Rebel with a purpose
VERY much a behind-the-scenes kind of guy, British hairstylist Anthony Turner works magic almost with his bare hands, with a little help from L’Oréal Professionnel (LP) range, to create wonders on the runway.
An already established hairdresser, Turner, who is in his 30s, has an impressive portfolio with big names in the industry like Calvin Klein, Ferragamo, Givenchy, Christopher Kane and Alexander Wang procurring his services to conceptualise looks for their campaign ads and runway presentations.
Recently, he has been appointed Hairstyling Ambassador by LP, which means he is responsible for Kirsten Dunst’s hair dos, the brand’s first ever international spokesperson.
“My DNA is about easy, effortless down town, rock ‘n’ roll hair,” the grey-eyed hunk admitted. “I was a huge fan of Alexander McQueen when I was very young. And, I’ve always been interested in anything alternative. I noticed that his fashion shows were more like art installations, very much like narratives; dark, but at the same time very romantic. And I saw the hairstyles were always so amazing.”
Turner apparently started working when he was only 17 at a Toni & Guy salon in Britain. He then joined the Taylor Taylor London salon in London and became the first assistant to master stylist, Guido Palau, at New York Fashion Week before joining Palau’s team.
Palau, another towering figure in the industry, was once voted as one of the 25 most powerful people in the fashion industry. When asked how Palau influenced his works, Turner gave credit where it was due.
“Massively. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have gotten into hairdressing in the first place. It’s as simple as that.
“Guido did the hair for Alexander McQueen’s shows, and from the moment on, I was hooked. That was how I got into hairdressing.
“I really love the fact that he’s a rebel. He makes you question what beauty really is. He spearheads all the trends that we see now and he did it so long ago,” said Turner. So, what’s in for 2014? “Individuality, it’s all about every girl being herself. For the first time in all the fashion weeks I’ve ever done, all the designers were celebrating personality. They don’t want us to stick in extensions and form a whole generic army of robots.
“The biggest trend is: anything goes – as in hair length and texture – it’s all about experimenting,” he concluded. – ByS. SHAMALA