MANE EVENT.

DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE. BY RHIANNE MUIR.

I fell down the rabbit hole this weekend. One minute I was happily seated en route to Melbourne, watching SATC and blissfully unaware of the ensuing madness. The next, I found myself surrounded by hundreds of people dressed in black and red watching people with wild, avant-garde hair eating cakes and drinking tea. Curious and curiouser. In the centre of the room was a man they called the Mad Hatter, a figure sporting a top hat and curly red hair, gesturing wildly to the audience, wielding a pair of scissors and shouting, “we’re all mad here!” He was followed by another claiming “we’re all nuts, we’re all mad, but we’d do anything for Matrix!” And then it dawned on me what was going on…

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Matrix MAD.

Turns out that the tea party I was witnessing was the Matrix Global Team Gala Show, the Saturday night highlight of the MAD weekend. The Mad Hatter was none other than our very own Benni Tognini, and his accomplice the lovely Errol Douglas, two of a catalogue of guests Matrix happily ensconced in Australia to entertain and inspire at MAD, Matrix’s biggest ever hairdressing education event to date.

So what’s it all about? Over the weekend 17-19 April, The Sebel Hotel Albert Park in Melbourne became a hotbed of creativity for Matrix MAD, an educational extravaganza of epic proportions. This is the first time Matrix Australia Destination has descended on these sun-drenched shores of ours, and Matrix introduced it to Melbourne in spectacular fashion, featuring 85 models, hundreds of hair wefts and 30 cans of Matrix hairspray. And that’s just for starters. MAD is the result of Matrix’s unstoppable drive to educate the masses, but that’s not where it ends. “Although Matrix has a very serious educational structure,” begins Errol Douglas, “the MAD guests, above all, just wanna have a party!” And so that’s exactly what MAD did across the long weekend, and the punters couldn’t get enough of it. Errol continues, “Matrix are about connecting people and friendship, and that’s what I love about them.” And that’s what you lot love about MAD, too.

My first mission upon arriving – must find Jo Jordan. Jo’s the dark horse of the weekend, and I am keen to uncover more about her. Owner of two UK salons, she has been on the Matrix Global Design Team for five years. Jo is the owner of hairdressing-training.com, an online hairdressing site in the UK where hairdressers can download step-by-step styles to recreate at home, and she’s a huge fan of Matrix because “it gives accessible online education.” Jo’s pioneering site has been licensed out to various hairdressing colleges across the UK and has made Jo a big name in the education industry.

Jo is mid-preparation for the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party when I locate her locked away in a hotel room, bundles of hair strewn across tables and pinning in a bright red hairpiece with an unspoken determination. “Why Matrix?” I want to know. “Matrix has accessibility,” she explains, “the product is accessible to small salons through to huge brands. It’s like a big family where everyone’s relaying the same messages.” Messages that she’s proud to be a part of. Jo explains that she wants to bring some “European style” to MAD, and bring the London style to a corporate trend. She maintains that although her collection endorses everything Matrix, the brand doesn’t dictate her style and still allows for signature Jo Jordan individuality. “That’s the key to Matrix,” she continues. “They’re not brainwashing you, but allowing your own creativity.” Little did I know just how creative things were going to get…

Next on my MAD hit list is the Matrix Global Team Gala Show. The Matrix guys have been rushing around all day getting the set prepared and have assured me it’s going to be a good ‘un. Mingling with a glass of bubbles waiting for the party to begin, I look around at the groups of friends, dressed up to the nines in the obligatory black and red and taking Facebook profile worthy pics. I begin to see what it’s all about – genuine people who love their craft, having fun and celebrating their trade outside the salon. Errol had hit the nail on the head.

Entering the room via a black and red carpet, a banquet table is the centerpiece of an elaborate set, holding giant cupcakes, teapots and candelabras, and surrounded by lush green hedging. The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party is basically a good excuse for some serious avant-garde tress topiary (as if Matrix really needs one!), and the audience is ready for action. Some posh looking grub is served before Benni Tognini, accompanied by son Jules, takes the stage, conjuring up a cobwebbed, gothic look, before trying their hand at big and bold fluorescent hairpieces. Cue rapturous applause. Nicholas French offers up some huge GaGa-esque multicoloured hairpieces and weaves that wouldn’t look out of place at the National Gallery, and Errol Douglas creates a futuristic silver number and soft, whimsical curls with flashes of bright colour. Jo Jordan’s out in force too, pinning in some seriously bright hairpieces into extremely textured and structured hair. Make no mistake, this is serious creative styling.

