Your Educators

CAROLYN GAHAN ♦ @carolynjayun

Whether you’re lusting after dreamy pastels or searching for the ultimate celebrity blonde with the expertly-crafted cut to match, Carolyn Gahan is one seriously badass stylist who has the skills to get you there.

A quick scroll of Carolyn’s Instagram account shows a vision and direction that has been developed over many years; bursting with over 20 years of creative energy.

Starting her career in Ontario, Canada, Carolyn has travelled the world honing her craft. Working at the Cannes Film Festival in France in 2017, Cosmprof 2017 in Italy, and at the Inspire Me show 2019 in Germany. In 2011, Carolyn moved to call Australia home and has been locally recognised as a force to be reckoned with, being named as a finalist across multiple categories in the Australian Hair Fashion Awards 5 years running, and taking out Hair Shot of the Year in AHFA 2020 and 2022 AHIA Independent Stylist of the Year

Carolyn loves traditional hair cutting and colouring in the salon but is also hugely passionate about her editorial and competition work. Carolyn has always loved fashion and describes being on a shoot as her “happy place” where she can tell a story through the model’s hair, makeup and clothing.

JOSHUA CONGREVE ♦ @josh_congreve

For Joshua Congreve, hair is more than a career, it is a way of life!

Starting out at Perth’s famed House of Ernest salon, Josh was early into his apprenticeship when he was thrust into the world of fashion and catwalk styling. Fast establishing himself as a go-to lead hairstylist, Josh worked with department store giant Myer, as well as styling for red-carpet events and celebrity styling including working with Tara Reid, Carson Kressley, Eamon Sullivan, Stephanie Rice, Jennifer Hawkins, Rebecca Judd and dignitaries from the 2011 CHOGM summit.

A change in focus saw Josh take up the role of Artistic Director at House of Ernest. This move was geared towards giving back to the industry and helped Josh develop his love for education, as he took on a leadership role for designing and executing team collections, directed in-salon education and focused on giving back to the community at charity events.

Fast forward a few years, and Josh now resides in sunny Queensland, working with one of his idols Benni Tognini at Tognini’s salon in Brisbane, where he finds joi in educating and motivating his fellow team mates. Josh has developed a profound love for working in a team environment – in his own words, he says “with a cohesive and unified team, the possibilities are endless!”

FELICITY BRUCE ♦ @fissity

In the heart of the picturesque South Island town of Timaru, NZ, you will find Cocoon Hair Design, a boutique hair salon that embraces artistry, transformation, personality and inclusiveness. The woman behind this fashion-forward salon is Felicity Bruce, a self-confessed “wee greenie” who has combined her talent for hairdressing with her passion for environmental sustainability to create a high-end salon experience that also focuses on building social consciousness.

Felicity’s first hairdressing love is setting and upstyling. This passion stems from her classical technical training in an apprenticeship that came on the tail end of the late ‘90s perming trend! An affinity for the avant-garde led her to enter and win the NZ Hat & Hair Award – First Time Entrant in 2014, for her entry ‘Mother Nature’s Venus’.

Travelling the world and gathering knowledge and inspiration, Felicity has worked in Sydney, London and Dublin and has experience that spans everything from the salon floor to editorial, film and catwalk.

Returning to Timaru in 2009, she opened Cocoon Hair Design, only to be faced with adversity when the 2011 Canterbury earthquakes destroyed the salon premises. A relocation to the Royal Arcade Timaru saw the salon move from strength to strength, and what had been a 4 chair salon tripled in size to a creative team of 10!