“I LOVE DOING HAIR ON CLIENTS BUT CAN’T HANDLE TRADITIONAL SALONS” – ASHLEIGH HODGES ON THE GENESIS OF MASH CREATIVE STUDIO

Apr 26, 2024 | CREATIVE PROJECTS

CREATIVE PROJECTS

“I LOVE DOING HAIR ON CLIENTS BUT CAN’T HANDLE TRADITIONAL SALONS” – ASHLEIGH HODGES ON THE GENESIS OF MASH CREATIVE STUDIO

The Hackney-based space is now open for creatives, with sustainability at its core.

Ashleigh Hodges

Ashleigh Hodges keeps a lot of plates spinning. There’s her role as a global colour ambassador for Davines, her session work as part of the Hairdotcom team and her ever-expanding involvement with the Fellowship for British Hairdressing. Now, she’s opened her own space as well as unveiling her own education. Ashleigh talks us through the key ingredients to her Mash…

What’s the aim of Mash Creative Studio? 
To offer a sustainable, calm and creative space for hair professionals and beyond. I work in so many areas of our industry – from flying around the world on campaign shoots, teaching or working on TV – so I wanted to create a space to bring my creative community together. Being a former photographic studio, it was perfect to create a multi-functional space for creatives. I love doing hair on my clients but can’t handle being in traditional salons – so much noise and stimuli for this autistic girl. I wanted to create a space that offers a calm environment for both hairdresser and client, with sustainability at the forefront. 

What’s on offer at Mash?
We offer the space for photoshoots, seminars, education, intimate events, chair rental and more. If you’re trying to make the world a better place, we have the creative space for you to do just that.

Talk us through the design concept…
Sustainability was at the forefront of our design. Working with the motto “the world doesn’t need more stuff” made us think outside the box creatively when it came to interior design. All the furniture has been sourced second-hand from markets or flea markets, the House of Hackney feature wallpaper and soft furnishings were sourced from a sample sale. My aim was to curate a beautiful canvas for people and brands to be able to make their own mark when renting out, while keeping our own signature character. 

How will you be marketing your space to collaborators? 
We have created beautiful brochures about the space that are sent out to everyone on our mailing list. Authentic marketing is my aim, reaching out to people personally and helping to shape their creative ideas into reality. East London is a hub of creativity so connecting with others within the community is paramount. Curated social media posts, and working with those within our growing community to spread the word and benefit from that. 

What advice do you have for independent stylists looking for a working space?  
Find the space that’s right for you. Test a few out, try them on for size before you settle down. You will know if it’s right within the first hour. There are so many great work spaces out there depending on your professional needs. Look at your business and find the right one that aligns with it. Think of it as a long-term brand collaboration; you want to make sure your two brands lift each other up. 

What are your future plans? 
So many things! My brain never rests. I already have more plans for Mash Creative in the pipeline, and with the launch of my new academy there’s lots coming there too. And to top it off, I’m about to become the Fellowship for British Hairdressing’s youngest ever president. I’m ready to shake things up for sure! 

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THE MISSION? TO "DECOLONISE" PERCEPTIONS OF TEXTURED HAIR – AND STOP THE SHAME

Yasemin Hassan deep dives into her photo series and exhibition Talking Textures – celebrating, educating and redefining the cultural significance of textured hair.

Talking Textures event, April 2024

Curated by barber Yasemin Hassan and captured through the lens of photographer Yeliz Zaifoglu, the photo series and exhibition Talking Textures dives deep into the intricate relationship between beauty, cultural identity, and the resilient nature of hair, especially within the Southwest Asian & North African (SWANA) communities.

Hosted at Ugly Duck London, Yasemin sees Talking Textures as more than an exhibition; it’s a movement to celebrate, educate, and redefine the cultural significance of textured hair. Spanning across 26 photographs, a short video, and a panel discussion that was held on 12 April, the project seeks to bring to light the challenges, beauty rituals, and the profound connection between hair and cultural identity in SWANA regions.

 Yasemin herself has emerged as a pivotal figure for individuals with textured hair in London, particularly within the SWANA community. While that’s thanks in part to extensive experience on high-end fashion shoots and London Fashion Week, it’s also coupled with personal conversations within her community. Her mission is to “decolonise” perceptions of hair and address the underrepresentation of SWANA identities in the hair industry.

