Born and raised in Winnipeg, Jamie Dorge always wanted to be part of the beauty industry. Once her sister started competing in hair shows, it ignited a spark that inspired Dorge to enroll into beauty school. For the past 12 years, she’s been perfecting all those hair skills, but decided to let them go for this particular collection, and instead embrace the beautiful imperfections of hairstyling. “I think that we try so hard every day to be so perfect behind the chair,” she says. “So when I did this collection, I wanted to do something that spoke to me more in the moment.”

Spot of Inspiration

When it comes to colour placement, technique and precision are everything. But for these looks, Dorge wanted to let her creative side run free and try something completely different. After attending a seminar led by multiple Contessa award-winner Tony Ricci, who explained that he often goes to craft stores to think of new ideas, Dorge “channeled her inner Ricci” when she decided to use a round lid to put polka dots on one of her looks. “I created those spots with a stamping technique,” she says. “It was literally a lid from something, but sometimes little things like that catch your eye and inspire you to do things differently.”

Turn Up the Volume

Dorge knew from the start that she wanted one of her looks to be a rich denim blue, but her playful textured bob was originally sharp and straight. When she noticed that something about the look didn’t sit right with her, she decided to experiment with the hair. “I realized that the texture looked great because it gave dimension to the denim,” she says. “So then I really just started to play with the texture of the hair using a little bit of product and really piecing out the bang. I loved the fact that it went from structured to dishevelled.”

“We’re making people feel good about themselves, which is a really rewarding career.”

While she usually would have been stressed or overwhelmed on a shoot day, Dorge says she allowed herself to be in the moment and be nothing but herself, especially with the support of her team. “The day of the shoot was fantastic,” she recalls. “I felt so free and it was wonderful to have people around to really support my artistic vision, win or lose. I’m super proud of myself this year.”

This win-or-lose mentality already has Dorge excited for next year’s collection, as she wants to maintain her momentum. “I’m going to be using what I’ve learned from this and apply it to my next collection. I feel like a new me.”