Hester Wernert Rijn has just been awarded as the Hairdresser of The Year at 2016 Dutch Coiffure Award. After taking this award for the third time, she has officially become a member of Hall of Fame this year. Not only is she an excellent hairdresser, she is also a top stylist, an Ambassador for Wella Professionals, an endorser for Balmain hair and also an educator at the Mogeen Hairschool.

Hester的父母表示，她從小就展現了對美髮的高度熱忱，年僅4歲的她更曾拿著剪刀替家中新買的地毯剪頭髮，讓父母好氣又好笑。Hester於15歲中學畢業後時正式入行。

Hester has always had a huge interested in hairdressing since 4 years old. She even gave their new carpet “a haircut” just to express her passion for hair cutting. As taking hairdressing as her life career, Hester started the career at 15 after finishing high school.

「我從髮型師起家，當我越深入的認識美髮，我越發現它的大千奧妙。」於是，Hester在20歲時踏出荷蘭，開始環遊世界，在時尚的領域裡探索學習，讓自己的美髮不只是技術，而是與時尚結合的藝術。四年後，她認識了人生中最重要的老師－Eugene Souleiman，這開啟了她日後在創作上無限的靈感，「在我眼中，頭髮不再等於髮型，它成了創作的素材，跟著Eugene讓我了解到如何把髮型與設計結合，他帶給我的啟發實在無法性言語形容，對我來說，他不僅是恩師，也是我非常好的朋友！」Hester說道。

“First I started as a hairdresser, but along the way I found out there were so much more things you could do with hair.” By the age 20, she traveled to different countries to explore and learn as much as she could in fashion industry so she would be able to combine these skills within hairdressing industry. Four years later, she met her mentor- Eugene Souleiman. “He is one of the best talented hairdressers in the world, my mentor, my teacher and after 12 years a very dear friend, he made me a better hairstylist and thought me so many things. His big loving hart teaches me never to forget to enjoy our work.” She said. Working with Eugene makes her truly started to understand hair and using hair not as hair but as a piece of fabric that can be control in many ways. “I learned how to combine hairdressing with hairstyling!” she said.

Hester形容頭髮「就像一篇永遠沒有終章的故事」，因此她無法自拔的投入其中，甚至認為「這從來不是一份工作，更像是個令人上癮的嗜好！」

能因人而異、針對每個人的優點和個性設計出最適合的髮型是她最熱衷的成就，「如果客人的壞心情能因為有了一頭好看的髮型而一掃陰霾；或是他們能因為新髮型而更有自信，這樣身為髮型師的我也會於有榮焉的！」

“Hair is a never ending story. I eat, sleep, breath hair! It never feels like a job but more like a hobby!” This is how crazy Hester is about hair. “Providing people the look that truly suits them from the inside out is my main goal. Giving clients a haircut that makes them feel great and beautiful, even if they had a difficult day, brings me so much pleasure and joy.”

Hester是Mogeen Salon的創辦人之一，熱愛現場的她仍然持續在店內服務，並以自身經歷培訓新進髮型師，帶領他們走向更國際的美髮世界觀。

Hester is the co-founder and -owner of salon Mogeen in Amsterdam. In this salon she trains young and ambitious hairdressers to reach the same international top-level of hairdressing as she does.

除了現場工作外，Hester也是一位頂尖的外景造型師，透過雜誌和精品廣告的拍攝與時尚界有著緊密的連結，她也更是時裝週不可或缺的首席造型師。

Besides doing hair behind the chair, Hester is also a top-stylist who works both closely with fashion magazine both national and international and cannot be missed backstage at the different Fashion Weeks internationally.

談起這麼多年來豐富的外景造型經驗，Hester最難忘的還是自己與恩師Eugene Souleiman的初次合作。「那是D&G的時裝秀，而我是Eugene的首席助理，我仍然清晰記得當我們一起聯手作完所有的髮型，看著模特兒一個接一個走上舞台時，我心臟快得彷彿要跳出胸膛，而我的腦中只剩下『哇！』的讚嘆聲！」即便已經過了11年，當時的興奮仍然烙印在她心裡。

“I could still remember an unforgettable moment when I was the first assistant of Eugene for D&G for the first time. I remember that together we finished the looks before the models went on stage and my heart was beating so fast, I was thrilled, satisfied and I could only think ‘WOW’! This was eleven years ago and I will never forget this moment and the feeling it provided.” She recalled.

「在時尚產業工作永遠不無聊！替雜誌設計髮型創作更是不用說，每一次的設計都是一場挑戰，給我不同的啟發和機會去創作出各樣的風格！」

雖說如此，Hester還是笑著分享了她生涯中難得的意外時刻，「有一次我接了花花公子雜誌的外景工作，從頭到尾我都沒辦法專心作頭髮，心裡只想著我到底在這裡幹嘛！這是一本很酷的雜誌，但絕對不是我的風格，我根本就是在傻笑中度過一整天！」

但是，雖然這是Hester最尷尬的一次工作經驗，但是正如同她一開始所說的－在時尚產業的工作絕對不會無聊！

“Working in fashion industry is never boring. Creating and making hair for a magazine is beyond, it’s more challenging, it provides opportunities to make different kinds of hair and it is inspiring every single time.”

