A team of professionals from an independent Southsea salon have won themselves a place in the L'Oréal Colour Trophy Grand Final by thinking outside the box. Alan Le Ray and Gemma Munn represented Leraze at the Southern Regionals, creating a gorgeous copper colour coupled with an inventive style. Their winning style evolved from the pursuit of an original look, free from the conventions of 'straight'.

"I wanted to show form and style and was determined to move away from the 'straight hair' look,” explained salon owner and team member Alan Laraze. "Using the word 'exquisite' as my starting point, I worked with copper shades to create a strong, modern style and I love the way the curls and the colour compliment each other.”

To the team's delight, Laraze's unique vision certainly hit home with the judges, as they confidently voted the salon into the top three from the Region, giving them an opportunity to display their skills once again at the L'Oréal Grand Final in May.

"I felt lucky just to be working alongside such strong salon teams at the Regional Final, so I was elated when I heard our name read out,” exclaimed Alan, reliving the sensational moment of his salon's success "The whole team bombarded the stage and it was wonderful to share the moment with them.”