Some achievements stop you in your tracks. This is one of them.
We are absolutely thrilled to announce that Danielle Louis, Creative Ambassador and Master Hair Consultant at Headmasters Dulwich, has won the Afro Award at the L’Oréal Colour Trophy 2026! This is one of the most prestigious accolades in the hairdressing industry, and in its landmark 70th anniversary year too. This is a moment we will be celebrating for a long time.
A Night to Remember
The L’Oréal Colour Trophy has been at the heart of the British hairdressing industry for seven decades – a celebration of creativity, technical excellence and the extraordinary talent that exists across our profession. For Headmasters, it’s a competition we have been proud to be part of for many years, with finalists and winners across multiple categories that speak to the depth and quality of our team.
This year was particularly special. Not only did we have 6 finalists across the competition – but 5 of those were in the Afro category alone, making it the most significant showing Headmasters has ever had in this category. To have that breadth of talent represented on one of the biggest stages in hairdressing in something that fills us with enormous pride.
The Concept – Solar Armour
Danielle’s winning look was built around a concept she called Solar Armour – and from the moment you hear it, you’ll understand why it won.
Inspired by cultural references and a desire to do something completely different to what has previously won the Afro category, Danielle chose to work with locks – a technique that was genuinely new territory for her, and one she deliberately chose to push herself and elaborate on new skills. Her inspiration came from Jaden Smith, whose boundary-pushing approach to style and identity perfect captured the feeling she wanted to create.
The colour story was rooted in earth an nature – mocha tones, dark bases, mossy earthy tints that feel simultaneously ancient and completely modern. And threaded through it all with intention, were soft pops of pink.
“Afro hair is always perceived as strong and hard,” Danielle explains. “But it’s not. The pink was to show its fragility – its softness. To challenge that perception.”
It’s a detail you might not immediately notice in the images. But knowing it’s there changes everything about how you see the look.
In Danielle’s Own Words
“I can’t explain how I feel. It’s been an amazing experience and I’ve learnt and grown so much – even just from getting into the finals. Having a concept and a story are so important. You need to stand out and push boundaries. I used my Headmasters training to help me transform the colour, experimenting to stand out.”
That phrase – experimenting to stand out – feels like it says everything about what makes Danielle so special. She didn’t play it safe. She chose a technique that was new to her, built a concept rooted in cultural identity and emotional nuance, and delivered something that genuinely hadn’t been seen in this category before. That takes real courage – and real craft.
Celebrating Our Afro Category Finalists
Danielle’s win is extraordinary – but it doesn’t exist in isolation. This year, Headmasters had 5 Afro finalists out of the 8 in total, a fact that speaks volumes about the standard of textured hair expertise across our salons.
Huge congratulations to every single one of them:
Daniella Fowler – Headmasters Crystal Palace
Jack Wooldridge – Headmasters Epsom
Diana Gavrila – Headmasters Wandsworth
Amber Shirley – Headmasters Wimbledon Broadway
And a special mention to Edd Moss, Headmasters Creative Ambassador who reached the finals as an LCT London Grand Finalist – an incredible achievement in its own right.
What This Means for Headmasters
The L’Oréal Colour Trophy has always been a wonderful experience – a big, joyful celebration of hair and of the remarkable talent that exists across our industry. In its 70th anniversary year, that feels more significant than ever.
At Headmasters, we’ve been taking part for many years and have proudly produced finalists and winners across multiple categories throughout that time. But this year felt different. 5 Afro category finalists from across our salons is a reflection of something we’ve been investing in for a long time – a genuine, deep commitment to textured hair education, expertise and representation.
Danielle’s win is a landmark moment not just for her, but for our whole community. It’s proof that when you give talented people the tools, the training and the freedom to experiment, remarkable things happen.
To find out more about textured hair expertise at Headmasters – including Edd Moss’s specialist Art of Texture training at our London Academy – read more about our Creative Ambassadors here. And to see Daniella Fowler’s own brilliant work in textured hair, read her story here.
Congratulations Danielle – and to every Headmasters finalist who took to that stage this year. You make us incredibly proud.
Book an appointment at your nearest Headmasters salon today – and follow us at @headmastersuk on Instagram for all the latest from our Art Team and Creative Ambassadors.
