Glastonbury with La Roux, kicking off this year’s The X Factor with Nick Grimshaw and happy to have some of my favourite American clients in London to promote projects and attend high-profile events.
I had an absolute blast at Glastonbury with La Roux, who delivered a killer set on the John Peel stage to huge crowds of adoring fans. Arriving in Somerset on a tour bus in true rock’n’roll style, I revamped Elly Jackson’s infamous hair in an impromptu colouring session by a random sink in the middle of a field…oh the backstage glamour! Watching her incredible performance from the front of the stage and seeing her hair illuminate in the intricate lighting designed for her set blew even my mind. Browsing Twitter and seeing her fans obsess about her hair and reading through reviews of the show the next day – a particular online article by The Observer made me smile when I read: “Jackson remains as captivating a front woman as you could hope to see…and not a single hair of her auburn quiff was ever out of place. Her hair seems to be the talk of Glastonbury revellers.”
My job is all about capturing people’s imagination, so when artists, fans and press are impressed, BOOM, you know you’ve pulled it out of the bag!
As a session stylist, it’s so important to be confident, approachable and to create great working relationships with both artists and their agents. Nothing is more rewarding than clients asking for you time and time again and I am very fortunate to have built up many contacts that allow me to work with high-profile American actors and personalities when they hit London. Over the past few weeks, I had the opportunity to work with the ever-lovely Kevin McHale, who found fame on Glee but now has his own show Virtually Famous and a new feature movie to promote. I also made up the beautiful Sarah Drew to promote the current series of Grey’s Anatomy, as well as the impossibly glamorous Dorothy Wang from Rich Kids Of Beverly Hills, who looked incredible attending Nicky Hilton’s Kensington Palace Wedding. There’s a masterclass in how to make an entrance!
Nick Grimshaw, as you guys know by now, is one of my all-time favourite clients so to be asked to join this year’s The X Factor as his personal hair stylist and make-up artist means that I couldn’t be more proud of his achievements and, seeing as he is one of THE loveliest people in all of TV, working impossibly long days also means a lot of fun along the way. He will make an excellent judge on the show. Trust me!
Things have also been going well at my Academy and to see our graduates create awe-inspiring styles on the final photo shoot of our June The Art Of Hair Stylingcourse-series gives me the greatest sense of satisfaction. Our commitment is to guide each graduate, whether they are experienced session stylists or new to the industry, to aim for their highest potential in their creative and technical perspectives. My team and I couldn’t be more proud of the beautiful ‘Trust Your Cool’ shoot we produced to showcase the work of our talented and ambitious stylists. We cannot wait to meet the new group of stylists enrolled on our up-and-coming August course-series.
Until next time!
XKevin