Designer Hillary Taymour gave us all a peek into “Collina’s Gym” for the unveiling of Collina Strada’s Fall/Winter 2024 collection, titled “Stronger.” Highlighting femininity as a “flex,” the collection welcomed inner feminine power to take an outer chiseled form.
In the show’s notes, Taymour shared, “With women constantly passed over for power positions, the femme body and mind has long been shaped by the imagination of men. It’s about time we re-sculpted that meat-headed vision into something closer to the reality of femininity—something altogether sweatier yet more refined.”
For the Collina Strada show, models walked the runway holding squash-shaped dumbbells, weights, and in some cases, even babies, while dressed in elegantly beefed-up silhouettes. All of the garments were crafted from deadlift deadstock fabrics and accessorized with classic UGGs made from corn leather and PUMA shoes from their upcoming collaboration.
Serving as lead hairstylist, Bumble and bumble Global Artistic Director Evanie Frausto worked in collaboration with Taymour to design the perfect hair look that would complement the New York-based label’s latest collection. Using an array of Bumble and bumble products, Frausto and his team styled punk-inspired slicked down hair with hair tattoos in contrasting colors for the show.
“Today, we are flipping the script—compared to previous seasons where hair is dry, colorful and big, we are leaning into a more masculine energy, and incorporating elements of punk and metal,” said Frausto. “Hair tattoos are adorned on top of the model’s hair to reflect the show’s music, and is also inspired by metal band font styles. This is combined with inspiration from today’s set, a woodsy whimsical space.”
Pre-show, The Tease was able to chat with Frausto about his inspiration for the hair looks, the pressure of delivering incredible hairstyles each fashion week season, and his favorite thing about styling the hair for Collina Strada’s shows. Keep scrolling for his insights as well as how to get the hair from Collina Strada’s Fall 2024 runway show.
Can you tell me a little bit about the hair and what served as the inspiration?
Evanie Frausto: So we’re kind of flipping the script and doing a 180 because for Collina, we usually go for really organic, kind of messy, dry hairstyles—they’re always kind of colorful and loud. Today, we’re going a little bit more subdued and a bit edgier and cool and really tidy and sharp with these super clean parts. And we did a little design and we’re calling them the hair tattoo.
Can you give us a breakdown of how you constructed the hair tattoo?
Frausto: Basically, the base for the model’s head is gelled with the Bumble and bumble BB gel. We’re going in section by section and making this really clean head shape. Then, while the hair’s wet with the gel, we’re going in and making these ribbon pieces out of hair. We’re placing it on the head and then it kind of melts together as it dries.
How would you say that the hair reflects the “Stronger” theme for Collina Strada’s fall 2024 collection?
Frausto: It’s so structured and just really sharp, even with the hair tattoos. We’re doing a star on one side and a fairy wing on the other, but it has these really sharp points. So we’re kind of leaning into a little bit of this masculine kind of energy.
Collina Strada shows are often some of the most experimental shows at fashion week when it comes to hair and beauty. What would you say are the challenges of conceptualizing hair looks for a brand that constantly pushes the envelope and has such an unconventional aesthetic?
Frausto: I think what makes it so exciting for beauty is Hillary [Taymour] and I are really great friends and we always start communicating months in advance. For this one, we were like, “What can we do to shake things up a lot?” And we were like, what if we just went for clean and tidy and like a little bit of a minimal thing, because I think we kind of had all these bangers of crazy hairstyles. So we were like, let’s shock everyone by not doing the most because in a way, it can be the most punk rock thing that we can do.
Do you ever feel pressured to top the hair looks you styled in previous seasons?
Frausto: Yeah, of course. I think I’m someone that always wants to take it up a notch—take it up a level. So I’m always adding the pressure to myself to really deliver and I really care. I really want Hillary to be happy. So that’s a good fire to fuel me.
Lastly, you’ve worked with Collina Strada for a couple of different seasons now. What’s the best thing about doing hair for the brand’s shows?
Frausto: I think what I love the most is just how collaborative Hillary is and the whole Collina team. They come with ideas, but they also like to ask me for my ideas. And I think that’s just the key because we can really come together and merge our two worlds. And she’s also very trusting and I think that trust is key.
Get the Look:
- First, hair is damped down with Bb. Tonic, before being sectioned. Bb. Gel is applied in each section from the roots to the middle of hair. Hair is lacquered and held down close to the head.
- To create the hair tattoo, small ribbons of hair are cut and saturated with Bb. Gel, then carefully placed into the Collina Strada star shape on one side of the head, and a fairy wing on the other side.
- Once the hair tattoo is placed, Holding Spray is layered over the top and diffused until fully dry. Strong Finish Hairspray is sprayed over to lock it all in place.
- To complete the wet look, Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil is added to the ends.
