The 9th Sunsilk Hair & Beauty organized by the Sri Lanka Association of Hairdressers And Beauticians (SLAHAB) took place in January at the BMICH. “This event was organized for the benefit of both the professionals as well as the consumer. It showcased the talent and found business for the professional while simultaneously providing a shopping ground to the consumer, who could accumulate fashion ideas, purchase jewellery and other items and partake in the special offers given each day,” commented Dora Attanayake, President, SLAHAB.
“The prime objective of SLAHAB is to develop the hair and beauty industry in Sri Lanka;’ said Nayana Karunaratne, Founder, SLAHAB. “Sri Lanka offers no government training for hairdressers nor government authorized accreditation. Organizing this fair every year is our way of contributing to the development of the industry:’
As an independent organization and as the only hair and beauty association registered and recognized by the government of Sri Lanka, SLAHAB is member of the Organization Mandia le Coiffure (OM() known as the World Hairdressers Association in France. Competitions and presentations on bridal dressing, haircuts for ladies and gents, nail designs etc. took place throughout the day and cake structures, photography, portraits, poruwa, settee backs were on display.
“As a socially responsible company, we always work towards uplifting any field that we operate in;’ said Kishani Fonseka, Brand Manager, Sunsilk:””To look good and feel good’ is of great importance in the hair and beauty industry, but it is apparent that there are very few professionals who are really experienced. By joining hands with SLAHAB, we hope to do our part in uplifting the industry by educating the professionals as well as the consumer through the many events that took place in relation to this fair:’
10 workshops serving as awareness programs were conducted prior to the fair throughout the country to enlighten and prepare prospective participants for the big event. One of the main competitions that took place at the fair was taking place at the fair will be the ‘Sunsilk Rao Siri Asiriya, where participating girls, picked from the audience were given makeovers by professionals. Sunsilk Hair Prime, an event where creative fantasy styles were presented, also displayed a wealth of creativity Sunsilk also conducted a beauty salon during the fair and organized various competitions such as Sunsilk queen, Healthiest head of hair, Longest hair, Best-dressed lady of the hour etc.
Speaking for Natures Secret, a co-sponsor of the event lrosha Weththasingha, Advertising Manager, Multichemi International Ltd. commented, “Working with SLAHAB has been a wonderful experience for us and by being involved in this fair we are able to promote the concept of maintaining one’s skin, looking after it and making sure its healthy:’ There were over 100 stalls specializing in jewellery, skin care, make up, accessories, and even some stalls by foreign hair dressing schools, including those of India and Thailand. Participants were entertained with dances and fireworks and each night concluded with glamorous fashion shows comprising bridal, flower and sari shows. All aspects of decorations for the fair were handled by 2″‘ Chance Flowers.
A difference this year was the opportunity given to young and unknown designers to present their own designs and conduct fashion shows. This category was sponsored by Singer Mega “We wanted to promote budding young designers by giving them the opportunity to be assisted by professionals in the industry,” said Dinesh Dharmaratne, Senior Operations Manager, Mega Channel, Singer (Sri Lanka) Ltd. Singer also carried out in-store events, where participants were given tips and advice prior to the event so as to improve their performance for the main event.
