ABQ Academy - Blog

TONI&GUY Creates An Evening In Wonderland

devonbriana — Tue, 14 May 2013 20:11:00 GMT

Each year TONI&GUY Hairdressing Academy hosts an annual Soiree, a themed theatrical production featuring hair, make-up, fashion, music, and dance.

On Saturday, May 4, 2013, the future professionals of TONI&GUY presented their annual charity hair and fashion show at the African American Performing Arts Center. Ticket sales for the event benefited the Albuquerque Community Foundation Future Fund Endowment. Hair, make-up and a majority of the costumes were created by the academy students. Models were provided by Phoenix Talent Management and featured local dance troupes, Iron Bred Kidz, Zia Queen, The Valley High School Vikettes, and UNM Chaparral dancers.

In 1997, the Future Fund began when 12 couples decided to get together and pool their money to start an endowment. They began by contributing $200 a year. Since then it has grown to over 100 members and the endowment has almost $400,000. This group of young leaders is committed to making our community a better place to live. Their mission is to acquaint younger members of the community with responsive philanthropy, develop community awareness and nurture future leadership.

The event began by awarding Sandia High School Senior, Christi Hennessy, a $5,000 Cosmetology scholarship to TONI&GUY Hairdressing Academy presented by Albuquerque Public Schools Director of Athletics Ken Barreras and Athletic Coordinator Ed Drangmeister. TONI&GUY recently became an official sponsor of APS Athletics and partnered together to offer a scholarship to an APS athlete.

Kiki Garcia from 93.3 KOBFM morning show, Morning Mayhem, and KOB morning news anchor, Heather Mills, were the hosts for the fashion show and sponsors for the event included 93.3 KKOB, Alibi, Phoenix Talent Management, CK Fashion Consultants, Farm and Table, The Melting Pot, La Fonda Del Bosque and A Kay TahRing Company.

The future professionals of TONI&GUY truly brought the world of Wonderland to life with avant garde characters, music, props, and dance. This annual fashion show was truly a production of showmanship that appealed to audiences of all ages and earned over $5,000 for the Future Fund Endowment.

See a recap of this fabulous fashion show below. Photos by Christopher Harris of Think Harris Photography.

TONI&GUY Takes It Off For St. Baldrick's

devonbriana — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 18:28:00 GMT

TONI&GUY Albuquerque Academy was honored to participate in a recent St. Baldrick's event, organized by the New Mexico Fire Fighters, at the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho. This national head shaving event raises money for childhood cancer and the future professionals of TONI&GUY were more than happy to take it all off as the designated Barbers.

The St. Baldrick's Foundation is a volunteer-driven charity that funds more in childhood cancer research grants than any organization except the U.S. government. TONI&GUY Albuquerque Academy has a reputation for providing products and services for many non-profit and charitable organizations and St. Baldrick's is one in particular that we could not be prouder to be a part of. A couple of TONI&GUY students showed further support by going under the clippers themselves and shaving their own heads. See pics of this emotional and benelovent affair below...

The TONI&GUY future professionals get their area organized and ready for the head shaving festivities.

A group of the St. Baldrick's Barbers from TONI&GUY are ready to shave some heads!

Let the shaving begin!

This guy really took it all off for St. Baldrick's!

No turning back!

The crowd watches as our very own, Ella, from TONI&GUY ABQ Academy volunteers to shave her head in support of childhood cancer.

Ella wipes away tears as her ponytail is cut off in preparation to have her head shaved.

Ella is in shock as she feels her newly shaved head.

We all agree Ella looks fantastic with her new look!

We love our TONI&GUY future professionals for their support of St. Baldrick's!

Recyclable Material Fashion Show …Goes to the Dogs

devonbriana — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 16:46:00 GMT

Toni & Guy ABQ Academy hosted its 5^th annual Charity Hair and Fashion Show benefitting Watermelon Mountain Ranch, New Mexico’s largest no-kill animal shelter. The event featured avant garde hair, make-up, and wardrobe constructed from recyclable and non-traditional materials created by the future professionals of Toni & Guy Academy.

“We are excited to collaborate with Watermelon Mountain Ranch for this year’s Urban Trash event,” said Joe LiRosi, Toni & Guy Academy Director. “Toni & Guy is also the maker of a line of animal styling products, appropriately titled, Pet Head, an edgy fashion-forward line of pet products.”

Thousands of lost, abandoned and stray animals are euthanized every year in New Mexico. When Watermelon Mountain Ranch (WMR) was conceived, a group of like-minded volunteers began to rescue and find homes for animals in Sandoval County and Albuquerque. Since that time, the rescue efforts have expanded to most of the counties in Central and Northern New Mexico. From its small beginnings to the present time, WMR has rescued and adopted out over 20,000 animals into loving homes. The dream has become a reality, and WMR is one of the premier not-for-profit facilities in the Southwest. The 10-acre facility has become New Mexico’s Largest No-Kill Animal Shelter.

