05.19.06
Goldwell Serves Up Hairstyling Line on Ice
Hairstylists preview new line in a unique venue
By Susan A. Eliya
Why the Rockefeller Center ice rink? According to Tamara Granger, national academy senior manager, Goldwell, “Crystal Spirit elements indicate a modern, romantic elegance,” which was represented by the ice-skating. “Real Fantasia speaks to dancing and multi-cultural celebrations,” represented by the evening and nightlife and “Classic Delice begged for a metroplitan backdrop,” which was New York City.
In our search for harmony and beauty, we become distinctly aware of our needs—things and feelings that pamper us, of our personal dreams and desires. A North American team consisting of Deborah Gavin, John Simpson and Cam Patey created the global collection line of hair trends. The research conducted helped them understand the desires of consumers.
For each line, Goldwell assists stylists by indicating the color products needed. The company also indicates what products are most ideal to make the color last and how to style the hair in different ways.
Crystal Spirit for women melts silvery tones to a clear blonde shade with icy blue shades or soft pink tones. For females, this line can be created with Goldwell Lagoom Jam, as well as other specific gels, waxes and sprays. The Hot Darling styling lotion, Light Kiss Flexible spray and Spun Shine Weightless Polish are recommended for a smoother finish.
For men, blonde shades appear almost translucent and very natural. A curl putty and curl spray give a textured look, while a styling lotion and a weightless Polish provide a smooth look.
The Real Fantasia look includes strategically placed red tones surrounded by shiny and intense browns. This color combination creates is versatile and creative. For women, the textured or smooth look can be created with three different products. For men, the intense shades reflect the light and appear dimensional and random. Lagoom Jam Volume gel and Unlimitor spray wax create texture and Star Polish Shine wax gives hair a smooth look.
Classic Delice colors are soft and warm. The sophisticated and balanced color selections for women are reminiscent of caramel and chocolate with a touch of raspberry. An updo can be created with Double Boost Rootlift spray and Flexi Whip Flexible mousse. For a smoother style, Flat Marvel Flattening Balm and Diamond Gloss Shine spray are recommended.
The Clasic Delice cut for men keeps hair longer at the crown to add movement. Dark, shiny high-grade color finishes the look with a modern touch. The smoothed-over the-eye style uses Flat Marvel Flattening balm and Star Polish Shine wax. The smoothed-back-from-the-face look is best created with Composer Sculpting gel.
Ms. Williams explained that the market is all about individuality and that there is no dominating style. ”Curly or straight, natural or wild, anything goes,” she emphasized. “Consumers just want to create a look that is their own and they want products that will help them express their individual style.”
Angela Williams, a Goldwell representative added that a large amount of research and preparation went into developing the line. She shared that extensive R&D research was conducted to find the effective, cutting-edge technology, FlexShine. ”FlexShine technology is patented and exclusive to Goldwell styling, combining elastomer, bamboo protein and styling polymers to create a flexible, durable hold while keeping hair looking natural and shiny.”
She explained that elastomer is a patented blend of setting and smoothing polymers that reduce the sticky-hair feeling. Bamboo protein creates a strong and durable, yet flexible, hold and styling polymers work together to create strong hold and style memory.
“Stylist focus groups were conducted in several countries to find out what stylists are looking for in a styling line,” added Ms. Williams. “We found that stylists don’t really care about segmentation, but having the products grouped by result made retailing much easier for them. Follow-up focus groups with consumers confirmed these findings. The outcome was Goldwell styling being segmented by result into five groups: Natural, Volume, Straight, Curl and Wild.
The company insists that trends reflect consumers’ desires and needs, and the way to personal happiness is as individual as people are. The new line interprets trends in three different ways: Crystal Spirit, Real Fantasia and Classic Delice.
“TrendZoom research includes more than just hair trends,” said Ms. Granger. “Goldwell’s annual collection’s research also dials into current music, societal activities and behaviors, human emotion, clothing, makeup, colors and textures.”
“Styling products are universally important to consumers,” noted Ms. Williams. “Whether they like their hair looking natural or prefer extreme styles, they want products designed to fit their needs. Goldwell styling offers an array of products segmented by results, so consumers can easily identify the products that will work best for them. A hold factor indicator on the front label also helps consumers identify products with the appropriate level of hold for their style.”
Ms. Granger said that traditional industry education no longer seems to generate or spark new ideas. The NYC Trend Collection on Ice featuring TrendZoom 2006 was intended to “wake up” stylists to the “experience” they provide their audience and clients each day. “It’s not just about being a technically strong cutter or colorist anymore,” she said.
She also noted that business and loyalty growth spurs from creative, well-rounded, diversified consulting and service. This includes salon music, decor, verbiage and how stylists portray themselves to their clients, in addition to a technically sound salon service.
“As hair stylists, we are on stage everyday. Will my client see me as a rerun, or a new season premier?” she asked.