I had the pleasure of working with the Bumble and Bumble team on a few shows for New York Fashion Week last September. If working with the exclusive Bumble and Bumble team was not already intimidating enough, the Key hairdresser was non other than Laurent Philippon. I was nervous to say the least. Upon arriving, the other assistants welcomed me in and Lacoste was the first of 4 shows I worked with Laurent that week. My interaction with him was minimal. Probably because I was scared he would find out what a terrible hairdresser I am. The hair for Lacoste was quite simple. The hair for Herve Leger was not. It involved doing a cornrow around the ear on one side and lets just say, more braiding than I was prepared for.
You see? Pretty tough. I learned many valuable lessons that day. Both technique wise and reality check wise. YUP. Anyway, Laurent is a meticulous. old school, hairdresser. I might almost say, to a fault, but what do I know? We did another show after this one where we had to fashion a fake section of fringe (bangs) to models who had no fringe. The painstaking way he went about doing this seemed much harder than was necessary to acquire the desired look but thats how he wanted it, and thats how it got done. There is no doubt that Laurent’s skills are beyond fine tuned. He is eye for hair is intimidatingly precise, only matched by his dexterity. I was scouring the internet for a good bio on him as well as some good general information. I came across this interview on The Ground Mag. I thought it was so good and so inspiring that I would copy and paste a few little tidbits (Yeah, I just said “tidbits”), and let you go read the rest of the interview if you so choose. It is accompanied by some amazing images of his work. Also check out Laurent’s Tumblr as well as his work on his Agency’s website Tim Howard Management.
The Ground Mag:
When did your passion for hair styling emerge?
I grew up in a very small village in the Alps, with a father who owned a barber shop. It wasn’t until my military service that I thought I would ever leave my small town for Paris. The decisions I made there have turned me into what I am today.
So it was 1989; I was in Paris serving the country as a firefighter. I realized, while working for Alexandre de Paris on my days off, that I wanted to become a studio hair stylist. Alexandre de Paris was revered in the field for his classic techniques he used on such celebrities as Brigitte Bardot and Jackie Kennedy. He taught me techniques that are very rare in the field today, sort of the “old school” methods of hair styling, an expertise that has helped my career ever since.
So I got hired by Alexandre de Paris in 1990 after my military service, before I met hair stylist Julien d’Ys, who was famous for the hairstyle of Comme des Garcons. He was a true artist, a hair stylist as well as a painter and a sculptor, bringing the hair styling world a touch of fantasy and creation. This is what I could consider the other main aspect of my personal work.
In 1994, I started as a freelance studio hair stylist, offering the industry my own unique style, influenced by two essential schools in hair styling.
What have been your greatest and most difficult moments as a hair stylist?
As hair stylists, there is no time for us to be stars. Your line of work demands you be in a constant analysis of your work, in constant doubt of doing a good job, facing either gratitude from colleagues or deception. So I would say being a hair stylist involves always seeking improvement in one’s work, always moving forward with one’s skills.
What is it like to collaborate with such heavyweights as David LaChapelle, Steven Klein, Patrick Demarchelier, Ellen von Unwerth, French Vogue, and Carine Roithfield?
I would say it has got to do with the creator’s vision. Of course it depends on the photographer, but collaboration in this line of work is about sharing a common vision for the final result, meaning as a hair stylist you have to submerge yourself in one’s vision, to adapt it while bringing your unique touch. Photographers often are passionate individuals for whom every shot is of the utmost importance; we are therefore in a constant quest for new techniques and inspiration to fulfill this common vision.
Is it difficult to work with Laurent Philippon?
Well like most, you need to go through a selection with my agent, as my line of work enters the realm of fashion politics, in which prestige needs to be maintained.
How do you feel about delegating work to assistants, employees? Isn’t it hard to trust others with your nametag on a hairstyle?
I have absolute trust in the people I work with. I have mostly worked with them for a long time, I therefore know their qualities and weaknesses very well, which makes it easier to work as a team. As for the organization part of our work, for a fashion show, everything is extremely well organized, the hairstyles are all programmed and chosen in advance and of course everything is timed to the second. For a shoot, things are rather different. The stylist and photographer usually already have a strong idea of how they want the hair to look like; my job then is to work with the stylists and photographers to give them the best hairstyle based on what I believe they are looking for.
What message would you give young people hoping to pursue the same career path you have?
I believe the key in this line of work is one’s aptitude to absorb as much culture as possible. Through cinema, photography, and fashion, one should record as many images as one can. The key concept here is immersion into a particular time or style in order to create or recreate the desired impression.
Interview by LAURENT ALTIER for The Ground Mag