HAIR that moved (literally), and brightly coloured bouffants may not be the sort of hair trend that you see daily on the streets.

However, they were among the highlights of the 4th Asian Hairdressers Association (AHA) Festival 2009.

Held in Guangzhou, China in August, the theme of the festival was Your Future is Here. (The moving hair was made possible with the help of some electronic gadget.)

Apart from being a feast for the eyes, the festival was an avenue for hairstylists to flaunt their talent and showcase the latest hair trends, and cutting and styling techniques.

Every year, the main event at the festival is a competition involving the seven-member countries of AHA – China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and India.

This year, 350 hairdressers presented their most creative work in the competition themed Colours.

“The committee decided that, in view of the economic crisis, we wanted to add some colour and fun to life,” said Winnie Loo, director of A Cut Above and president of AHA.

“The competition is a platform for hairdressers who hope to be the next star to come up with the most creative look,” she said during an interview in Kuala Lumpur.

The grand champion award went to China, while two educators from A Cut Above Academy won the Excellence in Performance awards at the show.

Malaysia, led by Loo and her team, presented a show called Colourful Minority at the festival where over-the-top styles in full colour and flamboyance were displayed.

Loo first joined AHA as vice-president in 2006 before assuming the post of president last year. She was approached by one of the founding members of the association to head AHA because they wanted a voice from South-East Asia.

“The objective of AHA is to put more great hairdressing minds together to create a big voice in Asia, and not just project that ‘West is best’,” stressed Loo, who is also a founding member of the festival.

Key styles presented at the festival included those from Japan, the leading trendsetter in Asia.

“Japan has always had a mind of its own, in terms of styles. They love lots of texture, strong ‘step’ cuts, and a combination of long and short styles.”

Loo said South Korea was also always ahead, trend-wise, and presented a very strong “street look” at the show.

“That is good because trends need to be wearable, yet explore the creativity of our minds,” she said, adding that Taiwan presented very young styles influenced by pop rock music.

Loo demonstrated two key looks, live on stage, during the festival.

“Since I was trained in Britain, I always like to blend my trends with East and West (styles). I like to incorporate rock chic, funk and bob style with an edgy look into my trends,” she said.

Her personal take on next year’s look is one that combines the “best of the past, with a twist”.

“The style of tomorrow is about daring to be different yet pays tribute to the rock and roll of yesteryear. I want to bring back the power of the 1980s, with freedom and styles that are unruly and unstructured.

“I want hair to have life and speak volumes,” added Loo, whose collection includes the Farah Fawcett look, but with more pizzazz.

Loo believes this trend will appeal to both the younger generation as well as more mature clients.

Commenting on whether Malaysians were an adventurous lot when it came to bold styles, Loo said there will always be a group who are willing to explore possibilities, and another that choose to wait and see it out on the streets first.

“Malaysians generally like the easy way out. They want to wash and dry their hair at night, go to sleep and wake up still looking good.

“A great haircut is one which grows out nicely. Hairstyles should be natural, enjoyed and easy to maintain. There should not be a need to labour over it to recreate how you look when you just stepped out of a salon,” she said.