Wella Professionals Partners With F1 Academy All-Female Racing Series

Iconic brand joins the grid at Formula 1 Pirelli Grand Prix Du Canada 2025

by AMANDA | INFORM

Start your engines – Wella Professionals is the new official partner of the F1 Academy all-female racing series.

Beginning with Round 4 at the Formula 1 Pirelli Grand Prix Du Canada 2025, Wella Professionals will be represented on the F1 Academy grid by Joanne Ciconte, in the Wella Professionals operated by MP car. Wella’s bespoke branding on the vehicle coincides with the launch its new global campaign Make It You, which champions self-expression through limitless creativity.

Ciconte will sport a specially designed race suit inspired by Wella Professionals’ iconic mermaid and signature red hue. The brand will also celebrate Make It You by emblazoning it on the rear wing of the #25 car.

Wella Professionals will run tailored events at key races throughout the season, with bespoke fan engagement activities located within the F1 Academy paddock. Through this partnership, Wella Professionals will also offer touch-ups within the F1 Academy Paddock Club suite from the company’s portfolio of nails and beauty tech brands OPI and ghd.

The multi-year global partnership between Wella Professionals and F1 Academy underpins the mission from both brands to inspire a new generation of women to pursue their ambitions and express their individuality. The deal follows a year of audience growth for F1 Academy with seven races across three continents in 2025, broadcasters in more than 170 markets and the documentary series’ F1: The Academy’ now streaming on Netflix.

Susie Wolff, managing director of F1 Academy said: “It is fantastic to see Wella Professionals, a brand driven by innovation and championing creative craft for more than 140 years, boldly back women’s sports while supporting our mission to fuel the future of women in motorsport.”

“We are driven by our mission to enable limitless transformations and encourage self-expression,” added Marlene Lotter, global brand senior vice president at Wella Company.  “We share this spirit of empowerment with F1 Academy and look forward to partnering to unlock the potential in their rising talent – on and off the track.”

Sophia Hilton Launches Not Another Club

Business and life coaching programme is new venture from former Not Another Salon owner

by AMANDA | INFORM

Hairdressing entrepreneur Sophia Hilton is launching a business and life coaching programme inspired by the impact Salon 365 had on the industry years ago. 

Not Another Club is being pitched as a holistic programme for the industry that “treats your whole self”, recognising how closely linked life and business are for salon owners and freelancers.  

“This isn’t about just hitting targets,” said Sophia. “It’s about navigating burnout, money fear, identity loss and the real emotional rollercoaster that comes with being an independent stylist or salon owner in today’s world.”

Not Another Club offers:

• A colour hotline, open 24/7 for in-salon support when things go wrong
• A social media and marketing pathway to get “bums on seats”
• A financial coaching programme from an accountant with 3,000+ salon clients
• A tech expert to help hairdressers master the digital tools they often avoid
• A wellbeing coach guiding members through overwhelm, stress and self-doubt

The Club is supported by a WhatsApp community, weekly webinars and in-person connection across the UK and further afield. Having quietly started eight months ago, the Club currently has 220 members globally, with three-quarters of them salon owners and a quarter independents. An ‘early bird’ offer sees membership priced at £60 per month for freelancers and £100 per month for salon owners. 

Sophia believes a common thread between salon owners and independents is loneliness. The Club hosts breakfasts before events, lunches afterward and “creates a space where no one has to travel to education alone”, whether members come with their team or by themselves.

Citing the impact Salon 365 had on the industry – “Back then the industry needed professionalism, structure and permission to raise its standards, and Salon 365 delivered” – Sophia said she wants the impact of Salon 365 tailored to the market we have now, which she describes as “fragmented”. “The future of this industry belongs to the flexible, to those who can adapt quickly and stay emotionally resilient,” she explained.

JOICO Unveil New Colour Awards

The new colour competition launches as they celebrate their 40th birthday.

by AMANDA | INFORM

Hair by Gill Berry, Marcus Giamattei and Dan Spiller, with shoot direction and coordination by Bruno Marc Giamattei

The Color Talent Awards have been created to recognise and reward exceptional colour talent in the hair industry. A panel of experienced judges from across Europe – which includes award-winning names such as Bruno Marc Giamattei and Grace Dalgleish – will then select the winners.

How To Enter

Step 1 – Choose A Category

Select the category that aligns with your vision and expertise.

Step 2 – Pick Your Mood Board

JOICO have inspirational Mood Boards for help get entrants started. You can use these as a creative kick start.

Step 3 – Get Creative

Create a stunning hair colour look based on your chosen category and mood board.

Step 4 – Submit Your Entry

Upload your entry to Instagram, using the correct hashtags for your category, tag @joicoeurope and make sure that your account is public. Entries open on 1 June and close on 1 November.

Step 5 – Winners Announcement

Following deliberation by the judging panel, winners will be revealed in January 2026.

Click here to discover more about the awards.

Alternative Hair International Visionary Award Launches For 2025

The global competition opens for entries with a live-streamed virtual event showcasing finalists later this year

by AMANDA | INFORM

The Alternative Hair International Visionary Award is kicking off its search for artistic talent as it launches for 2025.

Born from the iconic fundraising event, the Alternative Hair Show, the International Visionary Award was created by president, Anthony Mascolo, to shine a spotlight on talent around the world. This year, the finals will be held virtually, although a date has yet to be confirmed.

Selected finalists in each category will showcase their work during the live virtual event, with a live stream that according to the event founders has seen an international audience of more than 2.5 million viewers in previous years.

Stylists are encouraged to submit as many photos as possible across the three categories to boost their chances of becoming a finalist. The three categories are Cut and Colour, Mens and Avant Garde, with all entries delivering a direct donation to the Alternative Hair Charitable Foundation – Fighting Leukaemia. Click here to enter – the deadline is 21 July.