On it's third year, Battle of the Strands competition, otherwise known as the "Project Runway for hair stylists", held qualifying rounds in NYC, Orlando, Las Vegas, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. With the online battle ending on September 9th, winning teams were chosen to come face to face in Las Vegas for extraordinary elimination challenges to pick the TOP five that will compete for the FINAL Battle of the Strands. Contestants will present current wearable trends, couture, artistic, and avant-garde looks on their models to be critiqued before a panel of celebrity judges, press, media, and thousands watching in the audience. Hosted by TV's "King of Makeovers" Kim Vo and YouTube's legendary Kandee Johnson, Battle of the Strands' hair icons Michael O'Rourke, Allen Edwards, James Harris, Jorge Rubin, Andrew Caruthers, plus many others will comprise the celebrity stylist judging panel.
Teams will arrive in Las Vegas on October 9th, 2013 at Palms Casino Resort Pearl Theater in Nevada, where they will face extraordinary challenges throughout the week leading up to the final, larger then life competition on October 14th, 2013. Doors will open at 6pm in the Palms Casino Resort's Pearl Theater, with Lamborghini sponsor of Las Vegas hosting a cocktail hour for press, media and VIPS and red carpet arrivals. Battle of the Strands will compete for one last time in front of a crowd of thousands of guests, master educators, celebrities, press and media for a larger then life final showcase. Guests will be entertained by pop star Marika, whose performed at sold-out arenas in over 20 cities across North America with the most popular boy-band in the world "One Direction", and Bollywood/R&B star Anjali Dea. Onsite gifting and sampling suites will grace attendees with swag bags. The final battle will be streamed online for viewers to watch from all over the world.
In conjunction with Battle of the Strands and in honor of October as Breast Cancer Awareness month, comes Battle for Boobies, a philanthropic partnership program paired with I.C.O.N. (iconproducts.com) #CureForACause campaign. Affecting one out of every eight women today, I.C.O.N. has made it their mission to raise 100K in the past 3 years. Battle of the Strands will donate one dollar of each ticket sold, along with $1 to $10 of every product sold in the "Battle store" to help I.C.O.N.'s #CureForACause campaign continue to raise funds for breast cancer research through StopCancer.org direct. Battle for Boobies represents the power of the Beauty Industry and it's many professionals and patrons who contribute by purchasing and promoting its goods and services, customer experiences in a chair, and the many voices that can make a difference through word of mouth. Through beauty I.C.O.N. and Battle of the Strands are steps closer to finding a C-U-R-E.
Battle of the Strands is the first extreme hair, makeup, and wardrobe salon competition that started in Vegas in 201, expanded nationwide in 2012 and now an international competition. Teams enter through Qualifiers and proceed through extreme elimination rounds. Ultimately the final five will compete in Vegas for the championship tittle. Celebrity and industry icons will be the final judges deciding the teams' fate! More information can be found at BattleofTheStrands.com.
Sponsors include beauty brands TIGI, I.C.O.N., Davines, Sexy Hair, GK Hair, Stila, Shades by Gal, Doucce, BHUMI Brushes, Hot Tools, Enzo Milano, Sam Villa; media and industry groups Televisa, American Salon Magazine, Daily Nails, International Beauty Show, and the Premiere Show; and LVCVA, Lamborghini Las Vegas, Audi Henderson, NOHO, 901 Tequila, plus many more.
