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After years of working in salons, Londonborn hairstylist Daniel Martin wanted to explore the world of editorial and the runway, known in the industry as “session styling.” But his skills weren’t easily transferable. “I realized I was out of my depth and couldn’t do the hair I thought I could,” he recalls. “I thought it would be the same as salon. Miles apart.” Through a makeup artist pal, he contacted fellow Brit and runway wizard Eugene Souleiman, who took him under his wing. Martin’s training required him to go “back to basics a little bit,” but he remained on Souleiman’s core team for eight years. Then came the chance to assist Garren, a legend to any aspiring hairstylist. Between Souleiman’s “manga, cartoon hairdresser” style and Garren’s “old school, classic” approach, Martin built a foundation of knowledge that serves him well today as he zigzags between magazine shoots, advertising campaigns and the red carpet.
It’s this experience that likely helped him land the role of Goldwell’s global styling ambassador last year, which includes product development. To lay the groundwork for Kerasilk Style ( from $37), seven new styling products, Martin took two suitcases of his favourite hair products to the company’s labs in Berlin to show the chemists examples of his likes and dislikes. “I drove them nuts,” he says of the continual tweaks he asked for. His end goals included a hairspray that rivals Elnett (“I’m not lying to you—this is better”), a mousse that gives volume but also loads of shine (rather than mattifying) and a curl cream that’s like a leave-in conditioner yet helps form bouncy, light curls. Ultimately, Martin didn’t want any of the products to be discernible either by touch or sight once applied. “Luxury is hair that moves as opposed to something rigid,” he says.