News - Arabic License Launch Success at Beautyworld

Text by Jamie Harrison // Images by Luke Knight // Thursday 26 May 2011 // UPDATED Friday 27 May 2011

The launch of the world's first Arabic hairdressing training site in Dubai has taken Beautyworld ME by storm. MyHairDressers.com's first regional licensee, Salon Educators launched the site on Tuesday in association with L'Oreal Professionnel and EPOC Messe Frankfurt.

The site has been launched across the GCC, with an English version and a smaller local Arabic version of the site, including a microsite with content from L'Oreal Professionnel. L'Oreal Professionnel has also made the site available to 4000 salons in the region. 

To launch the show, MyHairDressers.com contributors Steve Turner and Callam Warrington have been showcasing live hairdressing demonstrations before hundreds of Beautyworld attendees from across the world. Steve has been concentrating on cutting techniques with a commercial feel including bobs and beautiful shapes on curly hair plus some more fashion led strong shapes.

Callam, meanwhile has produced editorial catwalk looks, including recreating his recent Crimped Structure on stage as well as a selection of dramatic Vintage looks based on Fashion Weeks from 1992/3. He also created a 'hair hat', influenced by Philip Treacy and Alexander McQueen.

Callam told us, "Dubai has been a revelation and far outweighs my expectations. We've had the largest standing audiences of the show and the crowd has been extraordinarily responsive and appreciative. It's really been an honour to have come here and promote MyHairDressers.com to such a keen and receptive audience."

Steve Turner, Creative Director of new Licensees Salon Educators, said, "We've had a fantastic response and the audience has been so warm and open to our work, asking lots of questions. The presentation models are gorgeous and have given us a truly international flavour, commonly from countries such as Sweden, Brazil, Colombia and across Asia. It's given the show a real multi-cultural aspect with a diverse range of hair textures to work with. It's been an absolute joy."

Throughout the show, MyHairDressers.com CEO, Mark Butcher has been wooing the press, including several regional TV channels and radio stations, as well as national newspapers and magazines. There's also been a huge interest in the License opportunity, with lots of potential Licensees looking to bring MyHairDressers.com into other major international territories and translate the content into local languages. 

Mark told us, "It's been an extraordinary few days at Beautyworld and I'm incredibly pleased with the response to the website. We began planning the Licensee Pilot Scheme in December last year and it's incredible to reflect that 6 months on we have launched the first license and become the first hairdressing training website with Arabic content. We've had interest to replicate the site across the world in places such as India, China, Iran, Japan, and more and everyone is really excited about the business.

"I'm proud to be part of the team that's worked so hard to bring this together. I want to thank everyone - Andrew Gilbert and his video team, our brilliant ops director and customer services department, the finance team and accountants, the developers and translators and our legal and licensing team. I'd also like to thank all the commercial partners that have brought this new site to the GCC and helped to stage this fantastic show - Salon Educators, L'Oreal Professionnel, EPOC Messe Frankfurt, City & Guilds, Salon Ambience and Salon Genius. And of course all of our fabulous contributors without whom none of this would have been possible."

Michael Dehn, the Group Exhibition Director of EPOC Messe Frankfurt GmbH and organiser of Beautyworld ME 2011 said, "We've worked together with MyHairDressers.com for quite some time now and it really is a strong element of the show. It features the educational sector and it's very very important for our visitors to see the demonstrations. Advertising Beautyworld on MyHairDressers.com was also very successful for us. We are very happy with the cooperation and we look forward to working with them in the future." 

New License holder Deborah Whitehead, Education Director of Salon Educators said, "What the team at MyHairDressers.com has done to launch this product in the GCC is amazing. Steve Turner and I, as the new Licensees, have so many people to thank, especially Mark Butcher the CEO for the hours that he has personally put into this project. Our thanks also extend to his team and the representatives that travelled to the UAE to work with us at Beautyworld ME, such as Callam Warrington and Luke Knight.

"I'd also like to say a big thank you to EPOC Messe Frankfurt - the organisers of Beautyworld for its ongoing support of our objective of improving education for hairdressers in the UAE as well as everyone at L'Oreal Professionnel for the hours that they have put into the project so far and for their ongoing support in the coming months as we extend our reach into other areas of the Middle East."

MyHairDressers.com's Luke Knight accompanied the team to the event to film the launch and a video of all the highlights of the show will be released next week on MyHairDressers.com.

If you are a wholesaler/distributor or other hairdressing industry supplier and you're interested in finding out more about our Licensing opportunities in your region and how a MyHairDressers.com License can complement and enhance your business, please speak to Mark Butcher on +44 (0) 1702 425 190 or email mark.butcher@myhairdressers.com