There was a great quote on Instagram from you: “My craft is art and my sculptures are my love letters to hair”. Tell us about your first hair sculpture…

I didn’t know I could make hair sculptures! It was about 2020, and two girls reached out to work together on this Vogue Italia editorial with 14 South American people, and they wanted me to do hair and make-up. I thought, ‘I do a lot of commercials. I can handle this’. But I was a little bit scared. Luckily for me, I have so much information in my head, on my phone, on my laptop, everywhere, so I thought, ‘I’m gonna find a way to make it’. And I built it from paper so it wasn’t too heavy and then aluminium to make it stick. It was a long braid that became a horn, very heavy but the model had her grandparents hold each side for her.

When I saw it, it made me emotional. This is something that I created, it looked so good and was a piece of art – my first one. I set a high standard for myself, but I was so happy to see it come to life. That same hair I used for the next idea. It was two metres long, connecting the hair and the model to the walls, attaching themselves to their house, representing your roots and the importance of your family. That was a two-metre-long braid, there was hair and braids everywhere at home, I was braiding for hours, along with Kreszend Sackey.

When you’re working on a piece that takes concentration and time, you’re probably going to try a few different ideas. What’s your process and how do you get to the result you want?

Everything starts with the idea. People give me information – a piece of clothing or a set design or a song. If it’s for a specific music video, I will listen to it for days! You will hear something that will spark an idea and connect. Everything’s about research – it can be music, it can be textures, everyday types of texture that I’m really obsessed with. I will have images on my phone, that’s a tiny little mood board in my hands!

I’ll start putting the idea together on paper, designing it and then work out which type of hair texture I want on the hairpiece. If I want to braid it, how do I want to braid it?

Then I switch to my iPad, because then I can do a lot quickly, but paper is easy to put in my bag, because an idea can come at any time. From that, I start thinking, ‘how long it will take me?’ And I plan my time. I might go to the gym, get some energy out, and then I get enough food and I lock myself in my studio until just before midnight. At 11.50, that’s my cut off and I go home. It mostly takes one or two days to bring something to life. If the idea isn’t working, I try over and over until it works. Most of the time it works for me; except when I’m blocked.

How do you ‘unblock’ yourself?

I have to do something that really makes me happy! Spend time with my family, go see some art, get inspired. Or maybe just take a break from everything. In 2022, I was creatively blocked for six months, it was painful and weird, I wasn’t feeling inspired. I booked a trip to Puerto Rico by myself. I came back a completely different person after two weeks – it was just me, the beach, water, drinking cocktails, not thinking about anything. I didn’t care about any jobs… but then I got such an exciting job! I didn’t know how to take a break. I think that I’m a machine, and I need to realise I need breaks. I was never working on my social life, I was just working! I started to go dancing again with my friends. It’s a really good way to relax. I studied dance when I was little – hip hop, ballet, flamenco, belly dancing too.

You’ve worked with titles such as Dazed, and also with brands including Nike and Adidas. Do you have a preference over the kind of projects you take on?

I feel blessed that I work in an industry where I can experiment so much. I created some hair pieces for Adidas and they gave me so much freedom. I think commercials for me are the easiest to build, because a good editorial takes so much time. I don’t think people appreciate how much time it takes, especially when it comes to research. Researching the clothes, the accessories, it all takes so much time. But when I get a commercial, you know what the client wants.

For editorials I have to be well fed and well rested, because I’m probably not going to eat during the day, I want to be able to avoid going over time because overtime money is gonnabe an issue. So, you work differently.

Skepta, Rita Ora, Digga D, Pink Pantheress – you’ve worked with some exciting artists. When you’re working with ‘talent’, is there a different mindset you need to tap into?

I always remember it’s not about me. Whatever the client feels or needs, we will make sure that they have it. It’s a whole process of getting them ready, yes, but also creating a safe space for them.

I’ve had assistants that get over-excited and I always tell them that stars are just people. Maybe they’re having a bad day, and they just want to be with people they like and know. It’s not about us talking and taking over the space. I like to talk a lot, but I also have to respect the clients. I know how much pressure they go through because sometimes, I feel it myself as a creative. It works best to respect their boundaries.

I now have relationships that have been developed over three or four years. After a while you become friends. It’s a relationship you build and it’s very normal because you spend so much time together.

Hair, grooming, make-up, what does the future look like for you?

I love my work so much. And I don’t expect other people to love it like I do. I see myself as an artist. So, it’s like a painting; some people will love it, some will hate it. You should be experimenting.

I want to make sure that I have enough work to put together an exhibition of my hair. I have had that offer already. I think maybe this is the year. Let’s see if we can get into Art Basel! I have so much inspiration in my mind and on my phone that I think with the right team, I can create beautiful things.

I have some personal projects that I’m working on, doing more of the production. I’m trying to work more with South American creatives. I have an idea with beautiful hair sculptures, showing the world how many South American people are based in London, and what we create for our community and how we move in our communities. Just showing the beauty of it. Everything is ready, we just have to do it! I have so much support from the South American creators in London, that really makes me happy and it’s probably going to open a different door for me.

I think it will be a lot of hair sculptures this year!