PRESS RELEASE 19.07.2023

INTERCOIFFURE MONDIAL IN SAINT-TROPEZ

Intercoiffure Mondial organised a spectacular summer event in Saint-Tropez with a varied programme of get-together over two days: the festive Chevalerie Award Ceremony, a private party on Moorea Beach, an exclusive «Soirée Blanche» at the Domaine Bertaud Belieu vineyard with three international hair fashion shows and many sneak previews of future projects. A great Côte d’Azur Celebration with over 400 Intercoiffure members and beauty experts from 17 countries.

SAINT-TROPEZ. Glamour, international hair fashion shows and a fantastic «Soirée Blanche» on the southern French coast. Intercoiffure Mondial and Intercoiffure France invited to Saint-Tropez in July. Here, the blue shines more intensely and magically than anywhere else: in Saint-Tropez on the Côte d’Azur, the blue of the sky dazzles like the blue of the sea. Artists and writers once gathered in this little harbour town in the south of France to reflect on life; then Brigitte Bardot and Gunter Sachs arrived and the jet set moved into the village with its winding streets. Today, Saint-Tropez is the epitome of luxury, extravagance and glamour with a special twist. The place is sophisticated, but still celebrates the lighter side of life and summer nonchalance - just the right ambience for the Intercoiffure Mondial’s event of the year. Over 300 international and around 160 French friends met over three days for the summer summit of the hair fashion elite: Intercoiffure in Saint-Tropez.

Intercoiffure Mondial President Peter F. Pfister - together with the strong industry partners L’Oréal, Aderans, Oribe, Goldwell, Milbon, GW-Cosmetics, Graham Hill, Wella and the new partners Hairfax and Oba - welcomed friends from our six ICD Regions: Oceania, Asia, Europe, Nordic, North and Latin America. Leading hairdressers from 17 countries and managers from the professional haircare industry met for an innovative and creative exchange. «We stand for “The world’s leading hairdressers” with our craftsmanship - and that means our expertise as women’s AND men’s hairdressers.» says Peter F. Pfister. «Intercoiffure has almost 2000 members worldwide and we are constantly growing. Because what makes us unique is the international exchange among friends and the mutual support in business. We love people, we pamper them and we beautify them in our salons.
This respectful approach is also reflected in our organisation. We are all united by the language of hair - regardless of political situations”.

Award ceremony and future projects

In the Salle Jean Despas on the Place des Lices market square, awards were presented to outstanding personalities in a festive awards ceremony, as well as innovative projects and future events.

It was an afternoon full of emotion and joy for all the award winners, who are wholeheartedly committed to Intercoiffure Mondial. Christian Rupprecht-Essig hosted the programme and Chancellor June Wilde from Australia presented the prestigious medals together with her Chevalerie Council. The highest honour, the Grand Cross, went to ICD Mondial Treasurer Martin Peterer from Switzerland and to co-founder and long-time President of ICD Spain Luis Romero. Sheila Wilson, President of ICD America/Canada, accepted the award for «Section of the Year». A special goosebump moment was the presentation of the Award of Honour to Otto Sommer, who was linked via video from Zurich to the Salle Jean Despas in Saint-Tropez: since 1963, the Swiss man has dedicated all his energy and vigour to the organisation, co-founded the junior grouping Fondation Guillaume and experienced 60 years of overlapping global friendships in «his» Intercoiffure family.

The energy with which Intercoiffure Mondial develops new activities was presented to the community in an impressive way. A project close to the heart of Peter F. Pfister and his Vice President Frank Gambuzza is the «Intercoiffure MasterBarber» concept. Pfister: «We want to give men’s hairdressers a new level of quality and professionalism and will establish ourselves as a quality alternative to cheap men’s salons.» The MasterBarber team of Frank Gambuzza, Sebastian Pfister and Holger Maas will share their professional knowledge through seminars to be held at the House of Nations in Paris. In addition, MasterBarbers will travel to all countries to promote the programme and invite new Intercoiffure hairdressers to become part of this project. An «Intercoiffure MasterBarber Conference» is planned in New York in March 2024.

