Omar Antonio is a Sebastian Professional International Platform Artist however, he is much more than his title. He is a widely appreciated and humble mentor believing in the philosophy to pay it forward handed down to him by his mentor Fabio Sementilli. Regardless of how far he has traveled and the amazing opportunities he’s had, he still manages to find time to help mentor our students.
His educating style worked really well with the IIC students and left them wanting to learn more. He takes what our artists create and helps them see their concept in a different light. Omar says, to look at the silhouette (shadow) of their design which can be seen on a wall and asks, "what does the silhouette represent? Does it achieve the look you were looking to create?" This allows future stylists to step out of their comfort zone and see their vision from a different point of view.
In the past, Omar has put on a magical performance for our annual graduation, providing students hope for the future and great advice. Our experience with Omar during our 2016 graduation left such a strong mark on our minds, we continued to follow all he had taught us. Two years later, and Omar is back! After seeing his recent avant-garde hair dress in Japan, the IIC team asked our students to replicate Omar’s concept of "hair as art" to bring to this years graduation. We are thrilled to debut the students creations. Through his innovation, his work has continued to flourish every growing day.
Omar’s partner Renato VanDine, is a Wella portfolio artist who will also be taking the stage at this years graduation, leading the Wella Color Create segment. His concept of creativity goes beyond just color. He looks at his models holistically, from the vision they plan on creating, to the shape of the hair, to the facial features, nothing goes undefined in his eyes. Renato’s non traditional format gives the students an opportunity to see things differently, it’s about the whole look and how it all works together. No piece is more important than the other. Omar and Renato are the perfect examples of how learning doesn’t have to come from a a textbook, it can be free flowing, beautiful, and always coming from new thoughts of mind. As educators and mentors, we all take pride in knowing we are helping create the next generation of cosmetologists.
Check out the video below to see Omar in action backstage at our 2016 graduation
