Wednesday, November 23, 2011 - 17:50News: Show Report: Underground ‘11
Eight years ago an idea to share creative inspiration, new trends and techniques, forecasts for future hairstyles was the genesis of ARROJO Underground. As it evolved, Underground became a symbol of many of the things we believe in: providing our hairdressers a platform for creative expression; being open, inclusive, inspired; and sharing our work with the wider world of fashion.
By using hair as the focal point for creating a complete image, Underground shows the latest concepts coming from our world-class team in a series of facts-paced runway presentations. Held at ARROJO studio, this year’s show features sixteen different collections, with everyone from salon apprentices to world-renowned master stylists presenting.
To a standing room only crowd of media, clients, peers, and ARROJO AmbassadorSalon owners and staff, the first presentation set the tone. By ARROJO master stylists, Lina Arrojo and Gerard Scarpaci, with support from salon apprentice, Erin Schultz, this is Off-Center. By taking classic partings of hairdressing, and putting them slightly off-center, the collection features short styles of similar ilk, made to look unique by the versatility of the shapes and textures. The importance of styling is also noted, as Gerard and Lina use the new ARROJO pomade to create polish and slip, with refractive shine.
It is one of many highlights. From symbols of fire to flowing locks in billowing blonde, James Edick and Amanda Jenkins, in reverence to Thanksgiving, put modern creative hairstyles together with American Indian inspiration in Nomadica. Touching on all elements of a hairdresser’s work –– cutting, coloring, styling –– the collection uses hair like fabric in a stunning example of out of the box thinking.
If the emerging theme for the night is a wave of modern multi-textured styles, the personification proves a Riot. Presented by Rudy, Topher, and salon apprentice, Renee Halderman, Riot features one model inspired by the era of punk. Using advanced setting and braiding techniques, the team creates a sexy, bold, creative, big and curly shape. It is a swashbuckling example of the timeless beauty and grace of texturized hair, when styled to swing and to move.
Perhaps the other great highlight is seeing the work of so many former ARROJO Cosmetology School students live on stage. Hats off, Huich, Renee, McKenna, Amber, Nora, Tina, Grace, Olivia, Mary, Kashi, and Dillion. Now at various stages of our salon apprentice training program, these School Graduates showed work illustrating what happens when talent, hard graft, and inspirational, career-shaping education is combined with a platform for creative skills to shine.
Photography: David Ducane
Part of the Underground Press Core was Fashion News Live. They made this great video, including interviews with Nick Arrojo, ARROJO master stylists, Underground models, as well as prep and runway footage from Underground.
Monday, February 1, 2010 - 11:04News: SHOW report: Underground 10
ARROJO Underground is an inspirational event, held once a year at ARROJO studio. Stylists from across the nation pour in to see the latest trends and techniques from ARROJO. Underground 09, with nine separate presentations, pushed the creative envelope as far as it would go.
First up, “SQ-Round” (pronounced “scrowned”). Lina Arrojo led a team that included James Edick, Rachel Rodriguez, Tatum Neill, Nicole Obert, and Abbey Theis. The inspiration? The Fibonacci spiral, a diagram used in geometry with spirals and rounds going through a square shape. Thus SQ-Round uses texture and color to highlight a fusion of round and square shapes.
Next came “Yearn/Need.” Intrigued by early America, Stacey Whitmire, Amy Dinnerman, and Topher Gross showcased how people misbehave when subjected to rigorous moral code. Models walked the runway in prim black dresses, their hands folded as if in prayer, with blue light emanating from within. When hands opened, “ice cubes” rolled onto the stage, revealing a “stigmata” made of red wax on each of their palms. Naturally, since they were acting out, they sported exaggerated shapes with peacock and purple tones.
Inspired by a dystopian, fend-for-yourself view of the future, Morgan James, Mazja Hillestroem, Alexis Gross, and Antonia Troiano presented “Severance,” which featured strong, linear shapes, with beautifully severe undercutting and disconnection.
“A New Kind of Kick” was the brainchild of Cheryl Fazio, Jenna Perritt, Mika Perritt, Marinna Ferrante, and Austin Pratt. The idea: during World War II, fashion was bleak. Ergo, this presentation featured new interpretations of the traditional methods of hair setting, exemplifying how wartime women used ingenuity to shape style, even when they had to make something out of nothing.
The youngest team of stylists, Katie Hermanowski, Heather McGowen, Courtney Tobey, Esther Ahn, Jessica Whalen, Barton Miller, and Jason Lund presented “Strung Out.” The idea was to unveil “live” marionette dolls by showcasing high-shine, and glossy doll-like looks.
Taking inspiration from “Dia Del Los Muertes” (The Day of the Dead) Abbey Theis and Kelly Wright, with rope-inspired braids and texture, traditional Mexican Day of the Dead makeup, and dark, heavy clothing, put forward the power and beauty of styling and makeup.
Presenting “And It’s Not in Her Nature,” Antonia Troiano, Victoria Vitale, Hilary Bilstad and Liz Marz showcased heavy textures and the intricate mixing of patterns in styling and coloring.