Check out the amazing creations featured on the Urban Trash runway (photos by Webb Johnson)...

On the Move...

devonbriana — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 21:00:00 GMT

TONI&GUY is excited to announce the upcoming relocation to ABQ Uptown in Spring/Summer 2013!

TONI&GUY ABQ (formery Urban Academy of Cosmetology) first opened its doors in its current location (2122 Central Ave SE) in the Unversity area in 2006. After nearly seven successful years of offering premier education in Cosmetology, we are thrilled to embark on the next phase of growth for our academy. We will continue to offer the same great TIGI products and services performed by the talented future professional T&G hairstylists (all services supervised by licensed instructors) in a new and improved, state-of-the art facility.

We have received a warm and welcoming response from the community regarding our relocation and we look froward to broadening the scope of exposure for TONI&GUY by moving our academy to the high traffic ABQ Uptown Shopping Center which continues to grow with new, budding businesses.

Open House details coming soon!!!

Santa Fe Fashion Week

devonbriana — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 22:05:40 GMT

Toni & Guy is well known for their role as official sponsor of London and New York Fashion Week for the past several years. More recently, Toni & Guy Albuquerque Academy has added Santa Fe Fashion Week to its collaborative repertoire.

Santa Fe Fashion Week, held at Buffalo Thunder Resort, November 9-11th, was created to celebrate all that Santa Fe has to offer in the realm of art and fashion. Collaborating with designers, jewelers, and artists from North America, Santa Fe Fashion Week will focus on Santa Fe’s interest in international fashion and its ability to host a world class event. Partial proceeds will benefit the Fashion Design Department at Santa Fe Community College.

The future professionals of Toni & Guy Hairdressing Academy provided hair and make-up services for all of the fashion week models. Their work was highly praised by the models, designers, and show producers.

Garbage never looked so good

Alison — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 21:51:00 GMT

“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” was taken to stylish interpretation for the Urban Trash fashion show on November 13^th. ‘Trashy’ inspiration was taken from candy wrappers to bottle caps, the result was the ultimate in reduce, recycle, reuse.

Urban Trash was a charity event , held at Effex Night Club in down town Albuquerque, that featured original designs for hair, makeup and fashion; born from the minds of Albuquerque TONI&GUY Hairdressing Academy students.

Given one rule: no conventional fashion material, students pulled together a glamorous fashion show and live auction for over 200 attendees. The event opened with a high fashion runway walk to showcase all 23 creations. The dresses were then auctioned off to further benefit the Rape Crisis Center.

Magan Vigil, creator of one of our top grossing dresses tells how she got her inspirations.”A couple of year ago my cousin passed away from leukemia. She stayed at the Ronald McDonald House. They collected soda tabs.... So in remembrance and thanks to the Ronald McDonald House I made my dress out of those tabs. I sewed all of them!!”

To close out the night attendees voted for their pick of the top three designs, judging the overall look of hair, makeup and dress. Chris Tsosie and Angel Gonzales, two Junior A students, took home the 1^st place prize for their look “Operation ‘Trash’”; modeled by fellow Junior A, Sydney Cubbage.

2^nd place went to Sarah Ahlstrom, DJ Padilla and Jessica Mileys’ “Smoked Out.”

Karen Ankrom-Escudero, Nanci Najar and Katrina Lucero took 3^rd place with “Urban Sweet Life.”

“It challenges us to explore, use our imaginations. Be creative and take us out of our comfort zone pushing us to be better” explains Chris Tsosie.

Amazing work from all our growing stylists who created the transformation from garbage to whimsy.

Rocked the style at Rock the Ink

Alison — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 16:44:00 GMT

Move over, Betty Grable. A new generation of pin up girls hit the stage last month at an event to showcase their beauty coupled with TONI&GUY students’ creativity.

Students from the Albuquerque TONI&GUY Hairdressing Academy helped contestants channel retro fabulous attitude al la Dita Von Teese as they styled hair and makeup for the Miss Rock the Ink pageant, held Oct. 9 -10 at the Hard Rock Casino. Rock the Ink was a 3 day ultimate tattoo and entertainment festival, in which the Miss Rock the Ink pageant was one of the main events.

Students worked thru the morning on the show floor during the two days of the pageant, styling hair and makeup for 16 of the 20 contestants and two hosts, with attendees as on lookers.

“We all networked with the public, models and even got offers to do shoots’ with photographers” recalls Desirre Lee, one of TONI&GUY’s students creating these amazing looks. The looks had to be changed for the competitions three rounds – casual wear, swim wear and pin-up.

The students did an amazing job, keeping professional and always staying creative, even with the time crunches they had between rounds.

As Karen Ankrom-Escudero, a Junior and one of the girls creating the vintage makeup looks, explained it; “I learned to be calm and collected and go with the flow of things. I loved being able to show case my work on stage at such a special event!!”

Amazing work from all our students who participated!!