In the judge's chair

Literally hours after she stepped off the plane, we interviewed Caterina DiBiase, the head judge for L’Oreal Colour Trophy 2011.

I’ve been in the industry for more than 20 years. I wanted to get into beauty, which was my passion, but back then in Victoria you had to be a qualified hairdresser before you could be a beauty therapist. So I started there.

I grew up in the country and had to travel one and a half hours each day to get school, so I had to be quite dedicated. I worked my way into bigger and better positions and I’ve travelled through Europe and the USA. I realised there’s a big world out there and I needed to push myself forward.

I did a Vidal Sassoon course in LA and that changed my life. I went really into hairdressing and did more and more training. I kept moving, went to work for Heading Out and made it through about three months before I got itchy feet. I went to the manager and said “I want my name in lights”, so he trained me and backed me. He’s very business minded. So I did lots of training and lots of business work.

I was a first-time finalist in L’Oreal Trophy in 1997 and that took me into another world. I won it in 1999 and 2000 – the first woman to win back-to-back titles – the media discovered me, and the business changed. I got to travel and meet international hairdressers at the top of the school. That was where I wanted to be.

I do education in India once a year. Hairdressing in India is only 20 years old, so they’re at the beginning. They’re like sponges. It’s hard work, but they’ve kind of adopted me a little bit.

It’s all about taking the runway into the salon. Big brands are really pushing for it and that’s such a great inspiration and selling point. It’s about proving to them that you’re on the mark. You can’t just cut and colour, you need to be able to talk fashion.

New Zealand is very innovative and is pushing boundaries. Your fashion is pushing the edge and sometimes it pushes it too much, but there’s a place for everything. You really have to read the brief and enter a competition that suits you. I don’t enter avant garde because it’s not my style.

L'Oreal Colour Trophy is about colour, about style and commerciality. It can’t be boring. It needs to be fun and forward moving. You’ve got to have a great cut with it. It needs to go on the front cover of a magazine so you have to look at what’s on the front cover – what do they put on it. Do your homework and look at past winners and finalists.

You have to have a beautiful model. Model first, hair second. On a beautiful face you can do anything, but you’ve got to be able to recreate it. We can’t allow photography to go beserk. Don’t believe that the judges don’t know what they’re looking for. They need to see what you can do.

If you win, cherish the moment and milk it for everything you can. You need to get out there and utilise it and use it to your advantage. It’s what you do with the year of your title rather than in the moment.

If you don’t win, work a bit harder next time, never give up. Hard work does pay off, set your goals and go for it. It opens to many doors and provides opportunities … it’s up to you to take them but don’t burn your bridges on your way.

Attend an Inspirational Colour Course with Caterina DiBiase