Hair trade magazine editors from around the world have judged 416 entries from 21 countries to select four Australian hairdressers from three salons as finalists in the 2011 Association Internationale Presse Professionelle Coiffure (AIPP) Awards.

Emiliano Vitale and Lisa Muscat from é Salon, Sydney, Barney Gleeson of Lee Preston, Perth and Kobi Bokshish of Intershape Hairstylists, Sydney are all vying against the best hairdressers worldwide.

Last year’s Men’s category winner and finalist for the third consecutive year, Emiliano Vitale of é Salon is a finalist for Best Commercial Photography and his star é Salon team member, Lisa Muscat (2011 Hair Expo New Creative Force) is in the running to win Best Photographic Collection.

“The most important aspect of these awards is that they are independently judged by over 70 magazine editors and publishers from around the world,” Emiliano Vitale said.  “I was really excited upon hearing the news of our nominations as these two collections are amongst my favourites, and confirms to me that our work is right on trend and translates on a global scale.

“The AIPP Awards have been instrumental in exposing our work to an international audience, which allows us to travel and present or showcase our work in countries such as Brazil, Russia, London and New York.”

Competing against Lisa is AHFA WA Hairdresser of the Year Barney Gleeson from Lee Preston salon, who was also an AIPP finalist in 2008.

“Being a finalist is the AIPP ‘Best Photographic Collection’ category is particularly special to me is really an acknowledgement of the entire team that worked on the collection,” Barney Gleeson said.

Barney said that 2011 has been ‘a crazy ride but you wouldn’t pay to get off’ having international work for KMS California, the AHFA win and now the AIPP finals all in one year.

“To be selected form 416 collections from around the world is incredible,” Barney said.  “And to share the category with the home-grown magic of Lisa Muscat is just fantastic.  I’m really thrilled.”

Newcomer to the AIPP finals is reigning Face of IHS, Kobi Bokshish of Intershape Hairstylists as a finalist in the Best Video category.

“I am absolutely over the moon at becoming a finalist in such a prestigious competition,” Kobi Bokshish of Intershape Hairstylists said. “Past international winners include the greatest hairdressers in the world like Robert Lobetta, Trevor Sorbie, Rush and X-pressions, so to even be in the finals is an honour and totally surreal.

“This is my first entry in the awards so I entered with no expectations,” Kobi said.  “But when I received the news by email it took two days to sink in!”

Kobi’s finalist video is named Coup d’œil, meaning ‘a glance’ in French. It showcases his latest hair fashion collection, celebrating a fusion of Punk, Mod, French New Wave and 1950s glamour.

He said the hairstyles are showcase in a setting of simple, raw beauty entwined in a love story in the vein of French New Wave film directors Goddard and Traffaut, shot on Super 8 film to give it authenticity.

Finalist collections and video are currently under wraps until the final judging occurs.

The winners will be officially announced at an AIPP show within the Alternative Hair Show in London on 16th October.  Winners of their categories will then have to submit a new collection of video to compete for the AIPP Grand Trophy to be announced in early 2012.

The full list of 2011 AIPP finalists