The Hairdressing skill at the WorldSkills Competition is the world's highest-level contest of hairdressing and barbering skills — in short, the "ultimate salon-work contest." Held every two years, it brings together national representatives from around the world, and only competitors aged 22 or under in the year of the competition may take part. The competition runs over 4 days and 7 tasks, 18 hours 45 minutes in total.
The tasks span the full range of hairdressing and barbering: cutting, colouring, chemical straightening, up-styles, tapering and shaving, and styling. Two of the seven tasks are performed on real people (live models). The content of each task is kept secret until the day; the client's wishes and reference photos are revealed just 30 minutes before the start. Competitors must interpret them on the spot and bring them to life within the time limit.
And it is not only the finished look that is scored. How you treat the client, your organisation and your attention to safety — the whole process of creating the work — are judged. Even the products and equipment, such as chemicals and dryers, are limited to those supplied by the organiser; competitors may bring only hand tools such as scissors and combs. There is no relying on the familiar products you use every day.
What is required is not a flashy "competition style," but a realistic finish that would appear in today's magazines and advertising. It is a test of all-round salon skills on a world stage — truly the ultimate salon-work contest.
Chizu Mori, Glamour's fourth Japanese representative, in Shanghai — the competition, her profile and her interviews.
Following in the footsteps of a gold medallist, she stepped onto the world stage. In Shanghai she completed all seven tasks — from the men's chemical task on day one to the ladies' long-hair up-style on the final day — and was awarded a Medallion for Excellence. With this, all four Japanese representatives Glamour has sent to the world — Kawamura, Mizawa, Hamayoshi and Mori — have won an award: one gold medal and three Medallions for Excellence. Not one of them has come home empty-handed. She will now teach at her alma mater, Glamour Beauty College, and train the next challengers.
Every competition day begins the same way: tool check → conversation with the competitor's own Expert → announcement of the client wish (30 minutes before the start) → 30 minutes of planning. Then everyone starts together on the signal.
The seven tasks total 18 h 45 min.
Tasks shown in pink use a live model (a real person).
From seven newspaper and trade-press articles and official sources — from Shibetsu, Hokkaido, to the top in Shanghai (digest of each article).
Her dream since childhood was to become a hairdresser. The spark was her aunt, a barber, who passed away when Mori was in primary school; longing for work that touches people's hair, she decided "one day I'll be a hairdresser too." Looking for a place where she could learn skills that would hold up at the WorldSkills Japan National Competition, she visited open-campus days at many beauty colleges and chose Glamour, whose record at the national competition stood out. Her father, too, won an Excellence Award in carpentry at the 36th National Competition. With WorldSkills so close to home, "competing at WorldSkills" became her goal almost naturally.
[Nihon Senmon Gakko Shimbun · Osaka Nichinichi · Asahi]
After graduating from Shibetsu Shoun High School she moved to Osaka on her own. From her enrolment in April 2024 she practised after school and on days off; her strength is relentless repetition of the basics. She came through the in-school selection (3 students) and the Osaka prefectural round, then won the 63rd National Competition (Aichi, hairdressing division) in October 2025 — four tasks, 7 hours 10 minutes in total — becoming Japan's best at 19. "Next, I'm aiming for the top of the world."
[Asahi · Hokkaido Shimbun · Dohoku Nippo]
The international and national competitions differ greatly in their tasks. Because barbering and hairdressing are separate professions in Japan, Mori had to learn barbering skills such as shaving from scratch. Her eligibility as Japan's representative was confirmed in December 2025, and on 27 January 2026 she received her official letter of selection in Tokyo. That left about nine months, from confirmation to the competition, for full preparation including the barbering skills.
[Ribiyo News · Dohoku Nippo · JAVADA]
* The text above is a digest of each article (a summary, not verbatim extracts). Only the words in quotation marks are her own, as reported.
Taking on the world — competing at WorldSkills (Japanese): following Haruka Mizawa at Kazan 2019. Tap the thumbnail to play on YouTube.
Meet the Glamour graduate taking on the world (Japanese): Keiya Kawamura, Abu Dhabi 2017. Tap the thumbnail to play on YouTube.
