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Netilie Marozva Lifestyle Reporter
All is set for the first over-the-top Zimbabwe Hair Show to be held next Wednesday at the VIP Lounge at Rainbow Towers in Harare.

The show will be hosted by Outré Hair Products and will be a platform for hairdressers to showcase their talents and creativity in producing the best and unique hairstyles.

Former Miss USA Zimbabwe and Zimbabwe Hair Show brand custodian Ruvimbo Katiyo said she created the concept in association with Outré Hair Products as a social responsibility initiative.

“We came up with this concept so that we can reach out to hairdressers and reward them for their talent and also for using Outré hair products so that they will be inspired to work hard and also support us.” Katiyo said.

During the competition, each hairdresser will be given an hour and three different hair pieces to show their creativity, time management skills and also their ability to come up with creative ideas.

“We conducted workshops in six cities including Harare, Mutare, Bulawayo, Gweru, Masvingo and Chitungwiza and we would bring motivational speakers to teach hairdressers about business management, branding and general hairdressing skills.

“We then conducted competitions where they would showcase the skills they had acquired and we then selected 22 finalists, seven from Harare and four from the other cities for the hair show.” Katiyo said.

When asked if the show was any different from the just ended Zim Afro and Sleek Hair Show (ZASH), Katiyo said it was a totally different concept.

“Our hair show is totally different from ZASH. The whole concept is different. All I can say is that people should just come and witness for themselves. This one is bigger and better. We tried to negotiate with the organisers of ZASH, but we realised that partnering with them would constrain us. We need to do different things.” She said.

Lots of prizes are going to be won and these include cash and hampers from Outré Hair Products. The first prize is US$2 500, second US$1 000 and the third prize of US$500.

“The overall winner will also get a chance to be part of Outré Hair Products for a year to learn about the products and also enhance their knowledge about hairdressing,” she added.

Katiyo said the event would be held annually and was hopeful that it would soon incorporate other countries to turn it into a hair expo.

The black tie event will start at 6.30pm and tickets cost US$5 and they are available from all Outré shops around the country.

Outré Hair Products marketing director John Roh said the main focus was to empower hairdressers especially women.

“We want to train the hairstylists to boost their skills into becoming highly professional women. The hair industry is mainly looked down upon and we want to help the hairstylists so that they do not lose their confidence.” Roh said.