With a celebrity clientele that spans Hollywood A-Listers to British TV, music and radio personalities, star stylist Kevin Fortune is taking tinseltown by storm. In his blog series, we go behind the scenes with Kevin as he coiffs the locks of some familiar faces.
I’m sure you all agree that as hair stylists and make-up artists, we play a part in supporting the people we work with to be inspired to make a difference to someone else’s day. What do I mean by that? And, if true, how and why, as session stylists, do we care so much that the artists we work with look and feel amazing? This is more than skin deep!
What we deem as beautiful affects us in many ways. And yes, I personally want beautiful things to be a part of my life, always. Beauty, in its many guises, makes feelings rise up within us that change the way we think, feel and respond to the outside world. Hold that thought!
On Tuesday night I worked with La Roux, doing her hair and make-up for her London Shepherds Bush Empire concert, and I really noticed the effect that my finished look had on her energy. To me, she felt even more energized and ready to perform at her best. Later that evening, standing at the back of the auditorium, I could feel people immediately feed off her energy on stage. I was privy to overheard conversations of what an amazing night people had had. People left singing and dancing in the streets. Beautiful sounds!
So, as artists and lovers of beautiful things, we are inspired to create looks and images that move and touch our audiences. This emotional connection to one’s work, of course, also feeds into my teaching at the Academy, where our students are always encouraged to look beyond the surface, to have a vocabulary that supports the styles they create. There has to be a clear intention behind what you create. When it came to our Editorial & Catwalk Hair Styling shoot, my Creative Director, Martin Wall, worked with the team to interpret ideas inspired by the designer Monika Selecka’s beautiful ‘Conducted Fluidity’ collection.
It is so amazing to see how the stylists use the weeks of training to draw from their newfound techniques and to support them in seeing their creations come to life in front of the camera.
What do you think of the results? We are so proud of the beautiful work they have achieved and their sense of joy and accomplishment in their work shows that, yes, as artists we are dedicated to create effects that equally affect ourselves and other people. That’s when the wonderful make-believe world of ‘beauty’ has the potential to really get under our skin.
XKevin
Hair: Rachel Barclay, Vivienne Oscar & Guy Samuel
Make-Up: Eli Wakamtsu
Photography: Armando De’Ath
Art Direction: Martin Wall