Working in the real world

Cut Above students assisting hair and make-up artist Brent Lawler for the World Show at NZ Fashion Week 2004

Hairdressers and make-up artists with the right skills and attitude can choose from an amazing range of career options – from high fashion catwalk to special make-up effects for film and television.  Gael Thompson, director of Auckland's Cut Above Academy, insists on her students graduating with specialist skills, teamwork and insight into the workplace to compete in these exacting fields.  In addition to her permanent tutors, visiting industry experts provide this insight, says Thompson, and students also get to test their skills on fashion and media productions.

As the first fashion event in the world to show its Autumn/ Winter collections, New Zealand Fashion Week is eagerly awaited by fashionistas worldwide – and by the backstage hair and make-up artists who add to its glamour. Francis Hooper and Denise L'Estrange-Corbet, the dynamic duo behind the World label, use international hair and make-up artist Brent Lawler to ensure the virtuosity of their show - and last year 25 lucky Cut Above students were chosen to work backstage under his direction. 

Industry feedback is essential to ensure courses continue to meet industry needs, says Thompson. Students with a fashion interest can now focus solely on make-up artistry for catwalk and photography, and those who want to cover both fashion and media can choose the one-year comprehensive course.  Those wanting careers in film and television can choose the production make-up course – followed by the one-year diploma in advanced FX make-up and prosthetics production, taught by international FX sculptor Nori Honda.

Thompson says that feedback from film and television makeup artists confirms her belief that graduates must have sound hairstyling, clipper cutting and wig dressing skills. Her students gained work experience in the extras teams of The Lion, Witch and Wardrobe and King Kong, because they could dress hair and wigs. She is adding a 12-week media hair certificate for make-up graduates or artists in the field who need to add these skills to their CVs. 

Feedback from salon owners in the hairdressing industry also calls for higher levels of technical skills and client communications, says Thompson. Students can now choose a full two-year hairdressing programme that leads up to working on real clients in the Cut Above graduate salon in the second year.  Barbering at both beginner and master level is also offered, as well as full and part-time courses in nail technology. 

Thompson sees an affinity between make-up artistry and beauty therapy. Experts from the beauty industry have confirmed that beauty therapists need extra make-up training and as much hands-on experience on clients as possible, so Cut Above has set up a training clinic in the heart of the city. Beauty therapists will progress from the lecture-model clinic to working on real clients in the training clinic, gaining the level of skills, confidence and client relations sought by industry employers.

All courses are accredited by NZQA and approved for student loans and allowances. Enrolment interviews are currently being held.