SHE’S been behind the scenes at Australian Fashion Week, but Canberra hairdresser Gess Mazis is expecting the “crème de la crème” when she jets off to the land of haute couture at Paris Fashion Week.

Gess was handpicked to join the team of stylists behind haircare brand La Biosthetique by its international creative director Alexander Dinter, and will style designer Talbot Runhof’s autumn/winter collection show from March 1.

“You know you’ve made it when you’ve done Paris Fashion Week,” Gess says.

“It’s the biggest of all fashion weeks and it’s the icing on the cake. I’m so honoured as I’m the only Australian to be picked for the team.”

The owner and founder of La Bimbi hairdressing salons in NewActon and Belconnen, Gess has more than 25 years’ experience in the hairdressing industry.

And while this will be her first international fashion show, she’s certainly up for the challenge.

“I’m not really nervous about being backstage at all, I don’t really stress when under pressure too much, I just enjoy it,” she says.

“I’ll be working for a very glamorous designer, so I expect to be styling lots of beautiful, complicated updos.”

Gess says it’s “highly likely” she’ll be rubbing shoulders with some famous faces backstage – supermodels Miranda Kerr and Gisele Bundchen are regulars on the catwalk in Paris – but the lovely locks Gess would most like to get her hands on belong to Heidi Klum.

“I look up to her because she’s a mum like me, I think she’s just amazing and that would be one of my dreams if she happens to be one of the models for these designers – I’d love to do her hair, I think she’d be a really cool chick,” she says.

She hopes her experience can show other hairdressers what they can achieve.

“You don’t even have to wait 25 years like me – if you’ve got the passion and the talent, that’s all you need,” she says.