Four hair salons in Norwich have made it through to the regional finals of one of the most prestigious and fashion forward hair competitions in the UK. EMMA HARROWING meets the contenders aiming to prove they are a cut above the rest.

Over the past few months hair stylists up and down the country have been perfecting fashion forward colours and cuts in order to make it to one of the most coveted award ceremonies on the hairdressing calendar.

For four Norwich salons this hard work has paid off.

Hooloovoo on Pottergate, Kinki Boutique on Castle Street, MG Hair and Beauty on Ber Street and The Gallery Haircutters on Waterloo Road have been shortlisted for several awards at the L'Oreal Colour Trophy Eastern regional final on April 8.

The winners from each category will then go on to the grand final on June 3 at Grosvenor House in London.

The L'Oreal Colour Trophy has been running for 58 years and is seen as the benchmark of British hairdressing inspiration.

The judging panel includes award winning and international hairdresser Trevor Sorbie.

This year the regional finals will be compered by television presenter Zoe Hardman from ITV2's Take Me Out: The Gossip.

Owner and creative director of Kinki Boutique Jason Taylor says that even being shortlisted for an award is great news for creativity in Norwich.

'We have been shortlisted in both the women's and men's colour awards for the seventh year running,' says Jason.

'We've actually won the Young Colourist Award before and, as far as we're concerned, this is the best and most prestigious hair competition out there.

Other companies hold similar ones but L'Oreal have been doing this for over 50 years which is a testament to the quality and standard of the awards.'

All four salons won a place in the regional finals after submitting a photograph that demonstrated their technical expertise and their fashion awareness on a male or female model to the brief of Autumn and Winter 2013 trends.

At the finals, hair stylists will be put to the test to recreate their look live on a model in just 45 minutes.

The four salons join 65 other hairdressers from across the Eastern region in a bid to secure a place in the grand final.

MG Hair and Beauty has been nominated for women's image colour award.

Salon manager Max Giammello says that the awards are a big deal in hairdressing circles.

'Along with fashion, hairdressing is one of the UKs most vibrant, fast-moving and creative industries and these awards celebrate the greatest talent from the country's top hairdressers,' says Max.

'The team are really excited to make it through to the regional final this year and I'm really excited to help promote the next generation of hairdressers. We have some great talent here in Norwich.'

Adrian Dunham, co-owner and hairdresser at The Gallery Haircutters, believes that it is important to fly the flag for Norwich and East Anglia.

Adrian says: 'We always strive to be at the forefront of creativity in our industry and we have great success with these awards, but we never take anything for granted. This year we are up for all three awards and the Young Colourist entry is already through to the grand final. It feels fabulous to get all three images shortlisted and make it to the grand final with one – so far. These awards really help us promote our region as a strong contender in creativity and fashion.'

All the looks push the boundaries of cut and colour. Creative director of Hooloovoo Simi McGeorge explains the inspiration behind her look for the men's award:

'For autumn and winter there is going to be a lot of textured fabrics, crushed velvet and deep collars as this season's 90s inspired glammed up grunge becomes more gothic grunge for autumn. This combined with my favourite fashion trend this year – pop art – inspired my look. I enhanced the blondeness of my model's hair and kept the haircut extremely sharp by exaggerating the corners to create clean lines.'