Alternative Hair Show Names Four Headliners for 14 November Madrid Debut

The Alternative Hair Show, a 43-year-old international hairdressing showcase, will stage its first Spanish edition at IFEMA Madrid on 14 November 2026, organisers confirmed, with Angelo Seminara, Carlo Bay, Quantum Hair and Sanrizz named as the inaugural Legend Show Artists.

The single-day Extravaganza 2026 runs under the LOOK Madrid umbrella, pairing the headliners with the International Visionary Award (IVA) finale. Fifty IVA finalists from 20 countries will join the four headliners on stage.

What does the Madrid debut mean for salons?

For working stylists, the Spain-first staging compresses a week of international scouting into a single IFEMA hall.

Seminara, four-time British Hairdresser of the Year and Creative Director of colour house Kemon, has shaped trends from hand-painted balayage to editorial cut geometry. Spanish colourists can audit those techniques live and translate them into service-menu updates within a season.

Carlo Bay, founder of the Florence-based Carlo Bay Academy, brings four decades of Italian editorial work alongside his house partnerships with Roberto Cavalli, Gucci, Ferragamo and Ermanno Scervino. His return signals continued cross-Mediterranean influence on Italian cutting and finishing technique.

Which Spanish creative takes the home-stage slot?

Quantum Hair, the Madrid-rooted venture of Jorge X, will represent the host country. Jorge X's profile includes co-founding X-presion Creativos and, in 2025, becoming the first non-British stylist to win International Hairdresser of the Year at the International Hairdressing Awards.

Quantum Hair's signature methods — The Pixel and Trompe L'Oeil Color — bridge colouring with pixel-art and optical illusion, giving Madrid audiences direct access to approaches more often glimpsed at international editorial shoots.

Which UK name holds the longevity record?

Sanrizz makes its 43rd Alternative Hair Show appearance in 2026, tied to the show's inaugural 1983 event. Led by International Creative Director Leonardo Rizzo, Education Director Sharon Cox and Creative Director Pino Troncone of Sanrizz Italia, the team's unbroken 43-year run is the longest creative relationship in the show's history.

Salon group directors can study that continuity as a model for retaining senior artistic teams across decades.

How does the IVA finale reshape emerging talent visibility?

The IVA finale places 50 shortlisted stylists from 20 countries on the same stage as the four headliners. For emerging talent and education-focused freelancers, that exposure is a credential that typically accelerates bookings, education contracts and editorial commissions beyond national circuits.

What is the charitable line item?

The Madrid edition retains the show's founding purpose: raising funds for leukaemia research through Fighting Leukaemia. International hair brands and education partners traditionally sponsor stages and tickets, letting attending salons support the cause through standard ticket purchase without extra donation friction.

What's the booking and ticketing plan?

Tickets are sold through alternativehair.org, with LOOK Madrid anchoring the show inside Spain's professional beauty calendar. Hair professionals should anchor calendars to the 14 November 2026 date and budget for Madrid travel; the IVA finalist list publication ahead of the show is the next planning data point for Spanish stylists.