Barry Harcourt

Adrian Barclay, Invercargill salon 'Venom' owner, has been named as a judge for a prestigious hairdressing competition.

Southland's own internationally renowned hairdresser Adrian Barclay has another accolade to add to his CV - he will judge the Australasian Hair Expo Hairdresser of the Year awards.

The owner of Invercargill salon Venom will travel to Sydney at the end of the month to help select finalists, before returning in June to help decide who wins what he describes as "the Oscars of the hairdressing world".

The Expo is about education, with people coming from all over the world to see what is up and coming, and to learn new techniques, Barclay said.

He will be one of about 12 judges from New Zealand, Australia and as far away as London and the USA, and involved in judging every section, including the business and salon design awards.

"I've always had a dream that we would take our brand internationally ... that's happening," he said.

He is proud to be taking Invercargill - and Southland - to the world stage.

"I don't want to turn my back on the support I've had here. I'm living proof that it doesn't matter where you are in the world, you can be the best at what you do," he said.

His proudest moment came on a recent trip to Asia, where he was teaching new techniques.

"The mind blowing thing was that these people don't know where Invercargill is - that it's a town of 40 or 50,000 people - but hundreds of these people are going away having learned from me.

"That was one of the highlights of my life."

He plans to continue his work educating, putting together collections, and developing new styling techniques.

"The privilege of being in this position is I get to diffuse a fashion trend, making it wearable for the consumer."

 - The Southland Times