They say it’s not what you know; it’s who you know. That phrase kinda sums up how I landed my hair modelling gig. Emma (who first spotted me) was training under now assistant creative director of Sassoon Academy Daniel McCourt, who chose two models from my first show to introduce to the main Sassoon team. I felt very lucky that I was chosen and jumped at the chance to yet again put my hair in someone else’s hands. For anyone wondering what it takes to be a hair model, other than a bit of luck, read on.
To help me write this piece, I asked Daniel why he chose Daisy (the other model) and me. He told me that the basic attributes that he looks for when choosing show models are height (I’m 5ft 11), an attractive face, stage presence and attitude. For photo shoots the focus is more on skin, bone structure and confidence. In terms of hair he said that most hair types are fine to work with, but medium density is preferable. Thick hair can work well as it can add weight to shapes created by the cut, however super fine hair can prove a bit tricky to work with.
Daniel emphasised that these qualities were only the very beginning to his search; his most important criterion is that the model fully immerses themselves in his hair design, and trusts him. Each haircut he creates is designed for one model only; he takes into account, not only their face shape, bone structure and skin tone, but also their personality. If the model is open minded about their appearance and his ideas then this broadens the scope of his creativity. ‘You may not have seen something before, but that doesn’t mean it won’t look good.’
Me (second from right) at Hairworld 2010 in Paris.
