HIGHLIGHT: NSW Apprentice Hairdresser of the Year Hollie Spence.
TWENTY-ONE year old Hollie Spence has become the NSW Apprentice Hairdresser of the Year.
The young stylist, who finished her four-year apprenticeship in February 2012, has had a year full of surprises and a lot of travelling.
She began her apprenticeship in Bomaderry in 2008, finishing it at Off The Top Hairstyles as salon owner.
During her apprenticeship she entered a number of competitions, one of the major ones being the Wollongong International Hairstylists Society competition.
“I won gold for ladies fashion colour and silver in ladies cut,” she said.
One of the former St John’s student’s major achievements was undergoing the Sharon Blain boot camp in July – a big deal in hair circles which allowed her to cover all types of wedding, catwalk and upstyles.
“Sharon Blain herself was quite impressed with my work and asked me to be a hair model so I could see behind the scenes.
“It was a fantastic experience. I’m trying to break into that field and that’s something I’ll be working towards in 2013 - getting into fashion shows,” she said.
Ms Spence also spent the winter in Jindabyne working with Australian snowboarding champion Torah Bright’s sister Abish at her salon and doing shoots.
“I thought I’d travel and use my skills elsewhere,” she said.
Returning to Shoalhaven in October, Ms Spence started up her own mobile hairdressing business, The Holliewood Hair and Beauty.
While her goal is to infiltrate the fashion industry, she still loves the everyday jobs.
“I like cut and colouring – making a whole new ‘do’ for someone. It’s great when you are part of changing someone’s style,” she said.