Yasemin Hassan

Working closely with Dania Arafeh, founder of 3EIB – a SWANA fashion platform reclaiming the Arabic word 3Eib, meaning ‘shame’ – this project is a reaction to the underlying shame that SWANA individuals often experience from others within their own cultures, as well as what’s taught in the mainstream media about beauty.

Yasemin breaks down the concept behind each image, and the powerful message each shot conveys…

Reclaiming Control
Riyam Salim 

Reclaiming Control
Michaela Mousicous wearing 3EIB 
Hair makes us feel powerful. We use our hair to reclaim our identity. Talking Textures explores this by considering the amount of people that go to a salon after a big life change and want to consolidate this with a drastic hair change. These images in the series are about power and taking control over our hair. 

Carving Imperfections
Ali Nasreldin wearing Mehdi Studio 
The media often idealises the ‘perfect curls’ – no frizz and a solid, clean shape when focusing on afro textures. In the full series of images Talking Textures plays on the phrase ‘bedhead’ to contrast to perfect curls.

Changing Shape
Peyam Zangana   
People with curly hair often talk about it being ‘too big’ and ask me to make their hair sit flatter. In full series collection, Talking Textures celebrates the shape using the concept  of ‘hat hair’, contrasting to this image which is the unrealistic flattened hair shape.

Masking Identity
Eman Alali wearing Isis Dünya 
Many people use hair length and fringes to mask and hide their SWANA features. Talking Textures plays on the use of hair as a mask by using the concept of ‘straggly ends’ to do this.

Embracing Femininity
Tahini Molasses wearing Ziyad Buainain
Talking Textures closes the series by questioning: What is femininity? Does femininity have to be gendered within SWANA communities? Many women idealise long hair as being the height of femininity and beauty. The final set of images through this concept makes the statement that femininity can be unconventional.

Director/curator/lead hair: Yasemin Hassan
Photographer: Yeliz Zaifoglu 
Make-up: Tina Khatri 
Styling: 3EIB / Dania Arafeh
Hair assistants: Shaun Birmingham, Amy Clarke, Matthew Tharp
Shot at Woolf Kings X

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SHOOT TOO PRICEY? GRAB YOUR PHONE!

Roman Sys from Brooks & Brooks talks about his Paradigm collection which, due to rising costs, he shot on his iPhone.

Stylist, image maker and visionary, Roman Sys is a stylist at the iconic London salon, Brooks & Brooks. Always keen to push boundaries and create new visually striking collections, Roman was forced to get creative with his latest collection Paradigm. Due to shoots becoming just too expensive, he reached for his iPhone instead… and got busy with his collage skills!

The process

Some people have a fixed process; they know the motions they need to go through to produce the results. For others, it’s different altogether. My creative process is not fixed at all! I’m inspired by everything and nothing at the same time. If I’m harvesting references from outside sources such as literature, art, nature, or music, my approach is very neutral. I will overlap images and text and sounds to fit my own mindset. More often than not there is an internal feeling I express subconsciously or consciously in my work. That excites me most – the idea of leaving the work open for interpretation and not being so literal.

Roman Sys

The moodboards

My boards work like mind maps. Sometimes it’s hard to explain ideas when you’re in the thick of it and your mind is in creative overdrive. Creating a board that makes sense can take anytime between a week and a month. I find that when I overlap images, there is often more than just one feeling I’m conveying, it’s never singular. I can read between the lines of the imagery that I have collected; this helps me to find my perspective and ground the ideas that are flowing in my head.

I don’t necessarily create the boards directly for a project or collection. I will just create a board to understand where I am and then it goes in the cupboard! I might decide to work with it for a project, or it will be reworked into something else. A cool thing happened when Sally and Jamie Brooks asked if I would contribute to the salon art for our new Brooks & Brooks home at Great Queen Street. I created an A1 board of collage, ink and paint with gentle textures that was an exploration of ‘familiar feelings and potential’.

The vision

My vision extends beyond what I produce creatively but is interwoven into the work I create and how I choose to capture it. I want to promote accessibility and cultivate a starter-friendly industry. Therefore, what I frequently create is artistry without excess. Image making is how I would describe my process; I street cast my models, and I’m inspired by them. This is my starting point and they influence the project. Everything I’ve done is based on collaboration. There is something about creating in the moment and then capturing it on an iPhone that allows me to have full creative control on the project. This bridges the gaps of high standard imagery, affordability, and accessibility.

