• LOREAL ID ARTIST (1ST YEAR!)
  Marc Eastlake joined the up and coming "stars of the future" within the Loreal Proffesional Team starting his new venture as a platform artist! Shows are booked throughout the country for the year ahead with demonstrations showcasing the very latest, hottest and finest work from Loreal, Marc and the team.

• Loreal Colour Trophy London Regional Finalists!
• Hair for Emily B lingerie as seen in vogue www.emily-b.co.uk
• Loreal Colour Trophy GRAND FINALSISTS!

Gentry, one of 25 salons short-listed as London Regional Finalists for the L'Oréal Colour Trophy Award, was crowned one of three Regional Winners and will go through to the Grand Final in London on May 8th, where it could win the most coveted award in hairdressing. Marc Eastlake, from Gentry said after the winners were announced: "We're over the moon. It's fantastic to be chosen from among such a high standard of entries."

The team's live hairdressing skills were put to the test by a panel of judges, including hairdressing giants Charlie Miller, Guy Kremer, Errol Douglas, Trevor Sorbie and Charles Worthington. Trevor Sorbie said: "I was looking for work in which all the elements fuse together and enhance each other – hair colour and cut; fashion; and make-up."

Following last year’s phenomenal Grand Final, celebrating 50 years of the L’Oréal Colour Trophy, this year’s Grand Final welcomed the dawn of a new era.

An exciting new venue in the East End of London – the Old Billingstate Market – marked a new look for the glittering event, which attracted an audience of 1,300, including hairdressing’s biggest names.

With gorgeous presenter Kate Thornton hosting, adding an extra splash of glamour, guests were treated to extraordinary shows from hairdressing visionaries Angelo Seminara (International Creative Director at Trevor Sorbie) and Andrew Barton and the Saks Art team.

Dinner guests also enjoyed an exclusive presentation by Central Saint Martins Fashion Graduate Molly Grad, who presented her Autumn/Winter collection with catwalk hair by L’Oréal Professionnel’s young portfolio team.

Before announcing the all important winners, the work of 27 L’Oréal Colour Trophy finalists, nine Men’s Image finalists and nine Next Generation finalists was showcased and the team’s Models strutted down the catwalk to show off their total look.

With a new wave of hairdressing stars clutching their awards, another Grand Final was almost over? But not Quite! Guests gathered in the vaiuts to dance the night away at an awesome party, where DJ’s from Groove Armada raised the roof with their tunes until 3am!

Gentry salon battled it out with 26 other Grand finalists – in the 1st round of awards gentry was named the winner of the London Region L’Oréal Colour Trophy.

Winners of the London region L’Oréal Colour Trophy 2006

…Then later in the evening, they took the overall title ‘WINNER OF THE L’Oréal Colour Trophy 2006!’ (the most coveted award in hairdressing)

Marc Eastlake was the hairdresser behind the winning look, while Kelly Ling did the colour. Hiromi was the make up artist and Robbie styled the clothing. Their total look matched the brief to create  ‘Hair inspired By Fashion’ Celebrity hairdresser judges including Andrew Collinge, Charles Worthington, Jo Hansford & Richard Ward were looking for a combination of hair, make-up & fashion that reflected the trends of Autumn/Winter 2006/2007.

Marc says ‘ I came here tonight not thinking about winning & then once we won the region, I started to think that maybe we could do it. Now we’ve won the trophy Im ecstatic’. Team mate Kelly Ling said ‘It’s a real adrenaline rush!

The L’Oréal Colour Trophy Grand Final 2006 is the pinnacle of a hotly contested national competition, with over 50-years history of identifying British hairdressing’s stars. Over 1000 salon teams entered, 350 regional finalists were short-listed; with 45 finalists selected to compete at the grand final.

To win the contest is an amazing achievement and every hairdressers dream. Charles Worthington said that the L’Oréal Colour Trophy is simply ‘the ultimate award for the very best in colour, cut & style’.
Hosted by the glamorous Kate Thornton, the grand final was a spectacular occasion. There were stunning shows by Channel 4’s ’10 Years Younger’ resident hairdresser Andrew Barton & his art team from Saks Hair & Beauty; and Angelo Seminara (international Creative Director at Trevor Sorbie); as well as exclusive catwalk show by Central Saint Martins MA fashion Graduate Molly Grad presenting her Autumn/Winter collection.

The Prize

In addition to the incredible prestige of being number one at the L’Oréal Color Trophy Awards, the team from Gentry won the biggest prize in UK hairdressing worth thousands of pounds. It includes a professional shoot in a top London Studio, an amazing trip to New York and an opportunity to shoot a photo-spread for fashion bible Vogue.

1. Where did your love of hairdressing come from?
   I literally "fell" in love with hairdressing after i "fell" through a shop window (accidentally!) and tore a tendant in my finger. I was told i couldn't lift anything heavy for a while so i had to quit my job unloading lorries. I'd just left school and was deciding what to do with myself. I'd always been artistic and was considering starting a course in art or design. I happened to find a job as a junior in a hair salon. It was there i was introduced to hairdressing and never looked back.
2. What route did you take to becoming a hairdresser? did you go to college?
   From working as a junior in the first salon i worked at, i was offered an apprenticeship and in the years to follow i worked in various salons throughout London, building my skills, experience and reputation.
3. Do you have your own salon? If so, how did you go about opening it?
   I started small, on my own with just one junior and built up from scratch with support and financial backing from my family and with my own personal savings. I opened my salon locally where i knew people and people knew or easily got to know about me and where a fresh new salon was needed. Through hard work and determination, the shop expanded and i now run a full and thriving hair salon, nail service and beauty salon!
4. What words would you use to describe the hairdressing profession?
   Revolutionary, ever-evolving, exciting and rewarding.
5. What advice would you give to people entering or wanting to enter the hairdressing profession ?
   Contact salons either locally or outside your area that offer work experience and apprenticeships and have a good supportive and forward thinking approach. Be prepared to work hard and ask yourself if you have the passion and commitment needed for such a demanding profession. Lastly always remember - "you never stop learning".
6. One Regret?
   Allowing a family member to partner up with me in my salon and in hind-sight realising that it wasn't one of my better decisions.
7. Your favourite (hairdressing) memory?
   Goes back to when i was working in a salon in Muswell Hill nearing the end of my apprenticeship. There were three guys John, Steve and Greg who helped and inspired me so much! I remember just loving watching and learning from these talented, creative and fun people who showed me there is much more to hairdressing than i could of ever imagined.
8. What's the best you've done since becoming a hairdresser?
   Photographic work. I love it and it enabled me to enter the world of advertising and competition work on another level. It's an essential creative outlet for me and it's still such a buzz to see your work in all the magazines too! It's a great way to let others know what you can do and show off your more creative work. It has led to various opportunities for my team and myself like the prestigious Loreal Colour Trophy and my latest venture as an ID Artist!