A British graphic designer has won an international award for having the world’s best mullet.
Rob Ayton, 31, won the best international mullet at Mulletfest, held in Kurri Kurri, a small town in the Hunter Region of New South Wales in Australia.
The British man, from Bideford in Devon, first adopted the hairstyle as a joke during a first trip to Australia in 2017.
He eventually became partial to the look and continued to grow his locks out. His hair is currently down to his shoulder blades.
Last week, Mr Ayton competed against seven other people sporting mullets from around the world after arriving in Australia for a skateboarding competition.
‘I’ve never been a fan of the mullet or the rats tail, but I have to say I do like the mullet now so my point of view has changed dramatically,’ he said.
‘It genuinely feels like it’s been a religious ceremony for me, Australia – you’ve been amazing.’
Rob Ayton, 31, won the best international mullet at Mulletfest, held in Kurri Kurri, a small town in the Hunter Region of New South Wales
The British man, from Bideford, Devon, rocked his first mullet as a joke during his first trip to Australia in 2017 – but initially didn’t fall in love with the look
Last week Mr Ayton competed against seven other people sporting mullets from around the world after arriving in Australia for a skateboarding competition
Mr Ayton said it takes three things to be able to grow a mullet; time, patience and being able to handle ‘a s**t tonne of negative feedback’.
Men travelled from across the globe to show off their luscious locks for the annual contest, with entrants flocking to the Chelmsford Hotel to be judged on their haircut, presentation and stage presence.
Categories for the fun-filled event included ‘everyday’, ‘grubby’, ‘ranga’ (red hair), ‘vintage’, ‘extreme’, ‘international’ and ‘junior’.
Mr Ayton said it takes three things to be able to grow a mullet; time, patience and being able to handle negative feedback
Madison Bowman with MulletFest entrant Logan Andrew, who traveled 13,500km to compete from Canada
What long hair you have! Four-year-old Stirling O’Rourke has been growing his mullet for two years
Time for a rest! A trio of friends travelled to the small New South Wales town from Melbourne to compete in Mulletfest
Newcastle’s Bonni Nelson and Liam Arnold pose at the Chelmsford Hotel ahead of the Mulletfest competition
Liam Arnold, who was dressed in a matching VB ensemble, enjoyed a refreshing drink from beer company that inspired his outfit
The junior mullet competitors dance for the judges during the competition in Kurri Kurri on Saturday
Big smile! A contestant in the eight to 13 years old category decided to style the top of his mullet into a mohawk, combining two iconic looks
Logan Andrew, a contestant from Canada, travelled 13,500km for the big day.
A trio of friends made the trip from Melbourne, while other attendees drove in from across the state.
Liam Arnold, from Newcastle, dressed for the occasion in a matching buttoned shirt and shorts set with the VB logo emblazoned across it. He paired the ensemble socks also resembling the iconic Australian beer.
No one is too young for a mullet! Two-year-old Barry Bower competed in the zero to three years old mullet section
One youngster chose to put on a rockstar-chic look to dress up his mullet, which he paired with a flannelette and aviator sunglasses
Attendee Dirk Ryder (pictured) poses for the camera at Mulletfest as he showed off his extensive tattoo collection on his arms
Gus Etheridge, of Gunnedah, is one of the favourites in the Extreme Mullet category. He is pictured enjoying a cool beverage
Participant Adam Bezzina (pictured) grabs onto his long dark hair which has grown all the way down to his chest, which is complimented by a fuzzy beard
Rosco McGrath (pictured), from Toronto, is a regular at MulletFest. He donned a thick gold chain for the occasion after travelling thousands of miles
Eager contestants in the 8-13 years category (pictured) wait for their chance to show off on the stage, hoping to impress with their carefully coiffed mullets
Logan Andrew (pictured) who traveled 13,500km to compete from Canada, shows off his impressive mullet at the contest
The crowd watches the competition (pictured). Categories for the fun-filled event included ‘everyday’, ‘grubby’, ‘ranga’ (red hair), ‘vintage’, ‘extreme’, ‘international’ and ‘junior’
BUT IS IT THE BEST EVER? CELEBRITY MULLETS THROUGH THE YEARS
George Clooney
He’s known as one of Hollywood’s heartthrobs and during the 1980s the ER actors sported the iconic look.
The mullet was part of his character transformation for his role of George Burnett in The Facts of Life.
During a Reddit Ask Me Anything in 2014 Clooney said everyone goes through an awkward phase and he remembered the mullet being a part of it when he rewatched a talk show appearance from 1985.
‘They YouTubed it and I come out in this horrible yellow shirt and yellow socks and a mullet. And the whole set [I was on] is howling,’ he said.
