Winning one of Australia’s leading hair colour awards once is a career milestone. Winning it twice in a row is far rarer. That’s exactly what Toowong salon owner Kristie Kesic achieved after taking home the AHIA Creative Master Colourist of the Year title for a second consecutive year.
Presented at the Australian Hair Industry Awards (AHIA) Creative 2026, the title recognises excellence in professional hair colouring and creative artistry. The back-to-back wins reflect years of refining her craft, building lasting relationships with clients, and mentoring the next generation of hairdressers.
Balancing everyday salon work with creative competition
Kesic has worked in the hair industry for 18 years, including 16 years specialising in colour. While competition work has earned her national recognition, Kesic said her focus in the salon remains on her clients.
Creative projects give her the freedom to explore colour in new ways and develop ideas with personal meaning.
“My salon work is all about my clients. I’m dedicated to making them feel good and looking like the very best version of themselves. That’s my why, that’s where the meaning is, but in my creative work, that work is purely for me.”
Her work has also earned recognition beyond Queensland. Aside from the AHIA Creative Master Colourist of the Year titles, she was named Schwarzkopf Professional Australia’s 2025 Colour Ambassador and won the 2024 Colour World UK International Colour Genius title.
The award-winning collection was produced in collaboration with photographer Andrew O’Toole, makeup artist Hendra Widjaja and stylist Teagan Sewell.
A salon that has grown with the community
Kesic has owned Cobelle Creative for eight years and says education and mentorship have become an important part of the business she has built. She enjoys helping members of her team develop their own careers while continuing to challenge herself creatively.
Despite receiving national industry recognition, her business remains firmly based in Toowong. From the High Street salon, she works with local clients while also contributing to education and creative projects within the Australian hair industry.
Clients who have shared the journey
Kesic says some clients have been with her for 16 years and have seen both the setbacks and the successes throughout her career. Their support has made this year’s award especially meaningful because they have followed the journey from the beginning.
“My clients love this journey because they are part of it. Some have been with me for 16 years so they’ve seen some of the failures, and they especially love seeing the successes.”
She also says her creative work is deeply personal, with every collection evolving through its own process before becoming a finished body of work. At the same time, she says helping clients feel good about themselves remains the purpose behind her work in the salon.
Still focused on improving
Winning the AHIA Creative Master Colourist of the Year title twice has not changed Kesic’s outlook.
She says success comes from improving on her own previous work rather than comparing herself with others. Each new project gives her another opportunity to strengthen her skills and keep learning.
“For me it’s always about being better than myself. If I can continually push myself and better my skills each time then that’s how I know I’m always getting better.
“I challenge myself, so even after winning last year, I was always going to want to push myself further. I always said I’d stop doing this when I stop enjoying it and right now, I still love it!”
While her latest award has brought national industry recognition to both Kesic and Cobelle Creative, she says the goal remains the same: to keep growing as a colourist while helping clients feel their best.
Published 10-July-2026
