Orla O’Byrne and Eimear Rutherford, certainly have a very bright future ahead of them. After a very tough 18 months for hair salons and stylists, it is great to be back celebrating the best our industry has to offer.’’