Haute head

Thanks to Aveda, Minnesota has been at the forefront of avant-garde hair and beauty for decades. The tradition continued this year as three locals were nominated for the prestigious North American Hairstyling Awards. This year, multi-year winners Maureen Anlauf, a hairstylist for Juut, and makeup artist Janell Gleason (who also won this year) were joined by a fresh face -- Faatemah (Fat-eee-mah) Ampey. In the ceremony last month in Las Vegas, Ampey, who works out of Bella Salon in Edina, won in the category of "fashion-forward."

The 36-year-old mother of three has the attention of many of the industry's best. "Faatemah is extremely talented and is a rising star in the professional beauty industy. Take note of her," said Brooke Calson, vice president of Rusk Professional Hair Care.

And yes, she's raising her prices -- haircuts are now $150. We caught up with Ampey after her win.

Q How did you learn hair?

A I got into hair by accident. Traditionally in my family, braiding was in my blood and something we did. I stumbled on the Aveda Institute. When I was going to the University of Minnesota at night, I was a single mom and braiding on the side. One of my clients recommended the Aveda Institute. It changed my life. I had never felt like I fit in anywhere, and it was the perfect fit.

Q How did you start in hair shows?

A I won a student competition and had the opportunity to present onstage. Horst [Rechelbacher] happened to be in the audience, which was rare. He asked me, "What instructor helped to create this? If you're telling me the truth, then you are going to be brilliantly famous. If you are a student, then you are going to absolutely famous." He would take me to these hair shows and he would introduce me to these hairdressers such as Oscar Biande and Ted Gibson. I had it in my blood that I wasn't going to be an average hairdresser.

Q Have you kept in touch with Horst?

A A few years ago, I ran into him and he said, "I don't remember your name, but are you famous yet?"

Q What did you do in the hair shows?

A I made this living hair tree. It was built on a cornucopia. When you brought it out onstage, it looked like a dead tree trunk and then I would pull the twigs out and it would come to life.

Q So you started with braiding?

A Just traditional African braiding with family and friends. ... I didn't think that I would make a career out of it. When I told my mom I was going to the Aveda Institute, she said, "So you're taking a break?" And I said, "No, this is going to be my job," and she was in tears. Obviously, it was the right choice, because here I am.

Q Congrats on the award. How many times have you entered?

A Seven years ago, I did my first entry and was never a finalist. So then I got the DVD on how to create award-winning looks and one of my [nonfinalist] images was on it. My son and I paused it and cried for 5 minutes. So I persevered and entered again a few years later and didn't get finalist. Then I took off three years and this strong vision came to me, so I entered again this year.

Q What was the idea behind your entry?

A I called the collection slutty bride. I wanted to tell the story about a woman who was going through stages on her wedding day. I wanted it to have a French Victorian and kind of regal, but without any of the airs. We just wanted that woman to have everything, but not a typical updo. Big, over-the-top hair that was still controlled, but wearable. Soft, beautiful. In real life. One of the models, her hair was 28 inches high, but big and soft. I'm so glad that the judges appreciate the eye for detail.

Q What did you think when they called your name?

A I thought I was going to win texture, but I wanted to win fashion-forward. When they called my name, I said shut the front door. Shut the front door.

Q What makes it "fashion-forward"?

A We looked back in time, but did it with a twist. There's nothing out here that's really new. It's all in presenting it in a new way. ... Growing up, people used to use words like "eccentric" and I used words like "unpretty." Something I thought was my weakness is my strength and sets me apart. It's the thing people love the most about me now.

Sara Glassman • 612-673-7177