Mini-series – Paradigm

The definition of paradigm is the current example of a system or idea. With this collection I wanted to shift our mindsets away from what we have seen before. I wanted to combine my hair work, my photographic style and collage together for something that feels totally DIY, yet with moments of interest and curiosity. I wanted the process to be the result, it was a last-minute urge to just do something. It was quite amazing to me how the clippings I had collected and the photos of textures and colours I had taken (that I would later go onto rip up and use in the collage) had this relationship with the hair work I had created.

This collection was shot completely on my iPhone, to inspire and encourage other people to create for the love of it. I decided to collage over the images after I had taken the photos. I hadn’t planned the collage around the photographs in advance. I like to leave some things down to instinct, which allowed for the process to feel authentic.
No apps or Photoshop were used to produce the collage/artwork. I created the collage around the image then scanned it to create a digital copy. It was important for me to bring the contrast of the instant digital element of iPhone photography with the tactile physical application of collaging over the printed images, and then using ink and paint to produce variation in the texture.

Hair, creative concept, collage and photography: Roman Sys at Brooks & Brooks.
Make-up: Ivory Raine 

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IN THE LEAD: RICHARD PHILLIPART'S DEBUT SHOW AT PARIS FASHION WEEK

Session stylist Richard Phillipart shares all about his debut show as a hair lead at Paris Fashion Week. A character study of each individual model, prepare to take notes.

Team Phillipart

Take one award-winning session stylist, 11 members of Team Phillipart and one unmissable opportunity to work at Paris Fashion Week, and what do you get? A hotbed of creativity and a true character study of each individual model and their hair texture at ABRA A/W24. In a show which marked Richard Phillipart’s debut as a hair lead at Paris Fashion Week, the 27 models who walked the runway with beautifully enhanced hair is testament to Richard’s attention to detail and true craftmanship.

Chosen by Richard as his season highlight of A/W24, he says: “this was the first Paris Fashion Week show for Team Phillipart and a milestone in my career. Being asked to design the hair look my first Paris runway was a fantastic start to 2024.”

The show itself centred on the theme of “Celebrating the extraordinary in the ordinary and the irresistible beauty of everyday femininity”. Models were treated as individuals with the beauty of their natural texture enhanced and celebrated. Longer hair was styled with a clean centre-parting and left cascading down over the shoulders, allowing it to move and catch the wind as models walked the runway in Paris. Shorter hair was swept to the side with an equally relaxed, nonchalant vibe.

Taking place in Rue Philippe-de-Girard, models walked a runway which was styled to look like the backstage dressing area. The set compromised clothing rails, and packed full of bulging black ABRA garment bags and shoe boxes, alongside hair and make-up stations which split the runway in two. The areas included brushes, tools and products from MYORGANICS, which were meticulously placed by Team Phillipart to give the illusion the team had been working on these stations to create the looks just moments before the audience arrived.

Models backstage at ABRA. Photography by @_valentinrusso.

Hair how to

All models had their hair prepped by cleansing and treatment with Supreme Shampoo and Miracle Mask, which was great for adding intense nourishment to the hair without weighing it down.

Hair was drenched with Ocean Spray to add a pliable texture and hold. Sections of hair were twisted in opposite directions and dried with a diffuser on high heat/low power to enhance and control natural texture and waves. Where needed, Supreme Oil, Hydrating Glaze, Curl Revival or Smoothing Lotion was used on the mid-lengths and ends of model’s hair to tame, refine, or enhance textures as required.

Hair was then rope braided and pinned to secure, which helped set the natural waves while models were in make-up and rehearsals. It also prevented frizzing or dropping of the texture.

Finishing touches included the Water Moulding Wax, which was first warmed up in the hands and then smoothed across the parting to tame fly-away hairs. Strong Hold Hydrating Hairspray and Restructuring Shine Spray were used to set the look, which was then brushed out by Richard moments before the models walked the runway to create a clean, fresh bounce in the hair.

Video by @saladxxdays.

