Education is at the core of everything Aveda does. From the Institutes to live events to online curriculums, Aveda’s education runs wide and deep. And every other year, Congress is the all-encompassing event where Aveda educators come together to teach trends, business, technique and more.

Artists Find Their Awe

On September 23-26, the Minneapolis Convention Center hosted Aveda Congress 2023’s educators and salon professionals for immersive artistry, expert-led workshops, networking and much more.

Aveda global artists pushed the boundaries of creativity, inspiring the crowd with their talent and artistry.

“I really loved the Global Team’s presentation: Awe,” says Alberto Swanson, Jam Artist and North American artistic team member, hair color. “It was beautiful and playful with themes around nature, and celebrated our artists and how they make Aveda what it is.”

For his presentation with GaBo Hernandez, Jam Artist and North American artistic team member, hair color, Swanson re-introduced the audience to a classic color tool: the highlight cap. And for some younger stylists, it was brand new.

When the emcee asked the audience who had ever used a highlighting cap, not a single hand went up.

Source: Alberto Swanson

“We have so many tools in our belt that we’ve forgotten about,” he says. “The cap can give you a variety of results—I created a color block concentrated on the fringe and the audience loved it.”

April Salgado, stylist at Textures Studio in Memphis, attended Congress for the first time.

“As I sat and watched all the presentations, things clicked for me,” she says. “I realized it’s all art, and you can create art with Aveda—whether it’s color or products. It motivated me to take more color classes and made me realize I want to be more of a leader and educator in my salon.”

Texture Takes Over

Congress presentations highlighted cuts, styling, color, business and more, but one theme was woven throughout: texture.

“I saw every single presentation, and texture really stood out,” says Laura Dulay, owner of three Salon Dulay locations in Orlando.

“The message was clear: Make sure everyone on your team has the knowledge and skills to work on all types of hair textures.”

Dulay brought 20 team members to Congress, and after the show was over, they all agreed the texture education was their favorite with relevant information.

“The texture team (Kenneth Dawson, Naomi Dove, Tracy Freeman, Renée Gadar and Shayla Marie Yon) delved into the history of textured hair and talked about the injustices of what the beauty industry has done with the verbiage we’ve used,” Dulay says. “The story was meaningful, and the artistry of that presentation was just beautiful.”

Salgado says 80 percent of Textures Studio clients have textured hair, so she was thrilled with the education surrounding texture at Congress.

“It was so inspiring,” she says. “Texture education is important for all hair, and I feel empowered to introduce this direction Aveda is going with texture in my own salon.”

The Color Buzz

The color team also made a splash, focusing on technique. Attendees particularly liked Luis Gonzalez, North America artistic director, hair color, and his dip dye technique.

“He took pigments and mixed them in hot water,” explains Swanson. “Then he dipped extensions in to color them.”

Vladimir Sarbashev, Aveda guest artist, demonstrated his AirTouch Technique to a mesmerized audience.

“His presentation was so clean and precise,” says Dulay. “AirTouch is innovative, but easy to understand and gives that ombre, lived-in color.”

Corbin Shullanberger, owner of The Foundry Salon in New Braunfels, Texas, agrees Sarbashev made a lasting impact.

“I’ve seen the AirTouch technique sped up on reels and have gotten little nuggets of information, but it was so cool to hear his thought process in putting the technique together—he went in depth and explained it thoroughly.”

Tatum Neill, founder and creative director of Elevate turned up the volume at Congress with a show people are still buzzing about.

Inspired by the Flaming Lips “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots,” Neill remade the music video with one model cast as Yoshimi and the other models as robots.

The presentation started with the video and the rest of the show was DJ’d by Neill with a mix he created so each song featured a different movement or activity on stage.

“We did a theatrical re-interpretation of the video,” Neill says. “We brought the audience into the robot lab and made the robots (models) on stage.”

Source: Tatum Neill, @ElevateHair

The effect was extraordinary with strobe lights and music bringing it all together for a totally unique experience.

“I loved this presentation,” says Shullanberger. “It was so cool visually and I loved his message—it was a standout.”

Inspired to Aspire

Aveda Congress 2023 was truly a celebration of artistry and community, with something for everyone.

Swanson remembers attending his first Congress years ago when he worked the front desk at Van Michael salon.

“Seeing those artists on stage made me want to get into hair,” he says. “I wanted to be on that stage and become one of those artists—and I did.”

Shullanberger grew up in the Aveda network, but has been away for the past decade. This was his first time attending Congress as an owner.

“I feel super energized from everything I saw, but also from making connections with people I haven’t seen in a long time,” he says. “And the production quality of Congress is so impressive no matter how you look at it.”

Congratulations to all the artists from the Aveda network contributing on both mainstage and backstage, especially:

• Apotheca Salon and Boutique – Robert Grimes
• Avalon Salon and Spa – Michelle Bowden, Ric Bowden
• Aveda Institute – Traci Sakosits, Wayne Woodruff, Katie McClusky
• Ellie K Salon – Shayla Yon
• Hair House – Tyler Cochran
• Hello Salon – Nicole Nedom
• K Charles Salon – Cassandra Pena, Monica Hayes
• Lavender Square Salon – Kijani Ball, Sarah Sibley
• Neill – Brandie Devillier, Alberto Swanson, Tatum Neill, Stefanie Roldan, Trey Fowler, Savannah Nethken
• Paris Parker Salon – Sasha Ahart, Chris Guidry, Maya Walker
• Ruiz Salon – Greg’ry Baladez, Allen Ruiz, Judy Im

Did you miss Congress this time around? Or maybe you just want to experience it again? The Aveda Congress 2023 Digital Experience has you covered. See the sights online with an exclusive digital-only ticket to the evening performance, global stage presentations, pro-led workshops, artist interviews and behind-the-scenes access.

Click here to access (if you purchased a live Congress ticket, digital access is included). Digital access is available through December 31, 2023.