All photography by Asia Werbel. Courtesy of Fyodor Golan
While the pastel and tie-dye garments at British label Fyodor Golan’s SS20 show grabbed our attention, we were left thinking about the oversized, powdered and pastel hair creations by stylist Johanna Cree Brown. Taking inspiration from the bold styles of different eras of statement-making hair, like the stacked wigs of late Baroque courts and the gelled spikes of the ‘70s punk movement, combining and modifying styles to create an avant-garde hair language. We spoke to the hairstylist behind the gravity-defying looks to get the inside scoop on her creations for the Fyodor Golan SS20 show at Somerset House.
What was your inspiration behind the hair for the collection?
Inspiration came from several places, the starting point from Fyodor and Golan was classic, traditional hair, Mozart, the ‘90s rave scene, the ‘80s… A real mash up of all these inspired the boys, mixed with my experiments with hair/ I have a punk spirit running through my work instinctively with a clear understanding of beauty even when taken to the extreme.
Is all of the hair wigs or is some of it natural, what are the best and worst parts about working with either?
It was a mix of both. It was important to Fyodor and Golan that the viewer of the collection had time to breath, as the wigs were such an assault to the senses. The best part about working with wigs is there are no limits; you can create anything that you dream up. With real hair it is more about a feeling, a touch that would magnify the culture and character of the model. It was a solid combination of both working together seamlessly.
Could you take us through your favourite look?
Can’t decide between the peachy punk look and the blue Amadeus marble. For the peachy punk, I used old school authentic spike styling, tonnes of gel and hairspray, referencing the shape of a crown, leaving soft loose peach hair all around. For the blue marble, I was inspired by the white wigs of the 18th century, but contained in a sleek simple style. I mixed gel with blue hair dye and poured it over the wig on the day of the show.
Why does natural hair poke out of your wigs sometimes?
We wanted to keep it authentic, not hide that it was wigs. Leaving hair out has a fresher feel and adds a bit more personality.
You mix a lot of different styles from Baroque to punk, what do you think make these aesthetics something that people always come back to?
I guess times of hardship or prominent change brings out the most creative moments, which draws us in time and time again when looking for sources of inspiration.