Joakim Roos from Sweden, Chairman of the WorldAcademy, presented Intercoiffure Mondial’s new training programme. His goal: «I want to grow with all our members to give back education to our network and strengthen it.» Intercoiffure educators provide training in techniques related to cutting, colouring, texture, styling, fashion, business in relevant courses such as MasterBarber, FashionStar, ColourStar, StylingStar, MovementStar, as well as the EntreCoiffeurShip business seminar. The content is taught live or with the learning app “getHair”.

The philosophy of Intercoiffure Mondial was keenly felt during this event: global friendship, outstanding educational programmes and a tireless curiosity for future-oriented projects. Big dates for 2024 are already on the calendar: the first MasterBarber conference will be held in New York on 9 and 10 March, and the Intercoiffure annual event will be held in Spain next year. From 25 to 27 May, Intercoiffure will meet in Barcelona. The America-Canada region will hold an event in Montreal, Canada for the first time on May 5-6, the Asian Congress will take place in Tokyo in April 23-24 and the Nordic Region will invite Intercoiffure to Tampere in September 13-15.

Last but not least, there was a preview of a mega event: the 2025 World Congress in Germany. Intercoiffure Mondial will celebrate its 100th birthday in Hamburg in two years’ time. With this event, Intercoiffure will return to its origins. «Intercoiffure was founded on 14 April 1925 in the Guild of Craftsmen of the Hanseatic City of Hamburg,» explains Markus Herrmann, Vice-President of Intercoiffure Mondial and President of Intercoiffure Germany. «We will do everything we can to make it an unforgettable experience - a world congress that creatively combines fashion and hair art, tradition and modernity. We want to surprise our international Intercoiffure friends. Put the date of 31 May to 3 June 2025 in your diaries now.» The programme includes a visit to the city’s new landmark, the impressive Elbphilharmonie. The «Elphie» is a synthesis of architecture, music and a unique location in the centre of Hamburg harbour. The Welcome Evening will take place in the historic Fish Auction Hall, the Gala and international shows will be held in the modern Congress Center. Intercoiffure President Peter F. Pfister: «To survive 100 years as the professional association of the world’s leading hairdressers means that our community has overcome many difficulties. This is a testament to the strong solidarity of our members. I am looking forward to our 23^rd World Congress in Hamburg. Please register now!” All information will be provided very soon and will be available online.

After the awards ceremony, the Intercoiffure community met on the legendary beach of Pampelonne at the Beach Club Moorea for an exclusive beach party: feet in the sand, delicious cocktails, tasty finger food, cool beats - plus the sound of the waves and a warm summer breeze. The full moon shone on the sea and provided the perfect spotlight for an unforgettable evening.

«Soirée Blanche» with spectacular shows 

The grand finale of the Intercoiffure Mondial summer event was the «Soirée Blanche» at the beautiful Domaine Bertaud Belieu winery, hosted by Intercoiffure France. The atmosphere was magical and full of positive energy - Intercoiffure professionals from all over the world exchanged ideas, celebrated, glowed in the evening sun and made the evening very special with their enthusiasm. 

The open-air stage provided the backdrop for three great shows - presented by the junior hairdressers of the Fondation Guillaume, the fashion team of Intercoiffure Japan and Christophe Nicolas Biot for Intercoiffure France.

The 17 juniors from the Fondation Guillaume presented «White Nights» - a cool show with sculptural up-dos, artfully woven braids, lots of texture, dramatic XL Mohawk styling and big hair towers with butterfly accessories. A nod to big hair draping from the sixties and Brigitte Bardot appeal. The Saint-Tropez style of Generation Z was artfully disordered with a playful sense of fashion. 

«Eclectic» was the name of the show by Intercoiffure Japan. The hair artists Hiroyuki Obayashi, Koji Furukubo, Hiroki Matsuki and Shogo Ideguchi showcased their artistic cutting and styling techniques: flashy fashion-pop hair designs in pink, blue and yellow straight out of a manga story; silver-blonde graphic cuts with black fringes and extra-long locks as well as gorgeous hair sculptures. Fascinating hairstyles with subtle finesse and beautiful dresses. 

An explosive mix of rock’n’roll attitude and glamorous elegance was brought to the stage by artist Christophe-Nicolas Biot for Intercoiffure France. 

«Et bam» is an expressive, dynamic production. Biot, one of France’s most renowned hair artists, interpreted great music stars. His show is a tribute to iconic personalities. The hairstyles ranged from voluminous looks to sleek, elegant styles. The result is hair art - creative art made of hair.