David Costa has been cutting hair since he was a teenager, but this week brings something new for the veteran Calgary stylist.
“It’s my first time competing on mannequins,” Costa said. “We used to use live models.”
David and his brother Ricardo, also a stylist, are busy doing training cuts in their family salon, Alta Moda Hair Solutions.
They’re preparing to leave this week for Paris to represent Canada at the world’s biggest hair competition, OMC Hairworld.
“This is like the Hair Olympics,” David said. “We’ve won competitions as far back as 1985.”
“The pressure intensifies in Paris,” Ricardo said. “In the heat of competition, there are people that actually have to hold their arm from shaking, to cut a two-inch straight line.”
All the competitors will be colouring, cutting and styling something unusual on the mannequin heads.
“This is genuine goat hair,” Ricardo said. “This is what we use, because the hair can be put under a lot more stress than human hair. You can bleach it, you can do much, much more.”
Sweeping the floor, David observed: “It’s a healthy goat. That’s a lot of hair.”
Both brothers have learned a lot from their mother, Laura, who’s also a hairdresser.
“A little bit to fix here,” she pointed out as David and Ricardo finished their last practice cuts before leaving for Paris.
“I’m very proud of you boys,” Laura said.
“Here we come,” David said. “For Canada!”