“Ghost Women and the Heavy Colors of the Blood” was another standout collection. The team, Lee Jackson, James Edick, and Lauren Palmer-Smith, used the title of a poem by a Lipay Native American as the catalyst to produce hair that looks like a feather. With strong, striking center parts it pays homage to Native American style.
To create “Arc de Triomphe,” Joan of Arc was the guiding light for Amanda Jenkins, Hunter McLeod, Ashley Kowalsky, Gardner Edmunds, Delisa Armstrong, and Inva Cela. The last presentation of the night, it embraced fighting for what you believe in, the following of the heart. Models wore styles with pewter, red, and muted brown tones, all reminiscent of armor and helmets. Team leader, Amanda Jenkins, even went so far as to make one helmet completely out of hair.
By thinking outside the box, ARROJO underground continues to shape trends in hair, fashion, and style.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008 - 22:14News: SHOW Report - ARROJO Underground 09
Conceived in 2003 and returning each year as an annual event, underground is a hair-focused independent fashion show forecasting future trends in cut, color, and style. The idea is to share the ideas and inspirations of the ARROJO artistic team with the wider fashion world and enable hairdressers everywhere to have more positive impact on the creative direction of our craft.
This years’ underground is held at the SoHo-based Here Arts Theater and invites the fashion and beauty press to sit alongside an expectant urbanite crowd. With the theater packed to the rafters, a show of fabulous avant-garde hairstyle unfolds.
Three trends are presented, each conceptualized by a member of the ARROJO artistic team and supported with work from their fellow stylists at our studio. Though each trend is unique, together they portray a picture of softly stylized, just-rolled-out-of-bed hairstyles with terrific texture and sensual freedom. It’s a strongly feminine feel, but with a subtle hint of masculinity. Bangs are bold or straight or choppy, but always to place emphasis on the eyes. It’s clear, too, that short hair is still the rage, but now featuring the deconstruction evident in all shapes and styles. Finally, and perhaps as a yardstick of the freeform, beatnik spirit of underground ’08, textured tresses make a big return. Super tight spiral shaped curls and loose flowing waves both make a dynamic introduction and practically beg naturally wavy and curly hair be worn with luxurious, bohemian style.
Underground ’09 forecasts hair, fashion, and beauty will, in 2009, move to the ethereal and romantic, young and carefree. It is part peasant, part rock-chic, part sex-goddess––all with perfectly imperfect hair.
Runway Show 1: Deconstruction, Antwerp
Inspired by the Antwerp six––breakthrough designers who, in the 1980’s, changed fashion forever––Lina Arrojo’s underground collection displays lived-in style, deconstructed texture, and loose, elegant tailoring.
Runway Show 2: Style Dandies
Skulking over the lines between masculine and feminine, Chuck Olson’s underground collection uses pioneering product application to slick, shape, and tousle modern man into soft, demi-formal style.
Runway Show 3: Transpose
Transpose, the underground collection by Amanda Jenkins, uses innovative pin-setting techniques to blend extreme textures with graphic femininity.
Sunday, June 3, 2007 - 20:58News: SHOW Report - Funkstorung - Underground Event
Each year the beauty industry gathers in NYC for the annual trade event at the Jacob Javits Center. Nick and the Arrojo Studio team choose this same time of year to present their own inspirational event. Last year, hairdressers, fashion designers, and creative individuals looking for something a bit more underground attended “Dunkleheit’ which turned out to be a sold out success. With it’s inspiration driven and conceptualized by our very own Chrystoph Marten, it was truly exceptional. This year in the very same venue as last year we presented ‘Funkstörung’, which promised to be even more outstanding. Again, Chrystoph’s imagination composed something completely inspiring for the shows main theme.
Wednesday, January 3, 2007 - 20:05News: SHOW Report - Arlequins - An ARROJO Underground Event
For the third annual Arrojo Underground event “Arelquins” were used to carve out a new aesthetic for dynamic hair shape and color. Once again it proved a massive sold out success.
A concept driven by our own Chrystoph Marten, the idea was to showcase avant-garde and ornamental hair through the two faced pantomime of modern day “Arlequins”.
With neo-gothic ceilings and American Confederate style balconies the Angel Orensanz Center on the Lower East Side of Manhattan was the perfect setting for this opaque interpretation of small town America.
The first of two runway shows was a contrasting black and white collection of sensational pinned back up dos. The diamond shaped sections and cold color, an oblique reference to the riches that consume the “Arlequins”.
Runway show two once again displayed Chrystoph’s phenomenal technical ability. This time using the diamond shaped sections with hues of grey to invigorate a new wave of romantic post punk within the “Arlequins”.
Dark and militant clothing, (provided by designers Cloak, Naum and Derek Lam), organic electro music and madcap dancing light marbled this unique masquerade, and made for full impact on the cognition.
Indeed, with the Angel Orensanz’s crumbling gold leaf alter as the backdrop the “Arlequins” appeared almost as space age Valhalla’s that had fallen in the night.
