Delving into the #ADAMREEDHAIRARCHIVE
Adam Reed is a lot of things for a lot of people. A creative, an artist, an icon, a mentor, a friend – and unapologetically himself. As Salon Smart Live 2021 drew to a close, all eyes were on Adam and Creative HEAD editor Amanda Nottage as they took their seats. What followed was a rollercoaster ride of highs and lows, both personal and professional. Seemingly nothing was off the table.
“Clothes and hair are armour. It makes me delighted that I can wear clothes that make me feel comfortable in me,” he explained, rifling through the veritable wardrobe of inspiring outfits he’d brought along with him. “I’ll often find bits and bobs that just make me smile… it was a cigarette butt in an old shoe the other day.”
The hour-long retrospective look at his career was a celebration of some of his fashionable highs, which saw him recreate and break down four of his most impactful looks from the runways. Touching on his first ever fashion show, Red or Dead (“I’m getting emotional just thinking about it, it was incredible”) via Cocaine Nights by Andrew Groves and his close, enduring friendship with House of Holland’s Henry Holland, which led to high streets flocking to stock up on coloured hairgrips – “it became a phenomenon around London youth culture” – to the game changing, boho-chic side braid for Matthew Williamson which sent the fashion world into a frenzy.
His dream was once to work on a L’Oréal Professionnel [Colour Trophy] show; he’s now not only a regular, he actually mentors the next generation of artists and is one of the unmistakeable heroes of session stylists. “L’Oréal and ghd have always allowed me to be me, and to really expand my mind, but also to bring lots of younger team members in. I’m always keen to provide those opportunities,” he added.
From left to right: A recreation of the hair look Adam put together for the House of Holland S/S07 runway show, towering braids based on the runway look Adam created for Red or Dead’s S/S97 show, a wild and iconic look Adam first crafted for the Andrew Groves ‘Cocaine Nights’ S/S99 catwalk show, and Adam’s Matthew Williamson braid from S/S04 that launched a thousand boho hair fantasies
There is no ‘I’ in ‘team’, and Adam constantly referenced and thanked figures in the hair industry who had helped him along the way. “They’re my sounding board, and I’m theirs. I am the hairdresser I am because of the people I’ve worked with, and I want to sing that from the rooftops,” he insists.
He’s always keen to be kind, to encourage others, and to insist that there is room for everyone in this industry. “People are a ‘threat’ to you because you’re not giving it your all. It’s because of insecurity,” he says. Speaking of the tsunami of support, of encouragement, of inspiration and passion he has witnessed over the last 18 months, he’s more hopeful than ever about the future: “We have a way to go, but if we keep up this positive momentum then I think we’ll be more powerful for it.”
“I hope that was a bit more of an insight into me, and an hour well spent,” he added at the end, as if his audience wasn’t already bursting at the seams with the power of staying positive.
