Last year’s first place winner, Laura Escobedo, getting her model ready for the show. (Submitted photo)[/caption] What is Avant Guard? It is the annual hair and fashion model runway extravaganza presented by Immokalee Technical College’s cosmetology students from the iSalon under the tutelage of award winning instructor Delia Lozano and iSalon Production Manager Maria Negrete. The fifth annual Avant Guard dinner and show will be held on December 14 starting at 6 p.m. in the iTECH banquet rooms. The theme of this year’s production is The Past, Present, and Future of Cosmetology. Students get their inspirations from the world around them-the buildings, the wilderness, the ocean, a birdcage. Then using a variety of materials like metal, cloth, plastic, and chicken wire to name a few, the students create exotic hair styles and a wardrobe worthy of a Paris runway. The aspiring hair and costume student artists then dress their models and style their hair. As the models take command of the runway, the students must explain to the panel of judges the dynamics behind their overall look; the inspiration for the creation; and the principles of hair design they utilized. The panel of judges includes, but is not limited to Corrie Nelson of Zen Aveda Salon; Louis Acevedo of Salon Centric; Rayben Guerrero of Boomz Barber Shop; and Laura Escobedo, last year’s Avant Guard first place winner. The first and second prizes, donated by Salon Centric, are $500 and $200 in products and supplies. Two hundred people including twenty-five Cosmetology Advisory Board members from Naples, Ft. Myers, and Tampa are expected to be in attendance.