Eugene Souleiman Pushes Hair Boundaries

I remember hearing about Eugene Souleiman back in the late 1980s when he was working with Trevor Sorbie.

From that point on I would see his name mentioned in the credits for just about every major fashion and hair related story in the media. But you would have to search in the credits because Eugene Souleiman keeps a low profile.

(Image of Eugene Souleiman (right) and his side kick Martin - All Rights Reserved)

Simple Hair Decisions With Stunning Results

In 1998 he was backstage at Prada loosening up hair from Dolce & Gabbana to Miu Miu.  I'll never forget how, as Elle reported, the hair maestro looked at "the techno-luxe clothes and the models' expertly groomed coifs  (most had come from previous shows) and decided simply to wash it."

From that simple decision emerged the  natural beauty of the model's hair.  The result was a relaxed and angelic vision with beautiful wisps of hair creating halos around the stunning faces of the models.  I loved how Souleiman could look at hair from such a simplistic yet complex viewpoint and create an astonishing array of hairstyles for the catwalks.

Back To Basics - Showcasing Hair's Natural Beauty

Souleiman believes in going back to the basics of hair and uncovering the natural beauty.  Truly a pied piper for the natural texture movement helping to push hair boundaries to the limits.  He also avoids hair brushes like the plague.  The hair master believes in simply blow drying hair without a brush, using fingers and hands so it looks air dried or actually air-drying it.  Genius, right?

Working In The Shadows

Eugene Souleiman is one of the most influential hair stylists today, a true visionary who inspires and sets the trends that other stylists follow.  He is the hair worlds modern Picasso and Monet all rolled up into one amazing hair genius.

The average hair consumer may never have heard of Souleiman.  Why?  He works in the shadows of the catwalks.  On average, he styles about 30 girls per fashion show and does about 30 shows per season.  Yes, if you add it all up, that translates to about 900 heads of hair in a very short period of a few weeks.

Souleiman is purely an editorial, backstage kinda guy with a very low-key, un-diva-like approach to working in the killer high-pressure fashion world.  He is as cool as a cucumber and works his Edward Scissorhands-like hair magic behind the scenes where he feels most at home.  He doesn't own a salon, a line of hair care products, have his name attached to hair extensions or hot tools or tout his celebrity connections.

He understands the importance of translating a designer's collection into perfect hair without upstaging the fashions.  His hair designs are breathtaking without taking away from the fashions or the collections.  By their very essence hair stylists want to garner attention for their work, which in the case of a designer would be a big no-no.  Souleiman gets it and knows how to work it without being distracting.

Unique Talent For Interpreting Designers' Ideas Into Concrete Hair Visions

His unique talent for interpreting designers’ ideas into a concrete vision complimenting the clothes lends him to be in constant demand.

Eugene has worked on shows such as D&G, Dolce & Gabbana, Moschino, Alberta Ferretti, Dries Van Noten, Celine, Chanel, Chloe, Ann Demeulemeester, Clements Ribeiro, Donna Karan, Nicole Farhi, Louis Vuitton, Menichetti, Sonia Rykiel, Narciso Rodriguez, Paul Smith, Rick Owens, Ralph Lauren, Yohji Yamamoto, Y’s, Y3, BCBG, Givenchy, Martine Sitbon, DSquared, Krizia, Kenzo, Antonio Berardi, Lanvin, Issey Miyake, Stella McCartney, Viktor & Rolf, Valentino, Hermes and Hussein Chalayan.

Have Fun With Your Hair

“People should have fun with hair,” says Eugene “It grows and changes all the time. And it’s only hair, really.”   His sense of humour and unique way of looking at hair permeates every avant-garde style he creates.

He especially thrives to push boundaries- taking risks with both colour and length and this is most prevalent in his hair sculptures. His endless stream of ideas and constant experimentation means he is continuously evolving and creating.

His career began in 1982, when by chance, a job placement centre led him to become an apprentice to a hairdresser. There was no turning back; Eugene had found his niche. He worked closely with Trevor Sorbie for nearly 10 years, learning the “Sassoon way”, before branching out to create cutting edge trends in his own inimitable style.

For a short time in 1998 he worked at Toni & Guy, followed by a stint as Co-Creative Director for Bumble and Bumble in 1999. Soon after this he was approached to join the Vidal Sassoon team as Editorial Director. He was recently Creative Director for Tecni.Art/L’Oreal Professionnel.

Fashion Magazine Contributions

He is a regular contributor to the most influential of fashion magazines including: Italian Vogue, British Vogue, French Vogue, US Vogue, L’Uomo Vogue, Numero, Self Service, i-D Magazine, Arena, Arena Homme Plus, W, Harper’s Bazaar, V Magazine, Another Magazine, Dazed and Confused and the New York Times.

The list of photographers he has worked with reads like a Who’s who of photography: Craig McDean, Steven Meisel, Inez Van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin, Paolo Roversi, Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott, Sean Ellis, Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, Peter Lindbergh, Satoshi, Fabien Baron, Jean-Baptiste Mondino, Mario Testino, Richard Burbridge and Richard Bus.

He's also worked with Solve Sundsbo, with whom he has worked with on numerous advertising campaigns including: Givenchy, Fendi, Alberta Ferretti, Guerlain, Jil Sander, Moschino, Lanvin, Hermes, Yohji Yamamoto, Calvin Klein, Versus, Narciso Rodriguez, Balenciaga, Donna Karan, Emanuel Ungaro, Giorgio Armani Cosmetics, Rimmel and the Gap.

Chess Influenced Hair Styles

Eugene recently collaborated with Dinos and Jake Chapman on an art exhibition called ‘The Art of Chess’ where he individually styled the hair of each chess figure.

In addition, Eugene headed the styling for the Fashion Rocks Charity event, benefiting The Prince’s Trust. He oversaw 80 assistants, doing fashion presentations of designers Alexander McQueen, Calvin Klein, Christian Dior, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, YSL and many others.

Eugene is currently based in London and works extensively between New York, London, Milan and Paris.  Watch for his credits to appear in the next fashion shoots.  They'll be there.  All you have to do is check it out.

More Information

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