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KNWLS A/W24 – A VOYAGE TO THE UPPER EAST SIDE

Promotion – Schwarzkopf Professional

Gossip Girl meets grunge was the aesthetic for the KNWLS A/W24 show at London Fashion Week.

Mustafa Yanaz

Bringing an Upper East Side flair to the runway, the inspiration behind the KNWLS A/W24 hair look was to follow a chic New Yorker on her journey from one party to the next. Mustafa Yanaz took the helm as lead hair stylist, delivering his alternative, cutting edge to match KNWLS’s bold fashion statements. Charlotte Knowles and Alexandre Arsenault, the duo behind the brand, are known for their assertive interpretation of femininity, blending elements of danger and allure. The brand adopts a rugged, practical approach, crafting garments that serve as protective armour while redefining contemporary women’s fashion.

“I didn’t use any brushes or combs,” said Mustafa backstage. “I always do everything with my hands because I want it as natural as possible. For the KNWLS look, imagine an Upper East Side New York girl with beautiful hair, she’s going to her second party and ties her hair in a knot – she looks like she’s partied already – but her hair is still shiny and healthy.”

Hair was tied in a knot at the nape, with strands escaping at the front to frame the face. Undone texture with an underlying chicness, the result was equal parts cool and sophisticated. The main product used backstage was THE MOUSSE from SESSION LABEL from Schwarzkopf Professional, which Mustafa applied on the roots, and a little bit through the ends for grip. At the end, he used THE FLEXIBLE, which Mustafa describes as a “really great hairspray.”

He adds: “I work in session styling, and it’s really important to have the right products backstage and that’s why I use SESSION LABEL – they’re beautiful products for every hairstyle.”

SESSION LABEL from Schwarzkopf Professional is a comprehensive, professional styling range that is specifically designed to meet the varied demands of session stylists. With fourteen versatile products – each with a multitude of benefits developed to help hairdressers truly #CRAFTTHEDIFFERENCE – SESSION LABEL empowers stylists such as Nick Irwin and Mustafa Yanaz to achieve any look, texture, or finish required for the runway and beyond.

Find out more about SESSION LABEL from Schwarzkopf Professional.

Charlotte Knowles and Alexandre Arsenault, founders of KNWLS

Quick-fire questions with Charlotte and Alexandre

Describe the KNWLS aesthetic. Is there something that represents your work aesthetically and has that changed throughout your career?
Charlotte: There are four things which sum up the brand – sportswear, craft, corsetry, and alternative culture.
Alexandra: We’re trying to create a new wardrobe for the woman of our time – a woman who lives both digitally and physically. We aim to subvert the idea of femininity through counterculture or taking old ideas and transforming them into new ones.

C: It’s always über-feminine but with an edge.

What were the top three references for this season’s collection?
C: We were inspired by power dressing and ’80s glamour, as well as understandable luxury, because that’s where we’re trying to take the brand.

A: We wanted the women to be kind of ready for anything. We had a lot of weight on our shoulders at the end of 2023, then we were quite hopeful for 2024 but it started with a chaotic energy, so we were trying to get women ready for this. That’s why there’s reference points of utilitarianism or snakeskin and camo – like a form of armour and protection.

Where do you look to for inspiration?
C: Everywhere and anywhere! I often get really inspired by objects and materials, as well as vintage clothes. I feel like Alexandra is quite inspired by culture and music.
A: We spend a lot of time on Instagram and seeing the girls wearing the brand. Even the girls around the studio wearing it, or friends and other people, it’s a thing that people maybe didn’t have that much access to in the past. Now it’s always bombarding us. So, the diversity is quite inspiring.

We adore your signature pieces, such as the iconic separates, but how do you feel this collection has evolved from the last?
C: It’s just about refining and elevating the image of the brand and appealing to a broader audience. In the past, I felt like the brand had been associated with youth and appealed a lot to a younger generation, but this season it’s more elegant and refined.
A: I think the goal was to make it a bit more familiar as well, a bit more understandable as to what people perceive as luxury, using cashmere wool and more bold colours that are understandable to a wider audience. It is more mature – we’re growing up as well. There’s always going to be this connection with youth but we also wanted to show that power, strength, control and being confident is not exclusive to the new generation that’s connected online. It shows that KNWLS can appeal to different age groups, different cultures and different body types… it doesn’t matter who you are. It’s about power and strength.

