How trends are created: vision of Trends 2021 from Ukraine for Intercoiffure Mondial

In May of this year, the team of the Ukrainian section of Intercoiffure Mondial was filming Trends in Ukraine and will present them at the international TrendBlast event on September 12!

All participants in the filming process told us how this idea came about, what the preparatory process was like and the actual shooting day itself.

Natasha Balabanova , top-artist, founder, owner of the Beauty Salon brand Natasha Balabanova, President of Intercoiffure Ukraine, Art Director of the Eastern Europe region, Winner of the highest award Order de la Chevalerie Commander

“Intercoiffure Mondial, an international organization of elite hairdressers, conducts filming in Paris every year and has access to information from global trend-setting agencies.

Every year, from our office in Paris, we receive a mood board with four main directions from Elmarie Lignier. This is our constant trendsetter; she is the one who forms the basic content for each trend, which we carefully study when preparing for shooting.

The art directors of the eight regions of the ICD Mondial organization are the first to become acquainted with the trends. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, we gathered in Paris and created photo-shoots. All guests and members of the organization for the first time could see the results of filming at the congress, during show screenings, were inspired by ideas and, over time, created their own version of these trends in photo or video format.

This year, as in 2020, the date of the expected TrendBlast event was again postponed from spring to autumn (September 12), and my idea paid off!

I shared my intentions with Lena Sedykh that the Ukrainian organization would like to film Trends in Ukraine and present them immediately at the TrendBlast event on September 12. We discussed this and I wrote to President Klaus Peter Ochs. He not only approved the idea, but also proposed it to Intercoiffure sections of other countries. Thus, Ukraine became one of the first participants in the shooting of Trends together with Japan and Finland.

First of all, we must express our gratitude to Yulia Sandler, who, being a member of the ICD Ukraine section since this year, offered financial investment in creative projects. Also, the Ukrainian section is happy to see the cosmetic brand Balmain Paris Hair Couture as a platinum partner. We thank the president of the company, Irina Rzhemovskaya, for financial support, as well as for providing a full line and accessories of the premium brand.

Organizational process

Trends always set the mood and atmosphere of how and where video footage should be made. The space, shooting location, logistics, and the storyline of Trends 2021 were thought through to the smallest nuances. 50 people had to start the work in an organized and timely manner and also complete it. The filming locations were the luxurious locations of Regent Hill and Grand Hotel Fairmont, our project partners.

We took over the entire preparatory stage, because many hair stylists arrived in Kyiv 2 days before filming. Work and our meetings were sometimes with a short break for sleep.

It turned out to be a large-scale and grandiose project, which gave art director Elena Sedykh and me invaluable experience for our section. We selected models by type for each trend direction. We took into account facial data, height, original hair color, and the agency’s consent to change the style of the models, because we changed many of them radically. The next difficult task was to coordinate the model’s desire for one or another change in hair color or haircut shape.

The style of clothing with Irina Dzhus was also thought out in advance, but as often happens in the creative process, before the last day of filming we changed and added something. Until recently, we thought about how to strengthen the trend with the right textures and emphasize the individuality of the model, so that everything would sound as it should, starting from the idea to the finished 5-minute Trend video, backstage, choosing photos for retouching and sending the finished material to Paris.

Special thanks to makeup artists: Anna Voevodina, Laura Muzyka, Natalya Kripak and Sofia Shpak.

Filming day

On the day of filming, it was difficult to control all processes at the same time. But thanks to the scheduled schedule of the shooting day, the distribution of locations by minute, we were able to cope with this task. For the project, a young cameraman Nikita Zamoyski, who works on the videos, was invited to collaborate. He suggested taking the most expensive equipment that is used for filming, so that the picture would look artistic, as if we were actually present at the filming.

There were several video and photo operators, and in parallel, for each trend, we filmed in the same location with the Klever photographer. Filming began with the first trend, Metallic Silver, in the main hall of Regent Hill, and then Rock-Mantic and Ecolife continued in two hall locations on different floors.

At 18:00 we were supposed to move straight to the Fairmont Hotel for the Androgyn trend shoot. Such a quick change of locations for filming required composure. I would like to especially highlight the creative work of Lena Sedykh, who controlled all processes: the sufficiency of hairstyles, the style in the frame, camera angles, and even directed the plot stories of all trends.

It should be noted that after the shooting, the most difficult period continued - to put together a video, select music, and select ready-made photos for retouching.
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Perhaps this was more difficult than filming. And now we continue to prepare them for the backstage release.
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Having the experience of previous filming, this year was the most difficult: the high bar of our vision of the final work brought everything to perfection again and again.

I personally took part in the very current and intellectual Androgyn trend. I met with the model several times before the shoot. A very interesting personality is Bogdan Ostrovsky, who was ideal for the image. I am very grateful to him for his endurance, because before the shooting I had to sleep on the clamps, but in the end everything turned out as I planned.

I’m very pleased that the maximum number of stylists were able to participate and it turned out to be a grandiose collaboration of fashionable talented people.”

