To mark the highly anticipated return of Wella Destination, Salon was invited to Malta to attend the global education event.
Held at the InterContinental Malta on April 29 to May 1, the three-day event welcomed more than 1,000 attendees from 52 countries.
The festivities kicked off with Wella’s trend show, Surreal, which showcased AI-inspired hair by global ambassadors James Earnshaw and Romeu Felipe, along with international artists and ambassadors Renya Xydis (Australia) and Yuya Nara (Japan).
Sebastian Professional also took the stage with a rock ’n’ roll-inspired show led by global ambassador Anthony Cole, artistic director Shay Dempsey, creative director Pedro Saldana and artists Angelo Vallillo and Bekki Delehedy.
“I feel like this has been a big family reunion for me,” says Cole. “I’ve been meeting people that I worked with from India, Paris, Turkey and all over. It’s just been such an amazing experience.”
“As much as we want to see community, we want to actually be a community,” he adds. “We all want to share with each other and feed off each other’s creativity.”
The next two days were dedicated to trends and techniques with look-and-learn workshops led by Wella global ambassadors and international artists, including Nikki Lee (U.S.), Guy Kleinhaus (South Africa), Jordanna Cobella (U.K. and Ireland), Matthias Herzberg (Germany), Marco Firriolo (Italy), Alexis Ferrer (Spain), Nicole Revish (U.S.) and Reza Hofmeister (Germany).
“This is a new vibe for Wella that I’m super proud to be a part of,” says Lee. “Having Wella support your individuality and how you see hair the most beautiful. It’s a mix of how we express ourselves.”
“I’ve enjoyed a lot becoming a global ambassador for Wella,” she adds. “What it’s already done for me is that it has really made me step out of my comfort zone, which I think I’ve been needing. As an artist, you can become a little stagnant. It’s been so refreshing to also be around other incredible artists who have just brought this new life and inspiration to me.”
Attendees also had the chance to learn more about Wella Company’s brands, including Wella Professionals, Sebastian Professional, Nioxin and ghd, on the event’s “Brand Boulevard,” which featured interactive booths and activations.
During the event, we also had the opportunity to sit down with Wella Company’s senior leadership team, including Yannis Rodocanachi, chief marketing officer and president of brands, Marlene Lotter, senior vice president of global professional hair brands, Hugo Kunetz, chief revenue officer, and Martin Dale, head of education for North America.
The event concluded with a gala hosted by Patrick Cameron that featured a parade of nations to celebrate all countries in attendance for the unveiling of the global winners of the 2025 TrendVision Awards.
Global ambassador Briana Cisneros and Australian artist Renya Xydis took the stage for #MakeItUltimate, which showcased the power of Wella’s new Ultimate Smooth and Ultimate Repair haircare products.
James Earnshaw, Romeu Felipe and Nikki Lee closed the event with Wella’s #MakeItYou show, which featured a range of hair types and textures to celebrate the beauty of individuality.
Among the attendees were Wella Canada’s country manager Marianne Medeiros and sales director Frank Bruno, along with Vince Riverso and Amer Jomaa of Modern Beauty Supplies.
Browse our gallery of photos from the event.
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