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

Mar 12, 2024 | CREATIVE PROJECTS

CREATIVE PROJECTS

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.

CATEGORIES > EXPLORE > CREATIVE PROJECTS

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.

CATEGORIES > EXPLORE > CREATIVE PROJECTS

MY SPACE: SIOBHÁN JONES STUDIO

Independent colourist and educator and global ambassador for L’Oréal Professionnel Paris, opens the door to her new studio in Horsham.

What was the aim of the space?

I was looking for a space that felt like me aesthetically and would give me the freedom to run my day how I wanted without the responsibility or pressure of leading a whole team. I wanted to create a space that I enjoyed being in and felt like home. I’m all about a calmer and slower pace of life, so the furnishings and colour palette needed to reflect that.
I plan to use the space not only to run a column for my clients but also to create content and online education. I do a lot of brainstorming, admin, meetings and content creation for my education courses, so I also wanted to create a space I enjoy being in to do those administrative tasks.

What advice do you have for independent stylists starting their studio-style salon?

Give yourself sufficient storage. It sounds very dull, but it’s often the bit that gets forgotten. I’ve learnt my lesson from having a salon before, and it’s even more important in a small space! If you want your space to look aesthetically pleasing, you are going to want areas to put stuff away like products, colour, ring lights, towels, so more storage is a must.
Invest in good quality salon equipment like cutting chairs and basins but do shop around for all the other furniture and design. These are the parts that will bring character.
Make sure you choose a colour partner that you not only love using on your clients but is easy to order and the quantities you want. You want a brand that can support you. I work closely with L’Oréal Professionnel Paris and having a good relationship is key to making your space work.

How does your one-to-one approach work in practice?

I can see up to three clients daily depending on their chosen colour service. When renting a chair, you often will need to pay a daily rate for the chair and or give a percentage of your takings. Depending on whether you need to rent or pay for the space will factor in how much you take home.
With my studio, my outgoings are less than when I work freelance from a space, allowing me to do fewer clients in a day. However, offering a one-on-one experience to a client most definitely opens up the possibility of adding a premium to your pricing.

How will you be marketing your space to potential new clients?

All my marketing has been on social media platforms; videos of the space and hair have been great to grab the attention of potential new clients. It gains the most reach. However, recommendations from existing clients will always be at the top of the list when attracting new clients.
When clients take selfies in the space, I get them to share on social media. If people see the vibe of the space and match with it, they are more inclined to book as the recommendation has come from a friend.

What do you have planned for the future?

I’m launching the podcast The So Lovely Hair Show alongside my co-host, Ollie Blackaby from The Hair Salon in Brighton. We’ll be recording from the studio, intending to offer real-life, open and honest staff room chit-chat, covering a variety of topics and challenges that freelancers, creatives and the hair industry are faced with.
My career has had many ups and downs, and I genuinely believe that the hard times have made pivot in new and positively life-changing directions. Discussing my struggles and how to overcome them with friends and colleagues is what has got me through, so I hope to bring a bit of that support, honesty and inclusivity to our industry. I’m also working on an exciting project with L’Oréal Professionnel Paris which will be launching in March so watch this space!