10th Annual Reign of Style Hair Show and Competition Celebrates Black Hair and Creativity

by Jas Keimig

Box braids. Close fades. Locs. Cornrows. Black hair can be gelled, twisted, braided, slicked back, parted, pressed, and shaved down in countless unique ways. As an art form, Black hair stylists (and mothers and grammas and uncles) have always pushed the creative limit when it comes to the sacred practice of doing hair. And the bonds forged in barbershops and salons between stylists and sitters is part of the foundation of Black community and self-love.

Seattle-based hair show Reign of Style honors braiders, locticians, and barbers in the Puget Sound area with its annual event highlighting the creativity of our region's hair and makeup stylists through educational classes, competitions, and community building. Ahead of this year's 10th annual event on Sunday, March 3, at Seattle Center Exhibition Hall from 2—7:30 p.m., organizers are celebrating the impact Reign of Style has had over the past decade.

"When I look back over all the pictures of the stylists, barbers, and schools that have been a part of [Reign of Style] who made the show what it was, it definitely brought me a lot of joy," Reign of Style founder and hair stylist Aisha Ellis Asim reflected in a recent interview. "It's been very beneficial to the community."

Asim started Reign of Style back in 2008. A stylist with years of experience, she always had to travel outside of Seattle to check out hair-styling competitions and attend educational classes to learn about new techniques and products. The lack of a similar outlet locally ignited a spark in her to create something similar for the Seattle Black beauty community, and thus, Reign of Style was born.

Though Asim has had to take some years off to tend to family and get through the pandemic, the event has served as a means of connecting stylists to models, customers, businesses, and other stylists while also encouraging creativity. In 2019, one salon came dressed as a clown troupe, with members donning bright-blue faux-hawks and orange fros. In 2013, a group of models wore Carnaval-themed outfits, including a blue, green, and blonde wig sculpted into a hair-based Space Needle.

This year's Reign of Style show will be split into two parts. Earlier in the day, attendees are invited to the live Watch Me Work session, where stylists will each work on one model, competing against each other in categories like braid or loc design. Student and licensed barbers will face off against one another in the Barber Battles to see who can produce the slickest fade, while Make Me Up will pit makeup artist against makeup artist.

The second half of the day will be dedicated to the main competition, where competing stylists, barbers, and salons will come up with a theme — like "Zodiac," "Vegas Nights," or a blockbuster movie — and execute and present several looks onstage. The winner will be declared "Reigning Stylist" and will receive a cash prize of $1,000.

In addition to hair, the show will also feature musical performances from Northwest Tap Connection as well as the KUTT'N'UP dance group. The Tacoma-based Summit Salon Academy will be on-site, as well as other local vendors and organizations, like BECU and Verity Credit Union, which will be there to talk to up-and-coming stylists on how to start businesses of their own. Though Asim was tight-lipped on what exact themes salons and stylists had in store, Reign of Style's 10-year anniversary celebration is bound to do it big.

Reign of Style will be held on Sunday, March 3, at the Seattle Exhibition Center from 2—7:30 p.m. Tickets are currently $10, but will increase closer to the event.

Featured Image: Shawnika Lawrence from Anointed Touches salon winning the Braid Me Up competition at the 2020 Reign of Style competition. (Photo courtesy of Reign of Style.)