Derek Elvy — Buoy Founder
“The luxury of finding a place of belonging - not in the limelight, not as a weapon of choice, but in an industry where I can ‘just be me’ and shed some enriched light on the possibilities.”
Derek spent over 40 years driving the NZ hairdressing industry forward. In 2017 Derek was inducted into the NZHA Industry Hall of Fame. He is renowned for his artistic flair and creative, out-of-this-world, avant-garde eye. His attention to minute detail can lead to a different thought pattern and blurs the line between art and hair.
Derek is the founder of Buoy Salon & Spa. He set up his dream Salon in suburban Wellington in 1988. 2017 marks 30 years of creating beautiful, thought-provoking hair - 30 years of phenomenal in Wellington.
Since Buoy's inception, Derek and the Buoy team have constantly been in the media eye and have consistently placed in the industry's top awards shows in Australasia.
Derek is one of the most awarded hairdressers in NZ and Australia and has won seven Australasian titles including NZ Hairdresser, and Avant-garde Hairdresser of the year. His works have been published internationally and he has been the driving force behind many creative wonders.
He worked on Lord of the Rings assisting with ‘elven’ hair, collaborated with high profile fashion designers and has also worked on ad campaigns with the likes of WOW and World and has created trends internationally for Wella, amongst many others.