Fresh and Fun For SS21

There was no fashion week this season. The teams that created the shows had to be creative to bring the trends to life without a live audience or the buzz that normally shrouds a catwalk show. Despite the odds, the teams behind this season’s shows created seriously standout looks. Here we take a look at the hair your clients will be demanding this season...

 Nineties Model 

“I’ve been looking at lots of pictures of 1990s grunge Kate Moss – her hair is dry and has a natural air-dried look to it. She wore a parting set to the side which split the hair and continued past and down the crown of the head. It looks slept on and this is a girl who quite literally woke up like this,” explained Luke Hersheson for L’Oréal Professionnel when he was quizzed on the hair he created for Molly Goddard’s SS21 show.

He created a lived-in look with playful volume that worked with the exuberant party looks in the show.

The model off-duty look was also seen at Victoria Beckham. The hair team was headed up by Paul Hanlon for Sebastian Professional and featured soft middle partings with loose waves enhanced by Sebastian Professional’s Texture Maker.

Accessories, Accessories, Accessories

The hair accessories trend is still going strong with shows like Rodarte, Dolce & Gabbana and Mithridate going big on embellishment. Scrunchies and hair clips take a step back this season as it’s all about the floral decoration adorning models’ hair. The shows with lots of hair accessories featured very off-duty looking locks to give a highly-styled versus carefree look. The hair at Erdem, which was the vision of Anthony Turner for Dyson Professional, featured soft, fluffy textures tied together with a stark headband. The look was described as “Lady Emma Hamilton with a modern and unkept feel.”

Crowning Glory

For the Christopher John Rogers’ SS21 show amika global artistic ambassador, Naeemah LaFond, played with texture and coiffed models’ hair into an array of styles. “The towering crown was a labour of love inspired by the Zulu women of South Africa and their traditional braided headdresses,” Naeemah explained. To create the look she wrapped hair extensions around a cylinder base and added pieces of textured hair to break up the texture and make it feel more lived-in.

The Middle Parting

Creating a minimal hair vibe was an ongoing theme across SS21. The stark middle parting may have been hijacked by the Kardashians over the past few years, but it’s made a real fashion week comeback. At David Koma, TONI&GUY international artistic directors, Cos Sakkas, Efi Davies and their team, aligned the sport-luxe messaging of the collection with a lived-in luxury vibe for the hair. While at Dolce & Gabbana, Guido Palau and his team parred back the hair to mesh with the embellishment and bold colours found within the clothes. “We prepped the hair by blow-drying from a centre parting using the ghd Helios hairdryer,” explained Guido. “The hair was gathered into a ponytail low into the base of the neck and covering the top of the ears. The hair was then twisted into a chic chignon and pinned in place,” he added.

1980s Party Girl

2020 was all about staying in, but in our (and your clients’ dreams) we were all out socialising and partying like it was the 1980s – that was the inspiration for the hair look at Mark Fast. For the show, hair lead Maria Kovacs used R+CO to create a ‘day after the night before’ look with dual textures.

She said: “Stone-washed inspired denim, in conjunction with Mark’s love for neon graffi ti and typography prints created the perfect backdrop for a new optimism.”

How SS21’s trends everyday clients

From the catwalk to the salon chair, our experts share how the trends will translate in-salon.

1990s Model > Wavy Ends

“I predict sleek, but effortless and undone effects will reign,” says Adele Clarke, Spectrum Hair. “Thankfully, your clients will find it easy to achieve at home and there’s a host of products on the market to help them. Slicked down, centre-parted finishes with textured, loosely waved ends will be hot.”

Middle Parting > Elegant Buns

“An elegant bun is one of my favourite looks for girls on the move. It can be great dressed up for occasions or simply dressed down to head to the gym,” says James Alfie Parr, celebrity session stylist and manager at Brotherhood.

1980s Party Girl > Disco Waves

“In terms of styling, disco waves are a look to watch out for. Think 1970s-style volume with lots of height and texture throughout the hair,” says Simon Hill, owner of Sesh Hairdressing. “Using a small straightening iron to wrap the hair around works best to create this style. Once styled, use your fingers to tease the curls out and backcomb where necessary to create that voluminous finish.”