Local hairstylist named best in SA

Jannie van der Westhuizen a devoted husband and part owner of West End Studio in Randfontein with his wife Liana was crowned the Best Men’s Hairstylist at the Paul Mitchell Hairstylist of the Year 2015 showpiece in The Boyz category.

“It is like the Oscars of hairstyling where a panel of esteemed judges choose the best five portfolios sent in and then decide who the winner is,” Jannie explained.

The event took place at the Gold Reef City Lyric Theatre in November and everyone involved with hair in South Africa was there.

Every finalist had to prepare their models backstage and then impress on stage.

“We chose the theme Free. We wanted to show men that they are limited only by their own imagination. The styles I chose were modern with a touch of avant-garde. We believe in the saying c’est la vie’ – that’s life – and that you should not focus on the challenges life throws at you, but how you overcome them and come out at the other side,” Jannie said.

During his presentation Jannie focused on easy, funky men’s styles and on beards, beard grooming and maintenance, which is the in-thing at the moment.

“It was awesome to be part of such an amazing event. I never could have imagined the work that goes into preparing for an event of this magnitude and it was an absolute pleasure to have performed in front of more than a thousand people,” Tanya Velancé added who helped with the show and performed Free, a song from the group Rudimentals at the event.

After all the stylists had presented their work they were judged and at the end of the day style, quality, experience and an incredible eye for design won.

“I was ecstatic when they called out my name, but I never could have done it without my amazing team. It was a team effort all the way and I want to thank every single one who put in the long hours and hard work to make it all happen for me,” Jannie said with a broad smile.

Jannie who originally hails from Pretoria has been living in Randfontein for eight years now. Working as a stylist is very rewarding for him and it’s not difficult to see that hair is his passion.

“I can live out my creative side through styling – cutting and styling hair is an art form,” Jannie said.

Jannie enthusiastically explained that he wants to show the world Randfontein’s talent and put the town on the map.

“I am proud of Randfontein and I want to show the world what we are capable of. Men’s hair and grooming is one of the fastest growing industries in the world and I want to help the men of Randfontein step into a new era.”

Jannie is also one of only six hair stylists to be chosen for the TIGI Artistic Team. The team will be representing South Africa in October 2015 at the World Release Alternative Hair show in London, England.

See a video on the TIGI World Release 2013 event here.