‘This stuff lives on forever. So everyone has awkward phases, just hope they’re not recorded for everyone to see for the rest of time.’
George Clooney is known as one of Hollywood’s heartthrobs and during the 1980s the ER actors rocked the iconic look
Scarlett Johansson
The Marriage Story actress has tried every hair cut and colour under the sun, including the famous mullet.
This includes the mohawk-mullet hybrid that she had in 2003.
Last year the Avengers star revealed that out of all the looks she has had in the past she will never have crimped hair ever again.
The Marriage Story actress has tried every hair cut and colour under the sun, including the famous mullet
Chris Waddle
England football player Chris Waddle had a mullet for most of his sporting career.
Waddle, who was once the third highest paid player in the world, recently debuted a new look when he appeared on television earlier this week.
The sides of his head were completely shaved while the top of his head was slicked back in a move that shocked fans.
Former English Premiere League player Waddle had a mullet for most of his sporting career
Brad Pitt
Pitt sported a mullet during the 1990 Venice Film fesital
However during the 2020 Academy Awards where he won Best Supporting Actor for his role in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood he was mocked for wearing a similar look.
One social media user wrote: ‘Brad Pitt, nothing against you in general, but you have a mullet now so please leave.’
Pitt sported a mullet during the 1990 Venice Film fesital However during the 2020 Academy Awards where he won Best Supporting Actor for his role in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood he was mocked for wearing a similar look
Andre Agassi
Former tennis world number one sported a mullet for a lot of his career.
The look was so important to him he later admitted in his autobiography that he wore a hairpiece in the 1990 French Open final, which he blamed for his loss.
Eventually, when his hair began to thin out he embraced the bald look and completely shaved his head.
Andre Agassi’s mullet was so important to him he later admitted in his autobiography that he wore a hairpiece in the 1990 French Open final, which he blamed for his loss
Kurt Russell
The actor has had some version of the mullet for most of his career – beginning as early as his 1975 role in The Strongest Man in the World.
The 68-year-old in more recent years has opted for a shorter cropped look.
Kurt Russell has had some version of the mullet for most of his career – beginning as early as his 1975 role in The Strongest Man in the World
Revellers made the most of the event by dancing inside the pub and sucking down refreshing beverages.
According to the event’s Facebook page, Mulletfest saw their first proposal during Saturday’s festivities.
The mullet hairdo is when hair is cut short at the side and front of the head but left long at the back.
The annual festival is held in Kurri Kurri, a small town in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, to honour the well-known and infamous hair-style
The mullet hairdo is when hair is cut short at the side and front of the head but left long at the back, with this man making some spikey additions
Elyce Kiem (pictured) was a contender for the Ranga Mullet tournament, with a combination of red and green locks with shaved sides
Participants (pictured) enjoyed some beers and dancing at the Chelmsford Hotel in Kurri Kurri as they wowed mullet fans with their unusual haircuts
One couple (pictured) enjoyed some raucous dancing at the event, held in a small town in New South Wales, as they celebrated the mullet
Attendees Joe Defillipis (pictured, centre) and Ian Grabowski (second right) at Mulletfest as they enjoyed some beers
The famous, or infamous, business-at-the-front, party-at-the-back hairstyle has a speckled history.
About 1,500 years ago, Byzantine scholar Procopius described a group of young men who wore their hair long at the back and short over the forehead.
But for others, including the Oxford English Dictionary, use of the term mullet was ‘apparently coined, and certainly popularised, by American hip-hop group the Beastie Boys’.
The first Mulletfest was held in 2018 and welcomed more than 150 entrants.
Junior contestants (pictured) wait behind the scenes of the show ahead of competing, hoping to be crowned the world’s best young mullet-wearers
Dirk Ryder (pictured) certainly enjoyed his time at the contest, showing off his tattoo collection in a pair of small shorts
Ben Hill (pictured) stares into the camera while showing off his pointy mullet hairstyle at the annual Mulletfest competition
Rick Hutchison (pictured) proudly showing off his mullet, which helpfully isn’t too long, allowing him to show off his neck tattoo
Aaron Styles (pictured) points at the camera while showing off his luscious locks, which are complimented by a bushy moustache
A group of men wait to participate in the ‘every day’ category of Mulletfest (pictured), complete with glod chains and huge sunglasses
Revellers enjoy a boogie during the Mulletfest in Kurri Kurri (pictured) as they got together to celebrate the unique hairstyle
Dylan Dudley (pictured) shows off his shaved head and long hair sitting below his shoulders, which he finishes off with a styled goatee