Elena Sedykh , Art Director of Intercoiffure Ukraine, member of the Artistic Pool Intercoiffure Mondial team, Knight of the Order of Chevalier Intercoiffure Mondial, Officer of the Order of Chevalier Intercoiffure Mondial

“We carried out a long preparatory stage for the filming of Trends together with Natasha Balabanova. We were inspired by the video trends of the Dolce & Gabbana brand, and also decided to create video rather than photo trends.

It was an interesting, exciting adventure. In order for the story to turn out as if from the hands of one director, we met for a long time and discussed all the details: with photographers, cameramen, stylists, makeup artists, and chose locations. Because a trend is not only about hair and makeup; it was necessary to convey the spirit of the trend through clothing, location, and the behavior of the model in the frame.

We prepared for filming for several months. A couple of weeks before the start, all participants received their models with a picture of clothing and recommendations on various options for the image in order to get an overall beautiful picture. Each master prepared independently for filming in Kyiv.

The greatest pleasure was the day of filming; it was solemn, beautiful, in a word, on the level. Against the background of the protracted period of Covid-19, this day became a real holiday.

Physically, the day of filming was difficult for me, but emotionally it was very charged, because as an art director I was trying to control everything: how the models behave, how their hair looks, how their clothes fit. At the same time, I completed work in two trends: Rock-Mantick and Androgyne, but at some point I was not enough for everything. I ran from one floor to another and tried to control every moment.

During the shooting day, there was so much to do: make the models laugh, persuade, and even get the models emotional so that the shots turn out the way they need. There was even one girl on whom we worked as a team because one of the masters fell out of the work process.

The joint result turned out to be excellent, because the atmosphere on the site was very favorable, solid, there was well-coordinated teamwork by everyone, there was a feeling of common spirit and... creativity.

We finished the shooting day closer to midnight, but the feeling of fatigue was offset by a feeling of satisfaction from the work done. Thanks to all the masters for the united creative spirit! It was cool".

We decided to ask each of the filming participants about their impressions, emotions and creative process, the results of which will be seen by the whole world ALREADY ON SEPTEMBER 12!

Vyacheslav Dudenko , international class stylist, owner of the premium salon DYUDENKO art of hair and DYUDENKO ACADEMY, commander of the Order of Chevalier of the World Organization of Elite Hairdressers Intercoiffure Mondial

“If I remember my emotions from the shooting day, I was very impressed by the organization and team spirit.

I've been working on a very interesting but challenging trend called Rock-Mantick. At first it made a contradictory impression on me, because I had to decide how to combine “rock” and “romance”. And in order to successfully combine the styles, I made a lot of sketches of the shape of the haircut and coloring. As a result, the work turned out to be brutal enough to depict rock, and the flying lines gave it romance.

I met my model Vika before the shoot. I had a very difficult task - to "cheer up" the black color, and I decided to add interesting strands of a metallic shade. And to be honest, the final image turned out to be more impressive than originally planned, but it completely met my expectations.

And I would especially like to express my deep gratitude to Natasha Balabanova and Lena Sedykh for the wonderful costumes, jewelry and stylish makeup that they organized and provided to all participants for the shoot.”

Elena Filonenko , member of the Intercoiffure Ukraine section, international class master, coach of the Ukrainian national team, certified by an international compulsory medical insurance judge

“The shooting was very interesting, and the atmosphere was creative. And, most importantly, the team of the Ukrainian section of Intercoiffure worked together to create the images. We can look at three things: water, fire and how a person works. And this is amazing and interesting, because during the shooting we created images that we cannot offer to clients in the salon.

I directly worked on creating an image in the Ecolife trend - relevant and simply fascinating. I wanted to create a delicate, light image with small details, so I used different post-it elements and additional hair.”

Alexey Baluev , member of the Intercoiffure Ukraine section, international master, co-founder of Long&Short beauty salon, absolute champion of Ukraine - 2020

“Every year, the Ukrainian section of Intercoiffure Mondial presents its vision of global trends in hairdressing. And this year, as one of the new members of the section, I was lucky enough to take part in the shooting. And, to be honest, it’s an indescribable feeling when you have the opportunity to touch the creation of trends that the whole world will see. In addition, I was able to create images shoulder to shoulder with professionals known throughout Ukraine. Moreover, this was the work of a whole team working towards one result.

The preparation process took a lot of time, but most of the organizational aspects were taken care of by the creative team - Natasha Balabanova and Lena Sedykh. They developed the images and provided us with ready-made clothing options. Together with the makeup artist, we came up with makeup that would emphasize the idea of the image and give it integrity.

I participated in the Ecolife trend, which depicts nature and aims to protect the environment. My work was very special, I worked on a lot of details, and I was very pleased with the result.”

Elena Bondarenko , member of the Intercoiffure Ukraine section, winner and twice silver medalist of the national championship Trend Vision Award, co-owner of the Caesar salon (Poltava)

“I was very excited when I found out that I would be working with the Metallic Silver trend because it is sexy, playful and glamorous. Metallic silver has all the qualities of gray and is hotter than gold this season.

