Renowned hairstylist of Makhado (Louis Trichardt) Connie de Sousa has been selected as a one of the top five trendsetters in South Africa. The national winner will compete in Los Angeles in October.

This is not a first for Connie, since Goldwell South Africa flew her to Berlin as a national winner in 2004. The year after, one of Connie’s hairdressers, Luanri Fick, was selected to go to Amsterdam. In 2008, both Connie and Luanri’s entries were among the top five in their respective categories to go to Spain. In 2009, Connie’s entry was among the top five to go to Las Vegas.

“It feels good that you are still with the trend, after more than 30 years of hairdressing. I didn’t expect to be a finalist, but I thought that if I do get in, it would be because I chose the pastel shades trend and not my own wild taste,” said Connie. She participated in the Global Creative Colorist category for stylists with more than five years experience. The second category is the Global New Talent Colorist for stylists with less than five years experience.

In Goldwell’s global Colorzoom Challenge 13, the theme was “Beautify” by making the world a better place to live in through optimism and positive thinking. “Pastel shades act as intense reflections in blonde hair whilst earthy, rustic-appearing shades add interest to darker shades,” states the entry form. The appearance and attractiveness of the overall look counts. The judges say that the harmony of the cut and colour and the impression of the complete look are important.

Connie used the soft “ice cream”shades on blonde hair model Cherise Muller. “It does not mean that we should all start to follow the pastel shades trend; it would be too boring! We need the brighter ones as well,” said Connie with a smile. 

The top five photos in South Africa are sent to Germany to be judged by international hairdressers, professional press members and fashion experts. Maya-Lee Photography was responsible for the photo of Connie’s trendsetting style on hair model Cherise.

In the finals, the top national winners of about 35 countries will take part in a live competition where they need to re-create the whole look that they created for the photo entries. Cherise will therefore accompany Connie, in the event of her being the national winner.

The date of the finals in Los Angeles is 7 October. Connie will attend the Intercoiffure World Hair Congress in September in Paris and the Intercoiffure National Hair Congress in Cape Town on 12 October. “Though it is a very busy time, we shall definitely make a plan to fit everything in!” said Connie.