On my Radar
Frequently found behind the scenes at international fashion shoots and runway shows, respected stylist & Ryder team member, Benjamin James, takes a stand on trends.
Do hair trends exist anymore? Where does the influence come from? Why are we all looking at the same things? Am I losing my mind? All these questions ran through my head at once when I was asked to write about trends. Below is where I got to. When I think about hair trends, I get lost in the internet and my mind wanders but never in the direction of trends. I end. up thinking about entirely different things altogether. Does my car need a service? Did I feed the cat? How will climate change affect us?
Basically, what I'm saying is that I don't find trends important anymore. I have touched on this point before but I believe trends are such a Fugazi now that if I tell you something, you have no choice but to believe it because of my position in the industry.
The same can be said about online influencers; because they have X amount of followers, they can say what they want about trends and you'll believe them, but let's be real. Unless they're in the industry, what do they know about hair or hair trends?
For context, in 2013 Kanye West said; "Look at Gaga. She's the Creative Director of Polaroid. I like some of the Gaga songs. What the f**k does she know about cameras?" And I agree.
Gaga’s been in front of the camera for a lot of her life, but by no means does she have the knowledge to comment on the production or quality of cameras. She does however have the weight of her name to influence you into thinking that by purchasing a Polaroid camera, you can be part of her exclusive club. Can the same not be said about hair trends? Hot girl with a Balayage influences you into the idea that Balayage is the trend and makes you want to be a hot girl with a Balayage?
Fashion is so fractionated now that you can identify with any trend, taking from this and that to create your own look. So who can decide what's "trendy" anymore if everyone's plugging their own trends? Also, do we all want to look like everyone else? Why aren't we more confident about being our own influence?
I recently got back from Australian Fashion Week in Sydney where I led the hair direction for ghd at Alix Higgins. The feeling for the show was all about individuality and we embraced every model's natural texture, whether it was straight, wavy or curly. We celebrated everyone for who they were. Can we not do this in our own styling, or do we need to be told what to like and what not to like still?
For me, it always comes back to loving who we are, quirks and all. I know it's soppy and cliché but I think this will forever be "on-trend".