Unite global session rocks san diego

The Unite Global Session rocked San Diego with two days of inspiring creative shows from a global lineup of artists, live on stage at the historic Balboa Theatre. Kick-starting the event was a golf tournament followed by cocktail reception for Unite-exclusive salons. Hosted on the roof-top terrace of the Westin hotel, the evening saw the brand's videos projected on to the adjoining hotel for  a super-size exercise in branding. The next day saw 1,000 hairdressing professionals from across the globe descend on Balboa Theatre for a day of worldwide hair trends and techniques, with teams from the UK, Australia, Sweden and the US storming the stage with a diverse selection of looks. Adam Noble (Australia), Renee Africa (US), Shaun McGrath (UK), Paul Stafford (Northern Ireland), Gary Baker (UK), Fredrik Karlsson and Matthias Lavesson (Sweden), Fletcher (UK), Natasha Pearson (UK) and Daniel Jordan (UK) all wowed on day one, with inspirations ranging from artichokes to Alexa Chung and finished looks including carrier-bag braids, graphic colour wefts and 'ghetto Geisha' updos. Closing day one was a live photoshoot with Kevin Ryan and photographer Sean Armenta. The duo shot five different looks live on stage, taking hair from an avant-garde green and black style to sexy vintage-inspired waves, talking the audience through shoot advice, model selection and celeb gossip in the process. Day one ended with the annual Unite Halloween bash, with fancy dress costumes ranging from Frenchie and her Beauty School Drop Outs to Caesar and Cleopatra. [hji-gallery-legacy] The second day of shows commenced with a masterclass in barbering followed by avant-garde creations, cutting and styling - demonstrating the wealth of styles and indeed stylists working with Unite. Four of the US's top barbers - Brooke Schoenborn, Estevan Garner, Vinnie Morey and Dylan Johnson - opened the men's section, each cutting and styling a model before seemingly presenting their finished looks; then switching models, and starting again reconstructing each other's work. The avant-garde section saw twice-NAHA winner Jake Thompson joined by Shaun McGrath and Frederik and Matthias for some truly creative work, incorporating clippered sushi rolls, balloons and melted hair extensions. Afternoon cutting saw Paul Stafford, Adam Noble and Renee Africa return to the stage to create looks that demonstrated a host of techniques and tools and influences including a rock 'n' roll reinvention of The Rachel - dubbed Rachel meets the Runaways. Closing day one was the Brit contingent, with Fletcher, Natasha and Gary back on stage to present braiding, pin-curl setting and other essential updo skills. Hairdressers will now go on to enjoy two days of up-close education with the show-stoppers, as well as business mastery courtesy of Paramount Business 2.