Winning wisdom: dylan jack mcconnachie

Dylan Jack McConnachie won Clothes Show Young Hairdresser of the Year at last year's Salon International. Here, he shares his advice for making a splash in a live hairdressing competition. 1. Why did you decide to enter the competition at Salon International? I'd heard about this award over the years and one day I just said to myself, "I'm gonna do it"! I always like to challenge myself and just go for things. 2. Tell us a bit about your entry.  A lot of my work focuses on avant garde. I get a lot of my inspiration from architecture; I just like to play around with different techniques and create random shapes and see how it connects together. I wanted to do something which represented what I'm known for, but I also had to think how I could push it more then I ever had. My original idea was to find a model with very long and fine copper hair. My plan was to prep and crimp all of her hair and backcomb it, so I had all this fun texture to work with. I then took sections from the front hairline and used a bamboo technique to create these soft ridges in the hair. It was very avant garde but still very beautiful. 3. How did it feel competing in the live competition area? I had been up for hours on the day before making sure all of the hair was prepped and we were ready to go. I was very excited at that point! When myself and my fellow finalists began our 45 minute live final, the pressure really kicked in. I knew that I didn't have much time ,but I also knew that I had to get it perfect as leading hairdressers like Paul Stafford and Tim Scott Wright were judging. The pressure was definitely on when they were coming round and asking you everything about your inspiration and what you were doing. 4. How did it feel to win? To be named a finalist was good enough for me. When I heard my name, I really didn't believe it. I think it took about three days until it finally kicked in! I felt truly honoured to win such a big award at such a young age and to have my peers and people I admire so much to see me win the title. 5. How did you promote your win to maximise your PR? Within a few hours of me winning, it had already been published HJ's website and it was all over Twitter and Facebook. It was crazy and it has definitely got more clients in the door. 6. What’s been the best thing that happened since your win? It's hard to say what the best thing has been. Over the duration of the year since winning, so much has happened. There have been countless offers and opportunities but I'd say the best thing was just the recognition and the support from the industry. 7. What are your next career goals? My next goal is to become a finalist at HJ's British Hairdressing Awards for Newcomer of the Year. Otherwise, I'll just have to see what life brings me! 8. Do you have a tip for anyone thinking of entering this year? This is a live competition so don't play it safe. The judges want to see your skills and knowledge of hair and you have to stand out. Also - have fun! The more you do the more you learn. This year's Salon International competitions are open for entry - all you need to do is snap and send your picture! Find out more here.