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“Howl” – The Sassoon Academy Midseason Collection

Sassoon International Creative Director Mark Hayes likens his job to shopping in a supermarket of style.  Responsible for conceptualizing, organizing and executing all of the Sassoon Academy and Salon collections and show imagery each year, he pushes his “trolley” up and down the aisles, choosing this fashion influence and that music influence and that cultural reference.  Some blend, some are disparate, but ultimately all are filtered through Hayes’ singular point of view to become an iconic Sassoon collection.

In Los Angeles to shoot the Mid Season 2008 collection, recently, Hayes described the eclectic elements of “Howl.”  The title is a 1955 poem by Allen Ginsburg, one of the spokesmen for America’s Beat Generation.  Hayes was drawn to one of the phrases in the poem—“angel-headed hipsters”—which rails against conformity and materialism.  “That made me think of longer hair,” he reveals, “even though Academy collections are usually short and geometric with hard edges.”  From there, like the Beat-era jazz musicians that sparked his imagination, Hayes consulted with his creative team of “cool hunters” to riff on other influences.  They came up with the images of postwar London Teddy Girls called “Bombsite Boudiccas” photographed by Ken Russell; the Patti Smith-inspired, Goth/rock fall collection by fashion’s Ann Demeulemeester and the iridescent, black, navy blue and nightshade purple “petrol” colors prevalent in the paintings of Beat artist Ad Reinhardt. 

Hayes went on to storyboard these elements, using photos from magazines, lines from the poem, descriptive words and phrases, sketches and more.  The result is “Howl,” his androgynous, “angel-headed hipsters” with disheveled quiffs, stretched silhouettes and monochromatic, midnight hues. 

“I’m responsible for perpetuating the Sassoon philosophy and moving it forward,” the intense Sassoon leader comments.  “My goal is to inspire stylists to learn what we do and demonstrate how it’s possible to take the past and the present, break it all apart and do something new.”

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Cut & Color:  Sassoon Creative Team led by Mark Hayes/International Creative Director
Photographer:  Luke Duval
Wardrobe:  Tabitha Owen
Make-up:  Candice Winkelpleck
Styling product:  Wella Sp
Color:  Wella Koleston Perfect

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