Outrageous. Awesome. Wicked.

That is what professional hair stylist Kahla Saltus promises Sunday's Krave Hair Show on the terrace of the Elbow Beach Hotel will be.

The show is in response to the many requests of her fashion-conscious clients who have urged her to put her unique creations into book form. Since that project is still some years away from completion, the young entrepreneur decided to join forces with other hair stylists and showcase their art through what is intended to become be an annual event.

"I wanted to show what's going on, and give the clients ideas and get them out of the box," she says. "In Bermuda everybody sticks to the ordinary, so the show is to widen their minds. Not everybody will allow stylists to do what we are capable of doing, so the show is an opportunity for them to see that we can do more than the ordinary stuff you see everybody wearing all the time."

In fact, Miss Saltus' enthusiasm for creating and dressing "outside the box" is long-standing, and she is proud of her individuality.

"From the time I was in school I was always creating my own hair styles, and people would stop me and say, 'Why are you walking around like that?' but I have always been different in everything to do with styles – different clothes, shoes, hair. In fact, our whole family is like that. If we are not into clothes then we are into hair."

Indeed, Sunday's Krave Hair Show, while a shared experience with participating salons Kim-Kita's, JáNauzi, Locktight, and Hair by Flawless Design, is also something of a family affair. Zig Zag, owned by brother Antoine Kent, is a sponsor, while sister Krislyn Saltus, who works with her brother, is dressing a lot of the models. Another sister, Jean-marie Cannonier, sells weave and braid hair, and will be supplying both for the event.

Then there is their mother, Phobe Saltus, an expert knitter and crocheter, who has not only been creating original outfits for the models, but also doing a great deal of the organising and behind-the-scenes work.

"She has pushed the whole thing through," Miss Saltus says. "She has done all of the running around, the driving, and more, and has spent a lot of money on the show, so we are really appreciative of everything she has done. All of us are working and she isn't, so not only has she been helping us, but also baby sitting and taking care of her sick mother. She is truly awesome."

Miss Saltus, who braided hair from an early age, served her hairdressing apprenticeship at Kim Kita's ("She taught me everything I know"), before opening her own salon. Until recently she worked seven days a week, but has now cut back to six. Even so, she works long hours to accommodate clients who favour early morning and evening appointments.

While she says she will never give up hairdressing, somewhere in the future she wants to branch out into fashion design.

Meanwhile, more than 40 male and female models from Krave, as well as four models from each of the participating salons, will be gracing the runway on Sunday, and Miss Saltus says that "strangely enough the guys have been very co-operative".

Make-up will be done by Wanda Emmerson, while DJ Fat Man will be spinning the sounds.

Except for one Saltus sister, all of the hair stylists are in their early 20s, so patrons can expect to enjoy a very up-beat and funky show.

"It is going to be awesome and outrageous, with outrageous body art – definitely an event not to be missed," Miss Saltus promises. "At the same time, people will take away something they can use. They will be coming back and saying, 'I want this style', or asking us to break it down a bit."

■ Tickets ($40) are available at Kim-Kita's, Church Street; JáNauzi, Front Street; Locktight and Krave, Union Street; and Hair by Flawless Design, Bridge Street, St. George's, as well as from sponsors Zig Zag Boutique and Vibe. For further information telephone 295-0848.