However, there was some not that perfect moments. “Working for Playboy was my ‘OMG what the hell am I doing here?!’ moment.” Hester explained, “it’s a cool magazine but totally not for me! I couldn’t focus on the hair and I was giggling all the time!”

But still, it’s always fun, amazing and never dull to work in the fashion industry.

在時尚圈打滾了多年，Hester的作品有著獨特的魅力，不像一般的髮型照片一板一眼，她把雜誌攝影的活力和美感融入其中，觀看她今年的得獎作品，就像翻看雜誌上精品的廣告一般，無論服裝、彩妝或是攝影都完美的交融在一起，成功的襯托了由不同色彩和結構交織而成的髮絲瀑布。

「我創造的髮型不是小而簡單，就是誇張又繽紛，無論什麼樣的風格，讓模特兒仍然保有性感和美麗是最重要的！在這次的作品裡，我既想呈現『髮型』也想呈現『設計』，因此我選擇在畫面裡有兩位模特兒，各自詮釋一個面向！」

Hester’s winning collection of “Hairdresser of The Year” was the combination of hairstyling and fashion. The styling, make-up photography blends into each other with all the different colors and structures as a waterfall of hair without losing balance. “The hair I create is small and simple or really big and colorful. It’s important that the models still look sexy and beautiful. For this collection, I wanted to make a lot of hair and four models just weren’t enough. With the double twin collection, I was able to show hair as a hairstylist and hairdresser.” She said.

今年以前，Hester早已在2011年和次年獲得年度最佳髮型師獎項，時隔四年再次獲獎，終於讓她進入名人堂，完成了人生夢想清單上的一項，也因此，這是她最後一次參賽，未來她將全力投入教育，她期許自己，在未來的一年終能啟發更多年輕一輩的髮型師，無論在自己的沙龍也好或是全世界，透過教育去影響整個產業，Hester說：「我的最終目標，是希望自己能被視為一位傑出的髮型師，更能是一位富有啟發性的老師。」

After taking the most desired award in 2011 and 2012.Hester was awarded again as the Hairdresser of The Year this year. “This is the third and very last time because now, after winning around twenty the last few years I enter the Hall of Fame. “ It’s always one of her goal to enter the Hall of Fame. Now after she finally achieved her ambition, she can now fully devote herself to educating others as a mentor. “For the upcoming year, my focus is on inspiring people in different ways; meet them around the world or in the Mogeen Hairschool in Amsterdam.” Talking about her ultimate goal on hairdressing, she said, “I hope to be seen as a great hairdresser, a teacher and a source of inspiration.”

Hester的靈感大多來自建築物、大自然和藝術，反而不太從固有的髮型尋找靈感，因此她總是能夠以全新的創意驚豔大眾。她鼓勵髮型師購過教育訓練，提升技術，以此趕上心中奔騰的靈感，順著這些靈感創作，才能建立自己獨特得個人風格。四處旅行並且把握每一個和大師合作的機會也是成長的關鍵，在美髮的道路上，總是會有挫折或質疑，但一定要相信自己，更要保有一顆謙虛受教的心，才不會讓熱忱在這些波折衷消磨殆盡。正如Hester所說，這份工作讓她每天都置身夢境當中，這個她從小到大夢寐以求的工作，「不要為了金錢，而是真正發自內心的熱愛自己所做的工作！」

Hester gets her inspiration mostly from architecture, nature and art. She never let herself focus on something that’s already been done. She also encourage hairdressers to “follow your heart with whatever you do, train yourself to master what your heat is telling you. That’s how you create your signature style!” It’s also important to keep on learning, taking different courses, assist as many as one can and travel the world. As Hester said, she’s living her dream, not someone else’s, never work for money but do it out of love, and never ever give up. And always remember to stay true to yourself, “be humble and keep an open mind for learning. Otherwise your love for hair will diminish.”

身為髮型師、外景造型師、教育者、Wella Professionals的國際大使和Balmain hair的經營者，多重身分常讓她忙不過來，「如果不是我的家人，我可能會沉溺在工作中而忘了真實生活，我很慶幸我所選擇的這份工作能讓我有足夠的時間陪伴家人！」面對忙碌的生活，是對這份工作的熱忱和家人的支持讓她繼續義無反顧的投入美髮產業，「到頭來，最感謝的還是家人，他們的愛是我往前的最大動力！」

Being a top stylist, Hester travels around the world as a hairdresser, a hairstylist, an Ambassador for Wella Professionals, an endorser for Balmain hair. It’s always her family that supports her and keeps her feet on the ground.

“Loose from all the cool work I love my family the most. With this hard work sometimes you forget the real life and that it’s not only about work, I’m glad that I chose the jobs that I really like to do and enable me to have quality time with my family. It’s really about the people that love you relentlessly, cuddle you and surround you with love.”