Fashion Week: What It Takes To Work Backstage

Eugene Souleiman works on some of the biggest shows in the world for some of the biggest designers in the world. When you have that kind of pressure, backstage can get chaotic, but Eugene keeps the energy light and easy. That's how the hair gets done. 

“When I first started working at New York Fashion Week, I was most surprised by the lack of logic of anything, but that’s also what makes it fun. Everything’s last minute, it makes zero sense. But if it did, then it would be like a normal job, and we wouldn’t want that," says James. 

When it's an educational event or a trade show, Sonya Dove is always front and center, but Fashion Week is a different story. “It's definitely different than doing trade shows. Working in a team is really important. When you do trade shows, you have a key person. But here, you have a core team. You train them, and then they train the other stylists. You have to be very clear and concise with what you want the end result to be," she says. 

To get backstage at Fashion Week, Rodney says, "Hairdressers need to follow who is doing what. It’s the best way to understand runway style and to see what’s happening in fashion. I am always looking at Orlando, or Eugene or Peter Gray—salon stylists should be doing the same if this is their dream. Study their portfolios and their runway looks for inspiration."

For stylists who want to get backstage, Aveda offers a runway styling class. "We teach the basic styling foundations you need for backstage—the ponytail, a French twist, how to build your kit, appropriate etiquette, things like that," says Allen. Once a stylist finishes the class, they are guaranteed one show. 

Holli Smith worked with Guido Palau for five years, and now she leads her own shows. It's safe to say, she knows a thing or two about getting the job done and working in a chaotic environment. Here's her advice for stylists getting into the industry: "It’s a combination of luck and timing, but you have to have diligence about it. If you have a particular artist you want to work with, go to their agency and let them know. You have to do it for yourself."

When Aubrey's backstage, it's always a good time. He says, “The biggest thing you need backstage is passion, and to always remember that Fashion Week is fun—it’s not brain surgery!”. 

He also created a runway class—Backstage Pass—to help stylists get involved in working backstage. He hosts the class four times a year and anyone can sign up. If you complete the class, you're automatically added to his roster and are eligible to join his team!