SACHA QUARLES (“SACHA Q”) HAS BEEN THE GO-TO STYLIST FOR THE STAGE, TELEVISION AND FILM INDUSTRY FOR OVER TWO DECADES. •
He is a sought-after editorial contributor to top-tier magazines such as Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Vanity Fair, Self and People and a consultant for well-known luxury brands such as Chanel, Dolce and Gabbana, and Calvin Klein. His personal client list includes some of the biggest names in the industry such as Robert DeNiro, Catherine Zeta Jones, Tom Hanks, Robert Downey Jr., Shia LaBoeouf, Carey Mulligan and Kristin Davis to name a few.
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Two Emmy nominations for his work on,“Sex and the City”
What follows is the beginning of what I call my, “Artistry Unleashed” Series. Lessons on trend, hair & life I’ve learned from great hairdressers or…the hard way. Two of the questions I’m so often asked when teaching is, “where do I find my inspiration”, or “how do you create a trend?”
THE ANSWER IS SIMPLE. START BY LOOKING INSIDE YOURSELF. Way back when you first started your career, if you were anything like me, you ripped inspirations out of Vogue, American Salon or People Magazine. You experimented, took risks and really played with hair. What happened?
EVERY DAY YOU MUST LEARN SOMETHING NEW, TRY SOMETHING NEW Don’t just follow the work others do. Make your own. Invent a trend. Be the artist you were always meant to be. Start by thinking about what I consider to be the 5 Greatest Lessons in Hair Artistry I’ve ever learned.
THE ORIGIN OF TRENDS Long before a trend hits the sidewalk of Anytown, U.S.A., it is shaped and sculpted to the form and personality of models and celebrities and personified on the red carpet and catwalk. It’s through celebrities, models and even pop stars that trends are set‌establishing the latest new standards in fashion and beauty.
THE ORIGIN OF TRENDS As designers we must look deep into a crystal ball of indicators to predict the hottest new looks of not the year, but well into the future. It’s not an exact science…and thankfully over the years I’ve had the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest hairdressers of our time.
THE ORIGIN OF TRENDS Trends are shaped by your feelings, inspirations, environment and interests in the moment. They can build on the trends that precede it or bring back a movement from decades ago. They can be modern or they can be retro…a trend can be anything, shaped & inspired by everything. What makes it work is the delivery.
LESSON #1 LEARN FROM THE BEST, BUT MAKE IT YOURS. Here’s a simple fact: everything that can be done with hair has been done. Pompadours, undercuts, even Mohawks go back not just decades, but thousands of years. If you want to create a trend start first finding inspiration in something you find interesting and then break the pattern‌push it a new direction. Recreate the inspiration in a new way and make it yours.
LESSON #2 THE TREND IS NOW, LOOK FOR THE COUNTER-TREND. For every trend that’s happening now, it’s all happened before. Last year saw the return of big, bold 70’s hair, ombre and even the iconic look of Vidal Sassoon. Don’t just replicate what’s on trend…look ahead and start planning for the opposite. Case in point: natural waves gave way to super smooth straightening and blowouts…which is now giving way for a return to natural texture…BUT texture to the umpteenth degree.
LESSON #3 ALWAYS LOOK FOR & HAVE THE BEST TOOLS TO WORK WITH. Because of the amount of movie,TV & editorial work I do, the change-ups have to be fast and efficient…so I always look for things that will save time, effort and unnecessary steps.Years ago when I broke intoTV and film with the work I did on,“Sex In The City”I can’t tell you how many days and nights I spent hand sewing wefts of hair. Today, you find a company like She by SO.CAP.USA who gives you the option to add density, length or even pops in color in a variety of textures. How I wish I had then what I have now!
LESSON #4 YOUR OWN WORST ENEMY IS JUST YOU. Every morning when you wake up, think of just three things that are going well in your life at the moment. As you fall asleep every night, fill your mind with an appreciation for all the small things that went well during the day. Examine your successes. Every client that walked out that door beautiful, happy and fulfilled. The most efficient way to enjoy more success in this business is not to obsess yourself with what hasn’t worked in the past, but instead to extend and expand upon the success you already know.
LESSON #5 WHY SHIA LABEOUF WILL NEVER CALL ME FOR A SMOOTHING SERVICE. Back in 2009 I was working on Oliver Stone’s,“Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps”, the sequel to Wall Street. At the time Shia LaBeouf’s career had really started to take off and in the film he portrays Jacob "Jake" Moore, an ambitious, young proprietary trader. The challenge was Shia looked much younger than his character, so both costuming and myself really worked on his overall look to make him look older. His hair has a really course, kinky texture…some of the most challenging I’ve worked with.
LESSON #5 WHY SHIA LABEOUF WILL NEVER CALL ME FOR A SMOOTHING SERVICE. At the time I’d been going from one project to the other…so I didn’t take the time to keep up with education to keep building my skills. Smoothing services were really starting to have resurgence and of course it was decided to smooth his hair to change the texture. I knew enough to pull it off, and Shia loved the cut and style…but I found out shortly thereafter that he had started seeing someone else for smoothing services. He loved what my shears did…but didn’t love the rest.
LESSON #5 WHY SHIA LABEOUF WILL NEVER CALL ME FOR A SMOOTHING SERVICE. The point?You have to take the time to build your skills and learn new services. Learn to master what you don’t know because there is always someone else waiting in the wings that are better than you.
Never, ever give someone sitting in your chair the opportunity to wonder if someone else can do it better.
ONE LAST THING… No matter how much time I spend doing, creating and dreaming…some of my greatest work and inspiration comes from even greater hairdressers I meet on the road. I’m often asked by stylists how they can break into film or TV and the answer is simple: start with an open mind. Be open to learning, constantly push yourself and create real art with hair every day. People notice, you get noticed…and if you’re lucky someone will give you a break. Once you have that break…the rest is up to you.
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