ONSTAGE: AUSSIE, AUSSIE, AUSSIE!

AUSSIE, AUSSIE, AUSSIE!

AUSTRALIA’S OWN CLAUDIA CATALDO HAS TAKEN HOME THE GLOBAL L’ORÉAL PROFESSIONNEL STYLE & COLOUR TROPHY TITLE, MAKING AUSTRALIA’S CURRENT RECORD IN THIS INTERNATIONALLY PRESTIGIOUS COMPETITION A CONSECUTIVE HATTRICK, WRITES SHANNON GUSS.

Australia’s phenomenal global success at the International L’Oréal Professionnel

Style & Colour Trophy has continued with aplomb, as Claudia Cataldo from Cataldo’s Salon, Canberra, Australia’s national Style & Colour Trophy winner, has taken home the international title for 2022. She is the third Australian representative in a row to win.

“It was a very exciting and proud moment in my career and definitely a career highlight,” Claudia shared. “To represent Australia on a global level was something I had only dreamed of, I’m just so pleased it turned out so well. I’m still in shock and overwhelmed, it’s been so exciting for myself, my team, the industry and for Australia to win three times in a row. I’m elated, it’s a dream come true.”

“It was a very exciting and proud moment in my career and definitely a career highlight.” - CLAUDIA CATALDO

The winners were announced in a format that returned to its live show roots in France, where finalists travelled to Paris to compete for the title on the world stage. The show was also streamed on social media and in a dedicated episode of Run Le Hair Show, the international web series by and for professionals.

Other medallists in the globally renowned and legendary hair competition included Lisa Saccio from Germany in second place and a tie for third place between PinHui Chen from Taiwan and Kelly Manu from New Zealand.

Claudia is a nationally acclaimed hairdresser with over 17 years industry experience, and is well-known as the Creative Director of Cataldo’s Salon, which is a family run Canberra institution for three generations.

Claudia Cataldo and model

“I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for my family and I’m grateful for my grandfather who started the business and chose this as his career. Without the sacrifice he made to come to Australia and execute his dream we wouldn’t be here today, so I owe so much to all the hard work from him, as well as my dad, my uncle and my auntie, and all that they’ve done in their career and what they’ve given back to the industry. It’s now my time to pay it forward with my cousins Lauren and Michael, the world’s our oyster. To the whole team, we’ll keep pushing and driving and they can do this too, hopefully I won’t be the last in our team or with the Cataldo name to achieve this,” Claudia said. Making history for our national industry, she marks the third successive victory for Australia on this international platform, following Massimo Tirimacco from Zohair, South Australia, who won in 2021, and Wendy Gunn from Ink for Hair in Queensland, who won in 2019.

L’Oréal Professionnel Paris Style & Colour Trophy offers a major platform to hairdressers around the world, to inspire and catapult its winners into stardom. Celebrating the artistry and skill of hair, it encourages hairdressers to push their creative boundaries and, for the past two years, has been available to everyone within the hairdressing industry, no matter their level of expertise or years of experience, further expanding its capacity to motivate talent. This year’s participants were judged on their looks in the theme of French Edito: Gloss and Balayage looks. The winner announcement streamed on social media in the early hours of December 13 and highlighted the significance of the competition in a special episode of Run Le Hair Show.

“The sky’s the limit with what this will do for my career. Who knows what will come of it but hopefully more opportunities to train and educate, like I do here in the salon but on a broader scale,” Claudia shared. “I’m passionate about the next generation, and training emerging stylists and people who are passionate and love this career. I want to give back to all the people who have done that for me.”

Congratulations to Claudia on this huge achievement and cementing Australia’s place at the forefront of global artistry and in the legendary history of this famous competition.

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