‘No photoshopping, no AI, it’s pure hair creativity’: the festival where haircutting is a spectator sport

At Sydney’s Hair festival, professionals from the hair industry put their locks on show – and jostle for a view of the live cutting competition Isabella Lee, photos by Jessica Hromas At the entrance of the Hair festival in Sydney’s ICC exhibition centre in late June, mannequin heads with luscious locks silently cast me as a fraud. I’m no hairdresser and this is an industry-only event for hairdressers, barbers and stylists. Rainbow cheetah-print buzz cuts, sea-green rat-tails and blunt mullets...

By Isabella Lee, photography by Jessica Hromas