Creative HEAD UK January 2019

her clothes. Eugene took the wet-look hair brief one step
further by suggesting that they add whisked-up shampoo
suds, as if she hadn’t even finished rinsing. “For me it’s
about finding that little detail that’s really subtle and just
turning it into something else,” he explains.
It’s signature elements like these that have kept Eugene
at the forefront of Fashion Week, year after year. “I think
my work’s quite twisted, in a funny kind of way. It’s putting
elements together which are quite impossible,” he says.
“That’s the challenge for me. I’m very much about the idea –
or a feeling.”
Touching on his experimental, punk-ish attitude towards
hair, Eugene considers why his styling is standing out all the
more now. While he doesn’t think it’s an age thing, it is “a
demographic moment”. He explains: “Everyone I know who
is truly creative is older – because they were punks. That was
when there was nothing and they had to make something
from nothing.”
But with social media shining an ever-present spotlight
on up-and-coming talent, perhaps those coming through
the ranks are playing it too safe, knowing so many eyes are
watching? Eugene isn’t completely convinced. “They just
don’t want to take that risk, and it’s such a shame because
there’s no reward if there’s no risk, but it’s a heightened fear
of failure on a public level,” he says. “I don’t have that – at
the end of the day, I can say I tried.”
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!
EUGENE SOULEIMAN ON THE MOST UNCOMPROMISING HAIR LOOKS HE WORKED ON FOR S/S19 SHOWS
Images courtesy of Wella Professionals
OLIVER THEYSKENS
“The story behind this was a
romantic entanglement of a young
lady who’s run away. She’s very
beautiful, she fell asleep in a forest
when it was raining and this is how
she woke up. I just love this hairstyle
– it feels quite cinematic, it moves
really well and it reacts with the
environment. It’s romantic, it’s dark,
it’s gothic. It’s elegant but raw.”
MAISON MARGIELA
“When I look at what John Galliano
does and his philosophy, it’s very
simple: he doesn’t care who wears his
clothes as long as they feel amazing
in them. Some of the looks were just
haircuts. With John’s shows everyone
is treated in an individual way. So
when you’re doing a show for John
and you’ve got 32 models, you’re
doing 32 shows.”
THOM BROWNE
“This look was inspired by a single
dreadlock. It’s graphic, it’s textured,
it’s fibrous. We had to get hair into its
most porous state so when we touched
it, it stayed exactly where we want it
to. I wanted it to feel almost medieval,
like it could have been worn by
knights. Thom offers such an amazing
platform, he does things with unusual
proportions which are quite twisted.”
CREATIVE HEAD
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