LOUIS TRICHARDT - A local hairdresser, Connie de Sousa, was recently selected by Goldwell International as one of three hairdressers in South Africa who will present a national hair show in March this year. The two other hairdressers are from Cape Town and Durban.

The Hair Show will be presented on a boat travelling from Durban to Bazaruto Island in Mozambique as part of a seminar attended by two guest hair artists from Germany as well as 150 hairdressers from all over the country.

The three participants in the hair show have to meet stringent requirements. They each take along their own model and are then given five minutes to change the model's hairstyle, make-up and dress. She then has to model three outfits with corresponding hairstyles in the categories daywear, eveningwear and galawear.

The theme of this year's hair show is the Dressing Room. All the hubbub prevalent in the dressing room backstage, will now be shown on the ramp. The outfits also have to fit in with the Moulin Rouge theme, chosen for the modernised film with the same title.

A number of local people and professionals are involved in a team effort to get everything in place for the Hair Show. Connie will use Colette Bisset as her model, while Juline du Preez assisted Connie with the make-up aspects. For the evening- wear, local designer Lialize Bezuidenhout designed a tight-fitting red dress, embroidered with sequins. For the gala- wear, Colette will wear a spectacular ballgown made with peacock feathers. The corresponding hairdo will also be enhanced with peacock feathers.

"The past three months since I have been notified of the requirements for the hair show have been full of excitement and preparation with everybody helping," says Connie.

There are no monetary prizes attached to the Goldwell Hair Show but Connie regards it as an excellent opportunity to give it her best in order to stay on Goldwell's Artistic Team. Every second year Goldwell International choose hairdressers from South Africa and other countries to serve on their Artistic Team. Connie has served on Goldwell's artistic team for the past three years.

"If your standard goes down you are not re-elected and since the fashion and hair industries are always on the lookout for new faces, I have to give it everything while I still have the opportunity. We also want to show the German artists what South Africans can do," says Connie.

During the 2001 South African Hairdresser's Championships hosted by all the leading hair companies, including Goldwell, Wella and Schwarzkopf, Connie was awarded a first place in the category for cut and blow wave. In the same category Daphné Calitz, also from C Jay's, was awarded a fifth place.

Three photographic entries of hair styles done by Connie were accepted in the annualhair magazine Image, which publishes coiffeurs' entries from all over the world.

In 2001 Connie was required to present about fifteen hair dressing seminars in Johannesburg. One seminar at Caesar's Palace was particularly memorable. It was attended by 500 hairdressers and Connie had eight professional models at her disposal to present the different hairstyles to her audience.

"For the hair show on the boat I am fortunate to have Colette as my model because she models with confidence," says Connie.