Tête-à-tête with Ralf Boss & Andy Cheong
Beauty Launchpad spoke to TIGI’s International experts — Ralf Boss and Andy Cheong during their India visit.
Ralf Boss, Education Director (Asia – South Pacific), and Andy Cheong, Regional Education Director TIGI Copyright Colour (Asia), were recently in India for the second season of TIGI Backstage Heroes. The duo travelled across the country to train the shortlisted candidates from each region in the latest cut, colour and styling techniques. Spread across 10 days, the tour was hosted in Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai and Mumbai.
As part of the scintillating show, Ralp and Andy also unveiled the TIGI Retrospective Collection 2018 — the global TIGI collection, inspired by the works of Anthony Mascolo.
Could you please tell us about TIGI Retrospective Collection 2018? What it has to offer for the Indian market?
TIGI Retrospective Collection are the kind of haircuts and styles, which we think can be brought back from the past 10 years and recreated. The cuts and styles curated for the collection are shortlisted by picking the best trends from each year. The aim is to give hairdressers across the globe, access to all the trends and techniques, which can be used by them to recreate the looks or to create their own new looks.
How can this collection’s techniques / looks can be adapted by the Indian hairdressers?
Adapting to these techniques / looks is quite simple for anyone who has strong fundamentals in terms of hairstyling. When it comes to actually using these looks, factors like client suitability, execution of the cuts, colour and style are of utmost importance, and must be practiced until perfection is achieved.
What are the top trends?
For the Indian market, we have specially curated long and medium-length haircuts, as we understand Indians are fond of keeping their hair length longer. The Retrospective Collection otherwise has a lot of short haircuts, as well. Colour-wise, global trend is ultraviolet, which is also the Pantone Colour of the Year 2018. Ultraviolet is a perfect match for warm skin tones, which works in favour of Indians. Ultraviolet if diluted, in a cooler brown or steel grey tones works extremely well with Indian skin tones.
What’s your opinion on Indian hairdressers?
Indian hairstylists have surely learnt and adapted to the new hair styling trends. We can say that with confidence because with each TIGI Backstage Heroes season, we have seen an upscale improvement in the techniques and understanding of the craft in these upcoming hairstylists. Having said that, we still believe there is more scope for improvement but with each season; they have grown better.
What is their opinion on education?
There is a lot of need in classical and foundation techniques. Not just Indian, but Asians in general have a different learning and training system. In Germany, they have a dual system wherein they go to a salon to get on-the-job training for 3 days and 2 days to school. This helps in building a strong foundation of fundamental cuts, colours and styles also, layering and understanding on chemical processes, when it comes to colour.
What’s new with TIGI?
Our focus, this year, has been on the launch of the Retrospective Collection and on bringing back the next edition of TIGI Backstage Heroes. Created ‘By Hairdressers, For Hairdressers’, TIGI Backstage Heroes offers the chance to train under experts. The next edition of the competition will be held in February 2019. The winner of the Grand Prize gets the golden opportunity to attend a 5-day training programme with acclaimed international trainers at its London TIGI academy.
What are your personal goals?
As educators, we are constantly evolving. Creating new techniques in cut, colour and style is our prime focus. We aim to create and see hairdressers all over the world reproduce our techniques and styles and educate even more budding hairstylists. That is when we believe, our purpose as educators will truly be fulfilled.