The models take to the catwalk to a thumping alternative soundtrack that encapsulates the edgy feel of the night down to the last beat. Draped in creations by designers including Alex Perry, Seven Souls and Anaessia, the models strut their stuff to an enthralled audience. With the party in full swing and destined to continue long into the night, I decide to make a quick exit before the table of very merry looking hairdressers behind me gets a bit too rowdy…

The hall is full of slightly reserved revelers on Monday morning as Benni Tognini takes to the stage with signature enthusiasm and energy. Alongside Jules, the pair offers up some serious biker chic attitude and cutting edge fashion with a throng of male and female models. Jules then takes the audience through his portfolio of award-nominated styles, before recreating a kaleidoscopic plaited fringe hairpiece. Across the aisle from me is a woman cheering wildly as the models strut the catwalk, shouting, “That’s my son up there!” See, we told you Matrix is about real people.

Now for high fashion hair with Errol Douglas and Nicholas French. The pair begins with a Q and A session before presenting a gallery of each other’s styles, and watching the twosome in action is like witnessing two naughty schoolboys, goading each other on and engaging in some first class banter. When I ask Errol later if the pair shared a similar creative direction, he answers, “we did, but Nicholas completely did what he wanted to do anyway! It was supposed to be about session free-styling, so I’ll be having words with him later!” Session free-styling or not, the show produced some truly inspired style. Nicholas showcased models with jaw dropping, black and white hair wefts that he admits were a tough call to prepare prior to the show. A natural entertainer and engaging entertainer, Nicholas jokes alongside Errol and makes constant allusions to his father and esoteric hairdressing techniques still relevant today. When asked if he thinks that old techniques still have a place in today’s industry, he responds yes, and that he loves to “go back to the future, and get ideas from the past.” The future is certainly looking bright if this display is anything to go by.

Laid back Errol, conversely, kept his look more relaxed. After showcasing hot UK “art fringes and overhangs” in his individual Saturday show, Errol is all about teasing hair and creating soft, loose looks and big curls today. “I like sexy hair,” Errol insists. “I don’t like constructed hair, it drives me nuts! In demand styles over in Blighty involve lots of movement, especially for long hair, along with severe architectural hair that’s short internally and on the sides with more movement on the top.” Errol showcases a long, soft fringe during his show, which is his current top style tip, as he loves “disgruntled rather than disconnected.”

It’s pretty difficult trying to snare Errol after the show, as he’s busy reveling in the sea of flash bulbs and graciously thanking his models. Once I have his full attention, however, he is a warm, sincere storyteller who tells things exactly as they are. This is one ambitious man: “I want to be a super brand,” Errol confesses. “I want to be like L’Oréal and Wella one day; I want to be a household name.” What’s Errol’s brand of styling? I want to know. “I don’t stigmatise hair and I love to change,” he explains. “I change all the time to suit the environment, I don’t do one look all year round, and sometimes I get in trouble for that, for not having one ‘particular style.’ But I am a moving brand.” He wants to make it crystal clear though that when he does corporate styling for Matrix, he does it for Matrix.

Speaking of style, Nicholas French has bags of the stuff. He’s all about pushing hair as far as he can, and I am wondering where on earth he gets his inspiration. “Everything you see me do with avant-garde work is drawn out. I do drawings,” he says matter-of-factly. “When I found out the theme for the Global Team Gala Show, I packed a few extra bits to make it a bit quirky.” This, I kindly point out, is the understatement of the year, and Nicholas laughs and replies, “I push boundaries so I can get hairdressers to aspire to a different level and go to a different place.” Job done, methinks.

Although self-deprecating and humorous, Nicholas is a man who knows his own mind and has his own clear message – that the hairdresser is undervalued, and often forgotten amongst the fashion stylist and designer. Nicholas, alongside Errol, is a firm believer in the fact that the hair stylist has a huge talent – “We create our own fabric, and learn how to make it move,” says Nicholas. “Whereas the others already have theirs.” This doesn’t mean that they want to be seen as heroes for championing the hair stylist, though. Nicholas explains: “we’re very unkempt and honest people. We just do hair and share our experiences.” Errol’s not driven by hero-worship either, adding, “what’s rewarding for me is when you can turn it on in different environments and demonstrate versatility.”

What problems do today’s hairdressers face? I ask them. “A lot of hairdressers don’t know the basics,” insists Errol.

“A lot of hairdressers can’t self start their own energy,” says Nicholas, “and can get stuck in comfort zones. We want to do something new and fresh, and that’s what the client wants, and we’re serving the client.”

What Jo, Errol and Nicholas agree on is that Matrix is wonderfully accessible to everybody. “It’s about community salons, the centre for social life like the old barber shop,” Nicholas explains. “The products are very accessible, it’s not an expensive product. We are a community thing, so the other different brands don’t suit us.” Community was certainly the name of the game at this year’s MAD, even if it meant everyone went home feeling a bit hungover and sleep deprived. New friends were made, ideas were borne, and inspiration was given a kick up the backside, just what the Matrix crew intended.

Here’s to many more with MAD!