I caught up with Industry Hairdresser of the Year, and last year’s Educator of the Year – Michael Beel about his upcoming trip to London and love of hairdressing…

Congratulations on winning the Industry NZ Hairdresser of the Year 2014. You must be feeling very pleased.  What inspired your winning looks this year?

The inspiration came from a Prada advertising campaign where the hair was all dark and the skin beautiful and glossy…. I wanted it to be simple, clean and the whole shoot to create a feeling and mood rather than a traditional hair shoot.

How did you get into hairdressing?

I fell into hairdressing by accident. I was studying marketing and psychology at Otago University and took a part time job in a salon to help get some more beer drinking money. Loved the atmosphere and the industry so dropped out of uni to start my apprenticeship on $5 an hour.

What/who inspires you?

I’m inspired by many things, movies, music videos but my main points of inspiration are the catwalks of the fashion industry and people such at fashion photographers Mert and Marcus, Alexander McQueen’s Sarah Burton, Carine Roitfeld, conceptual hairstylist Guido and Grace Coddington …. People who influence the world of fashion and therefore hair!

You won Industry Educator of The Year in 2013, what makes you so passionate about educating up and coming hairdressers?

Our industry can only move forward by sharing, mentoring and giving up your time to not only teach the younger members of our industry but the industry as a whole. Many people teach for their respective product companies but it’s about giving time freely to all our industry to make the public see that we are more than ‘just hairdressers’.

What will you be doing while traveling in the UK for your Industry win this year?

My prize for winning NZ Hairdresser 2014 is a return flight to London and working backstage at London fashion week. I’m really excited to be going back to London to get amongst some of the top designers in the world, create some cool hair and shop, eat and visit the mother land.

I follow you on social media, and you seem to just be constantly working…

I don’t see what I do as work…. Hair is what I love to do and you spend most of your life at ‘work’ so why not love what you get paid for. I must admit I do need to find a slightly better work life balance…

I know you are also a passionate foodie, what is your favourite place to eat anywhere in the world?

Well I didn’t get to have my shapely figure for eating side salads so yes I love to taste different food and enjoy cooking for friends. It’s hard to pinpoint my favourite place to eat but while in Barcelona at the end of last year I had some amazing tapa’s… I still can taste them. I have a restaura in Sydney that I always go too when I’m there and that is Jimmy Licks in Potts Point. Excellent Thai inspired food and the waygu beef and caramelised pork hock… OMG I die every time I eat it!

Industry images for Michael Beel

Photography: Jessica Sim

Makeup: Kiekie Stanners

Styling: Dan Ahwa

Other images from the Industry Awards 2014

Dress and both jackets by Cybele

Jacket by Zambesi

Neoprene dresses by Lucilla Gray

All photographs by Sam Lee