You’re collaborating with people all the time. How do you stay true to your boundaries and personal style?
A: Every season we try to change it up, so that the clothes become recognisable to what the brand represents. Hopefully this is what has made it possible to bring in people, and that they understand it, in their own way. They understand the language of it. You know, like, Mustafa just got the brand.

Video by Tom Gorst and Alex Barron-Hough

What has the creative process been like working with Mustafa?
C: He was amazing to work with. He’s such an icon and it was an honour to be able to get to work with him. I felt like he just brought that kind of alternative grunge edge to the collection, which brought in more of that KNWLS energy. He really got it from the offset.
A: He’s very sweet. Immediately he said ‘let’s chat on WhatsApp. I’ll send you some tests!’ He’s the first hairstylist we’ve worked with who has brought in people and tested things beforehand, then sent us pictures. He was very involved and excited about it. It’s not a last-minute thing where you must decide in the hair test in 30 minutes. He already tested things out – some things didn’t work, some things worked. So, it was quite amazing working with him.

There have been some incredible accomplishments in your career to date, but what has been the one standout moment so far?
C: Probably the collaboration with Jean Paul Gaultier or dressing Doja Cat for the Grammys – she epitomises who the KNWLS woman is, and it was a pleasure working with her and her stylist Brett. Jean Paul was a big milestone for us, because he was such a huge inspiration growing up, and is one of the designers who inspired me to want to do fashion design. That was a ‘pinch me’ moment.

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FASHION EAST - MARK HAMPTON

Celebrating 40 years of London Fashion Week, Mark Hampton led the hair team for Fashion East at the A/W24 show, which saw both Johanna Parv’s and Olly Shinder’s collections showcased under one roof.

Fashion East has a reputation for giving a voice to young fashion creatives, steering the conversation, and highlighting the most innovative new names, with inspirational ways of spotlighting their work across Fashion Week.

Flying in from Hollywood, working alongside two different designers and co-ordinating a hair team for two shows seems like no easy feat, so we caught up with session and celebrity hairstylist Mark Hampton backstage at London Fashion Week to find out just how he works his magic.

Creative HEAD: Firstly, what does 40 years of London Fashion Week mean to you?

Mark Hampton: It means it started before I was born! But it also means heritage. I trained at Vidal Sassoon – his connections with fashion were so deep. For me he was the first person who transcended fashion and film and art. His inspiration for Bauhaus and cutting Mia Farris’ hair for Rosemary’s Baby were things that made me go ‘wow! This is where you can go with this job?’

CH: Is that what sparked your interest in taking your session work further?

MH: Yeah, and then working with Guido. I could see the industry from the true creative perspective that it should be.

CH: So, how do you navigate working with two designers for one show?

MH: I have a lot of ADD so I don’t think it really matters for me. I enjoy it more; I like the diversity and the challenge of trying to pull off two shows (normally we do three!). For me, it feels more like a show, the atmosphere is better because there’s less focus on one specific thing and there is more of a vibe.

CH: How do you keep the vibe positive and the team calm?

MH: Good assistants! My first assistant Clare [Hurford] is a legend – she really helps me with the production, separating the team and finding the strengths and weakness to play in our favour. When you’re doing two shows, the hair is very different. Olly’s show is predominantly guys, so you need barbers and people who are strong in cutting, whereas Johanna’s is more about styling, so you need people with a different mindset.

CH: How have you approached the hair looks for Fashion East?

MH: I think London is more about selling a character instead of selling clothes. For example, with Johanna’s collection, the clothing has a big focus on streetwear and functionality but on a very elegant level, so the hair must really reflect that character. You want to get into their psyche, what would they do if they were wearing these clothes? Did they have their hat on? Were they cycling and took their helmet off, and what would their hair look like? I think it’s important for Johanna that the person that wears her clothes looks like she could have done her own hair.

CH: We heard you’ve been using the Supernova Pro…

MH: Yes, it’s so fun! It’s so nice to have something that really works! And the fact that it’s professional means it’s going to do what I need it to do.

CH: How did you use it on the looks for Fashion East?

MH: We’ve straightened a few of the girls’ hair. On some of them that already had straight hair, we added a bit of texture as well. Then after I did the chignon, I used the straightening iron to accentuate some of the straighter pieces.