I wanted to create a shimmer in the color of the metal the way it would look in the rays of the spotlight. That is, from deep gray with a transition to platinum and a slight glare of mint accents.

I got great pleasure from working in a team of professionals, where everyone knows their job, loves their job and truly enjoys the process!”

Irina Frayuk , member of the Intercoiffure Ukraine section, vlasnitsa and art director of the “Irina Frayuk Beauty Studio”

“In the face of trends, I rejected overly positive hostility! Spying with colleagues and working with models is always a kind of thrill for the skin of the members of the section, and therefore these emotions stimulate further creativity. The acquisition of Trends was steep due to the location, the team and the organization - everything was easy and productive.

I took part in the creation of two trends: Metallic Silver and Ecolife.”

Natalia Orlyanskaya , member of the Intercoiffure Ukraine section, co-owner of the Caesar salon (Poltava), winner of the national championship Trend Vision Award

“You know, Trends 2021 are special. This was my first time working in the Intercoiffure Ukraine team, and here everything was built on maximum trust in each other - from specialists, models to the organizing team. Everyone sang their own note, and the end result was a work of art.”

Lesya Rasskazova , member of the Intercoiffure Ukraine section, international class stylist, art director and head of the Unkras Studio salons (Kiev), training studio and one-on-one beauty studio (Kremenchug)

“The impressions are very vivid, because this is a creative process, and, probably, the coolest thing for a stylist is the opportunity to step away a little from salon activities, forget about everything and not feel any restrictions. This is what happened at the 2021 Trends shoot.

For comfortable creativity, we had absolutely everything prepared: location, stylist, accessories. This helped you feel more relaxed and make the trend the way you want to see it.

I created in the progressive Ecolife trend. It is on the verge of reality and surrealism, not pretentious, but with natural decorations. Emphasizes the individuality and uniqueness of the model, because it is Ecolife that displays the textures and elements that we see in the world around us.”

Mikhail Kozhukhar , member of the Intercoiffure Ukraine section , Champion of Ukraine, winner of the Kiev Cup, Personality of the Year in Osaka (Japan)

“I was very impressed by the scale of the preparation and the shooting itself, and the trends that we managed to create were very bright and expressive. Clothes, makeup and hairstyles are professionally selected to suit each style.

I worked with the Rock-Mantic trend, which combines elements of rock, sass and self-confidence, as well as the predominance of dark shades in both hairstyles and clothing. In general, I really like working in this direction.

We selected the products for work, namely dye shades and styling, together with Balmain stylists. It was very interesting because we worked as a team!”

Mila Maksimovich , member of the Intercoiffure Ukraine section

“I participated in the Metallic Silver trend, which is characterized by cool shades of blonde with a metallic sheen, as well as soft, flowing shapes like liquid metal. So in my work I tried to make an association with a drop of mercury.

I am very inspired by our meetings with colleagues and the opportunity to express my creative potential.”

Nadezhda Perina , international class master, owner of the Nadezhda Perina hair studio, member of the Intercoiffure Ukraine section since 2000, knight of the Order of Chevalier and Personality of the Year from Intercoiffure Mondial

“Working on fashion trends together with wonderful craftsmen, members of the Intercoiffure Ukraine section is always a holiday. But this time, working together was easier, smoother and more comfortable than ever. One could feel a thoroughly thought-out concept for the event, careful preparation and incredible creative synergy.

The Androgyn trend, in which I had the opportunity to create a male look, is very interesting and multifaceted. Today, androgynous appearance is not considered something rare and unique. More and more often there are men with refined facial features and a fragile physique. They are not afraid to experiment with hair color and texture.

It was very convenient and comfortable to work with my model. While working on the hairstyle, it was necessary to lighten the hair and give it a pearl shade, as well as create a loose, flowy texture using Balman styling products.

The image turned out to be fashionable and perfectly suited the young man to his casual style of clothing, and it looked absolutely incredible in the festive hall of the Fermont Hotel. The costumes of the models, created by the designers, somewhat echoed the palace style of Louis XIV and were sophisticatedly modern.

I would like to thank Natasha Balabanova for the warm welcome in her cozy salon, for her wisdom, calmness and support. Lena Sedykh - for her endurance and creativity. I would also like to express my gratitude to Irina Rzhemovskaya , who, as director, represents the premium cosmetic brand Balman Paris Hair Couture in Ukraine for her cooperation, spiritual care and presence on the set with us. And also to Julia Sandler, who supported all the participants and fed everyone delicious food from the Sandler company.

The artists and participants in this enchanting project didn’t want to leave after a long day of filming, they were so overwhelmed by emotions and plans for the future!

Heartfelt thanks to everyone for their joint creativity! Looking forward to new meetings!”

We will definitely publish the vision of Trends 2021 from Ukraine for Intercoiffure Mondial on our website. Stay tuned!