Move over 2018. We’re going back to the 80s—the Memphis 80s, that is. Originating in Milan with the Memphis Group, this design trend took over décor, fashion and our imagination in the 1980s. It’s now the latest retro design trend to make a comeback, and was the theme of this year’s Spring Intercoiffure Nouveau Cutting, Color and Texture contest that Molly Stutzka and I recently participated in.
The annual contest brings young talent from salons across the country to create, exchange ideas, and showcase talent based on a specific theme. For Molly and me, it offered an opportunity to push the limits of our creativity and learn a handful of new skills—photography included!
When we learned the theme was Memphis 80s, we did some research and noticed a lot of volume and texture in all of the looks that we came across. So we came up with some ideas, found a few models, and went to work. That meant styling our models from head to toe and photographing the final look ourselves before submitting it.
The most fun part of this experience was seeing just how much hair can do. You can shape and mold hair to do whatever you want it to do with the right products and styling tools! Testing the limits of what my model’s hair could do was so exciting, even if it took many different approaches and techniques to find the perfect look.
Although we didn’t win this time around, we learned so much and had fun in the process. As designers, we have to be creative every day, but this competition forced us outside our comfort zones and really allowed our artistic abilities to shine!
Jenna Buck is a designer at Cole’s Salon Burnsville. You can make an appointment with her by calling 952-435-8585 or follow her on Instagram at @beautybyjb_.
