HJ Reports: Scenes from the Summit

It was a whirlwind 48 hours in Lisbon for Revlon Professional’s Global Front Row Summit and HJ was there to see the inspirational shows, trend predictions and a whole lot more

Danilo Giangreco's trend presentation

Portugal’s capital was home to the third iteration of the brand’s annual global gathering as 1500 key accounts flew in from around the world for a combination of education, creativity and networking and for the first time, the American Crew brand was showcased in spectacular fashion.

Guests were welcomed by Mario Aragon, senior vice president of Revlon Professional Brands who talked about the importance of partnership and inspiration before introducing the new Neo Nudes range in Color Excel Gloss, a take on quiet luxury with four new shades that give a new twist to a colour classic. Four models graced the stage to perfectly demonstrate the colour collection that naturally harmonises with the client’s own tones to demonstrate beautiful healthy hair with incredible shine.

The Neo Nudes Collection

Trend forecasts in colour and style were shared by Global Creative Vice President, Miquel Garcia who delved into the elements that will shape consumer behaviour in 2025, from politics and technology to society and the environment. Individuality remains a common thread and the trends were brought to life by Danilo Giangreco, Pierre Ginsburg and Christian Rio, with looks showcasing texture, colour, cut and finish.

Phoenix Thomson from American Crew

As has become an annual tradition, the audience were then asked to participate in an interactive session that will ultimately lead to the co-creation of Revlon Professional’s Colour of the Year for 2025.

Trend forecasts from Miquel Garcia

Making its debut, American Crew was welcomed to the Front Row Summit with a bang as Phoenix Thomson, global education director, introduced the lifestyle grooming brand to the audience. It was then over to Paul Wilson from the USA to bring the nine iconic looks to life from the newly launched Campus collection, celebrating diversity and individuality which is the essence of the brand’s ethos.

HJ's Jayne Lewis-Orr with Revlon's Matt Horder and Louise and Ellie Smith

Business success was shared by London salon owner, Andrew Jose: “We were honoured to be chosen for our outstanding salon performance and approach to customer service. Our team are trained to serve our multi-cultural London clientele and we have been able to embrace Revlon’s new Eksperience treatment range to create additional services with a value of over £60k in the first year.”

Mark Leeson and the Mark Leeson team prepping backstage

Reaffirming the importance of partnership, President International of Revlon, Charles Waters explained: “We will remain at the forefront of the salon industry and are absolutely committed to ensuring our salon partners have the very best colour products and professional tools. We are an ally to the stylist and to your customers, and the partnership we have with you all is invaluable.”

It was then time to party and for the 100+ guests who attended from the UK, it was the chance to come together as a community and reaffirm established friendships as well as make new connections.

The second evening celebrated the International Hairdressing Awards and this year the event was headlined by a spectacular show from the Mark Leeson Artistic Team who debuted their Minted collection. It showcased colour worn in block and melted patterns with shades of mint, lilac, pink and copper to complement the razored perimeters and blunt lines to form beautiful synergies.

The international teams bringing the trends to life

“Getting our UK salon partners together in a location like Lisbon allows us to say thank you for their commitment, but most importantly lets us develop further the relationships that are so key to business success in this sector. Put sunshine, community and inspiration together and the pride we can all have in the creative excellence and energy of the UK and Irish ambassadors who platformed on stage, and it is an absolute privilege to bring such great talent to the Summit. The mixture of content ensures that everyone leaves with a bank of ideas and fired up for the year ahead, as well as some unforgettable memories of great times spent together,” said Matt Horder, General Manager of Revlon Professional UK & Ireland.