The small numbers inside the bars are the years of the medal-winning competitions (e.g. 24 = Lyon 2024). Also one bronze each: UK, Australia, Malaysia, Chinese Taipei; one silver: South Tyrol (Italy, 2009). Source: WorldSkills official results
Mori, Hamayoshi, Mizawa and Kawamura — the world stage where four of ours stood.
Medallion for Excellence. Glamour's fourth WorldSkills representative
Following in the footsteps of a gold medallist, she stepped onto the world stage. In Shanghai she completed all seven tasks — from the men's chemical task on day one to the ladies' long-hair up-style on the final day — and was awarded a Medallion for Excellence. With this, all four Japanese representatives Glamour has sent to the world — Kawamura, Mizawa, Hamayoshi and Mori — have won an award: one gold medal and three Medallions for Excellence. Not one of them has come home empty-handed. She will now teach at her alma mater, Glamour Beauty College, and train the next challengers.
728 points — winning a razor-thin contest with four countries tied for gold
Medallion for Excellence. A second consecutive award for Glamour — the competition, and the friendships
Medallion for Excellence. Glamour's first WorldSkills representative
A four-day festival bringing together more than 60 countries and regions
Japan's WorldSkills representatives are chosen from the gold medallists of this national competition. Kawamura, Mizawa, Hamayoshi and Mori all went on to the world from here.
Red: Glamour's award winners (gold = 1st in Japan). GGold SSilver BBronze EExcellence Award BarberBarbering division (all others: Hairdressing division)
Excellence Award ×3
奥田未玖E 市川広人E 青木遥香E
Three award winners in Glamour's first attempt
Bronze ×2 · Excellence ×3
畠山唯B 三田和磨B 竹中慎治E 前出晃征E 古田裕希子E
Glamour's first bronze medals
Bronze ×2 · Excellence ×1
木矢遥B 上地優大B 中村日花莉E
GoldKeiya Kawamura
Gold 1 · Silver 1 · Bronze 1 · Excellence 2
川村桂矢G 春木淳也S 五十嵐拓将B 小堀誠治E 藤井莉乃E
★ First gold medal (Yamagata)
→ Representative at Abu Dhabi 2017 (Medallion for Excellence)
Bronze ×2 · Excellence ×3
大濵戒斗B 守山智佳B 加古皐月E 阪野裕基E 瀧本友梨乃E
GoldHaruka Mizawa
Gold 1 · Silver 3 · Bronze 1 · Excellence 1
三澤陽G 武井さやかS 石井歩S 鹿野伊吹S 野村杏樹B 細川唯E
★ Reported as a "clean sweep of the top places" in Okinawa
→ Representative at Kazan 2019 (Medallion for Excellence)
Gold大田若奈
Gold 1 · Silver 1 · Excellence 4
大田若奈G 豊田桃佳S 稲葉心E 小森愛華E 丹下瑳良E 島袋豊帆E
Second consecutive gold. Six award winners in all
Bronze ×2
成田夏未B 桝井嘉生世B
Held without spectators during the pandemic
Silver ×2 · Bronze ×3
鶉野美咲S 横山実世S 吉田鈴夏B 中道智紀B 一箭恵梧B
Gold橋本美柚
Gold 1 · Silver 2 + Barbering division: Bronze 1 · Excellence 1
橋本美柚G 山添樹里S 田村琴海S 中道理子BBarber 知念幸愛EBarber
★ Start of four consecutive golds
First entry in the barbering division: two award winners (Bronze 1 · Excellence 1)
GoldYuki Hamayoshi
Gold 1 · Silver 2
濱吉優希G 神村奈津子S 垣本穂乃実S
★ Representative at Lyon 2024
→ Japan's first gold medal (4 golds among 27 competitors)
Gold栄舞音花
Gold 1 · Silver 1 · Bronze 1
栄舞音花G 西山るいS 田代洸希B
★ Gold, silver and bronze all won
GoldChizu Mori
Gold 1 · Silver 1 · Bronze 1
森千津G 松岡飛依S 宇髙唯亜B
★ Gold, silver and bronze for the second year running → Representative at Shanghai 2026 (Medallion for Excellence)
It will be Japan's fourth time hosting, after Tokyo 1970, Osaka 1985 and Shizuoka 2007 — the first in 21 years. The competition we saw in Shanghai comes to Japan in two years.
WorldSkills Aichi 2028 official site →