DAY TWO – THE SAM MCKNIGHT STORY #salonsmart18

Following a short break for refreshments, the day finished with the big name interview everyone had been waiting for. If you ever wanted a whistle-stop tour of fashion and beauty icons over the last 40 years, you need only look at Sam McKnight’s CV. From Madonna to Diana, Naomi to Gigi, this session star’s longstanding collaboration with Vogue and Chanel means he has worked with some of the biggest names in the world.

After presenting Terry and Caroline from Boldero and Filby salon with their Salon Smart selfie competition prize, Sam told the captive audience how having been dazzled by the bright lights of London, he left his native Scotland and found his feet at Molton Brown salon. “I went there because it was different to anywhere I had ever been,” he explained. “It was four floors of natural hairdressing, and we used our hands to minimise the use of appliances.”

The relationships he build there introduced him to the world of session styling, which he conquered and has ruled ever since. “There is something magical about the collaborative process between the makeup artist, photographer and hairstylist,” Sam explained. “The end result can become pop culture.”

Along with having created the hair for more than 200 Vogue covers, Sam regularly heads up the hair team at Fendi, Vivienne Westwood and Chanel. So, what does he look for in an assistant? “We have an assembly line, and we keep the method down to certain key steps,” he explained. “Oh, and if the ego raises its ugly head, you’re out!”

To celebrate his unparalleled achievements, Sam’s work was displayed in an exhibition at Somerset House that featured an amazing array of projections, wigs and images. “I think the exhibition elevated hairdressing to a different level,” he told the crowd. “It brought it up there with design and fashion.”

Lucky members of the audience were then given the chance to quiz Sam, who shared anecdotes about everything to giggling his way through shoots with up and coming models, to the time he and Kate Moss arrived on location in St Bart’s without their luggage. But the thing that inspires him the most? “It’s definitely the people I work with,” he smiled. “I’m so lucky I get to work with the people I do.”