Alba Andreu, the overwhelming talent of the new generation of hairdressers

How do you create a collection for the Figaro Awards?
The first step is to work on a moodboard of inspirations. No matter the theme, anything can give you the inspiration you need to create the four images of the collection. Then you transmit the idea to the team and you start to shape it.

What atmosphere is breathed in the backstage, the hours before the gala?
The backstage is the place with the most stress and adrenaline in the entire gala: that countdown, that “5 MINUTES LEFT, GUYS”, having to do everything you have prepared and thought of in such a short time. But it's super nice to see a whole team work together. I think that's where you really live the Figaro experience.

What do you feel when you finally see your work on the catwalk?
For me it's a real source of pride, an incredible emotion that is impossible to control. I cried seeing the first model come out and knowing that, finally, all that effort would be seen by everyone reflected on a catwalk.

What does it mean to you, as a professional, to win a Figaro Award?
It is motivation, a way of remembering why you started, recognition of your effort and, above all, enormous pride.

What would you highlight from your winning collection?
The message. I wanted to capture in four photos that vindication of life, the desire to break the rules, to think that in this life anything goes. Another aspect I would highlight is the union between hairdressing and fashion, so that both get the same importance.

In your opinion, how do the Figaro Awards help to give prestige to the profession?
The Figaro Awards take us out of the salon to show our most creative vision on the catwalk. We have to unite and work on it to get hairdressing to the top, and Figaro is the key to start achieving it.

What advice would you give to other colleagues in the industry who also want to succeed at Figaro?
My advice is that 'if you want to, you can'. Never give up if you really believe in something, sooner or later your time will come.