Hundreds of hairstylists, barbers, salon owners and students gathered at Toronto’s Westin Harbour Castle on November 17, 2025, for the first-ever Contessa Connective Education Day.
The full day of look-and-learn education featured seven presentations from 23 Canadian and international artists.
Toronto-based hairstylists and TV personalities Palma N’Sheluvzit and Sal Leonetti co-hosted the day, guiding the audience through the full schedule of presentations and demonstrations.
The day opened with a presentation by James Abu-Ulba, last year’s Contessa winner for Canadian Hairstylist of the Year, and a Davines showcase artist. He shared how he pushes creative boundaries to develop editorial and abstract shapes that stand out in competition work. Drawing from his winning collection, he encouraged stylists to transform everyday looks into bold editorial statements, and spoke about learning how to work confidently with textured hair by leaning into discomfort and expanding technical skills.
Leonardo and Marco Redavid, co-founders of Canadian haircare brand Redavid, presented alongside artistic team member Katherine Sims. They shared their signature long-layer cutting techniques and demonstrated how to create Hollywood-inspired blowouts with fluid movement and commercial appeal.
“For me, it’s truly inspirational,” says Sims. “There’s quite something to be said to be on a Canadian stage where hairstylists are all coming together to learn and absorb new information.”
“Being in a room with the best of the best in the industry is pretty cool,” adds Marco. “To see they’re still chasing education and still learning is what helps our industry continue to grow.”
Schwarzkopf Professional’s Canadian artistic team followed with a session on modern, texture-focused styling influenced by 1970s glamour. The team included Michelle Oliver, Robin LaChance, Nicole Pede, Mario Cicciarella and Jessica McColm. Oliver and LaChance also celebrated wins for Multicultural Hairstylist, Elite Master Hairstylist and Session Hairstylist at the 2026 Contessa Awards gala.
“It’s an absolute privilege to be presenting on the Contessa Connective stage,” says LaChance. “As someone who has been attending [for years], seeing more relatable content that we can use behind the chair or editorial-based is really special.”
“It’s been amazing,” adds McColm. “I felt a stronger connection to the audience. The investment in the audience was really there. They wanted to learn and you felt their energy back, which was amazing. You don’t get that on every stage.”
Pede, a past Contessa winner, demonstrated how to use hair toppers and extensions to quickly shift and reinvent styles for both editorial and salon work. “These are tips that you can use that don’t necessarily mean you have to have a model that will allow you to colour their hair vibrantly,” she says. “Most of our models, we can’t colour their hair with wild colours. So we need to utilize things where we can be very creative and get that impact. Whether you’re shooting for the Contessa Awards or you’re just doing a bit of content shooting, I’m going to show you a few things that can help you get that real impactful photo.”
After lunch, the Sassoon Academy Toronto team featuring Joseph Santiago, Lorraine McAndrew, Kat Ginga and Kimberley Wallace debuted the global brand’s latest collection, Libertine. The team’s presentation focused on Sassoon’s iconic precision cutting and timeless design, with an emphasis on foundational shapes developed through technical craftsmanship.
“I love this!” says Wallace. “I feel like it’s more interactive because you feel closer to the audience to share techniques. It’s a very cool concept and I hope it continues.”
Glassbox Education, supported by Redken, brought high-impact barbering to the stage. Founder Peter Gosling and creative director Hugh Kingston showcased bold haircutting and modern barbering techniques from the brand’s latest street style collection, highlighting structure, confidence and technical detail. The collection also took the stage the night before at the Contessa Awards gala as the show opener.
Moroccanoil’s team featuring vice president of artistry Kevin Hughes, global color ambassadors Lisa Dinh and Jessica Scott Santo, and artistic team member Tania Lacoste Major presented salon-ready colour applications with polished styling, and included a “Salon to Social” walkthrough that showed how to refine a finished look for content creation.
“It’s an honour for Moroccanoil,” says Dinh. “Being part of a collective of artists and being able to bring the artistry to Canada.”
“Moroccanoil started in Montreal, so Canada is home,” adds Hughes. “Whenever you add education to a show, it’s really good. People get to see a little more about what the artists do and how they create.”
The final presentation of the day was led by Quantum Hair’s global team, including founder Jorge X and Canadian hairstylists Norm Wright, Antonio Quintieri and Monia Grieco. Supported by Goldwell and Wella Company, the team also took the stage with a showstopping presentation at the Contessa Awards the night before. On the Contessa Connective stage they shared tips to help achieve this level of innovative artistry featuring avant-garde styling and dimensional pixel colour techniques, blending creativity with advanced colour formulation.
The launch of Contessa Connective set a new benchmark for education within the Canadian professional beauty community and left
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