- 29 May 2026
- Apprentices & Events & Success Stories &
For most hairdressing apprentices, training means mastering the salon floor, building skills, and finding confidence behind the chair. But for Level 3 Hairdressing Apprentice, Cal Tiffin from The King And I Salon in Norton, it also meant stepping into the spotlight at one of the industry's most popular events, Haircon.
What started as an idea in the salon quickly grew into a full creative journey that pushed Cal’s skills, creativity, and confidence to a whole new level.
Preparation
Around five weeks before Haircon, Cal’s employer, Marcus, introduced the concept: a look inspired by luxury Indian spices - rich, vibrant colours woven into hair. From that point, the work began.
For the next month, Cal experimented with bleaching hairpieces, testing tones, and refining colour blends, until the final vision was exactly what they wanted to showcase.
Inspiration even came from training sessions with Kleek, Cal shared: “Funnily enough, we got the idea of setting the hair in foil from Kleek, as I had just been to college the day before, doing an unconventional hair up and used this exact same method!”
Show Time
When the big day finally arrived, it was all hands on deck. Cal helped prepare the model, slicking back her hair with what felt like endless layers of hairspray, before assisting Marcus live on stage.
From passing up wefts and securing them, to adding the finishing touches with straighteners for a bold crimped effect, Cal had an active role in bringing the look to life in front of a buzzing Haircon audience.
Cal's advice to you
“My advice to other hair and beauty apprentices, is when you're given opportunities like to, take everything you can from it! I met a lot of my hair idols, such as Simon Tuckwell, and even got to work with Ben Brown!”