What does history teach us about hair design, originality and innovation?
03.18.2017
Ignorance can be the devil. To us hair stylists, it’s like sculpting blindfolded—A situation you’d never want to encounter.
Knowing the past is an important part of the hair design process. To a hair designer, that means two things.
Learning about our customers
First, it’s about learning the customers’ history, or the path that led them to today. The more we know about the customer and the beauty they possess inside, the more depth we can create in our hair design. Without knowing the past and learning from it, we will never be able to create original, innovative, truly beautiful design.
That means lots and lots of communication. So naturally, a customer’s 5th visit will be an even better experience than their 3rd visit, which will be better than their very first visit to a salon. It’s just like any other relationship. It gets better and better over the years.
Learning about the world we live in
The second important aspect for hair design is learning about the world we live in. What happened in the past that led the world to where it is now? Where does the current trend come from? These are questions we need to ask ourselves. There’s a clear distinction between artists and designers. Artists are completely free to create and express anything on their terms. Designers on the other hand, must find the perfect balance. Does the hairstyle suit the customer? Is it relevant in today’s world? It’s our job to create the perfect balance to make sure that both the customer, as well as the world around them falls in love with what we create.
With all that said, today we’d like to learn little bit more about the world we live in.
How did American Fashion emerge?
Let’s take a look at the history of American fashion. When was American fashion born?
Until the 1930s, Paris dominated the fashion scene with Haute Couture and everyone pretty much followed their lead. But during the World War II, Haute Couture took a back seat and lost its leadership role in fashion. At the same time, the government placed restrictions on the use of fabrics and materials normally used to make clothing, in order to supply the military. So Americans had to use fabrics like rayon, cotton denim and jersey. The working women also played a significant role in the emergence of American fashion. Pants became a staple for the women who worked in factories. Versatility and functionality ruled over elegance. This is said to be the beginning of the American casual fashion we see today. It’s fascinating to see how American fashion emerged out of necessity from all the struggles and hardships of the war.
Another event that made a great impact on American fashion was the Hippie Movement in the mid 60s. The anti-war movement triggered by the Vietnam War brought about the young generation rejecting consumerism as well as the roles dictated by society. Young people started embracing an alternative lifestyle based on individuality. They expressed this new lifestyle with colorful bohemian fashion featuring emroidered kaftan, floral scarves and bandanas. The hippie fashion that emerged out of struggle and strong will of the people still continues to influence fashion around the world till this day.
History teaches us that originality and innovation is something that’s born from a time of struggle, tension and change. At the same time, it’s a representation of the strong will and hope of the human kind. No wonder it’s so beautiful.