GRADUATE FASHION WEEK 2016

This year was the 25th anniversary of Graduate Fashion Week and Emily Short, our stylist from Belper and University salons, has been busy assisting backstage as part of the young L’Oreal Portfolio Session Team.

Held in East London, the four day event in early June showcased the work of over a thousand of the very best students and graduates from the most influential and inspiring universities around the world. Attracting 30,000 guests, the annual event features 22 catwalk shows and exhibitions from over 40 universities plus an acclaimed Gala Award Show.

Emily was working in a team directed by Lisa Rhead, Andrea Daley and Luke Pluckrose, with this years hair looks ranging from minimalist ponytails to painting the models heads!

No two universities had the same hair, quite a feat when you think that there were 25 shows and 40 colleges involved! This was a huge opportunity for Emily to work in a busy backstage environment and she took away a variety of skills and techniques to bring back to the salon.

GET THE LOOK

Emily created each look using products from the L’Oreal Professional techni art range.

Prepping the hair by spraying throughout with Pli, a light product aimed to hold the hair so once blow-dryed the it stay in place.

Next smooth the hair line down and bring all the hair into the centre of the nape of the neck so the ponytail is lying on the hairline. Smooth with a Denman soft bristle brush and spray Fix Design to control the fly away pieces.

Tie elastic round the ponytail tightly to ensure it doesn’t fall loose, then take a small piece of hair to scoop around the ponytail and cover the band. Wet through with fix design and set with heat from a hairdryer, this will act as a glue to secure the hair without having to use grips or pins.

Straighten the ends of the ponytail to create more of a healthy shine before finishing with a drop of nourishing Mythic Oil.

The ‘Wet look’ was popular throughout the shows, we used the Wet Domination, Shower Shine and Fix Design products in Techniart for extra slickness.

‘I absolutely love the buzz of working backstage and with such creative people! Being taught new looks and knowing how to mix the products is so exciting and I can’t wait to bring these techniques back to my clients in salon. Seeing all your hard work walk down the catwalk is a proud moment and being able to work along side such a talented team is a privilege, I cant wait to get back into the salon and tell everyone about my experience.’ Emily Short, Belper & Montague Creative at University of Derby