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Collection: British Hairdresser of the Year finalist collection

Hair: Errol Douglas, Errol Douglas Hair Salon, London, UK

Makeup: Kylie O’Toole

Wardrobe: Emma Cotterill

Photos: Andrew O’ Toole

Errol Douglas remembers being five years old and spending an entire day with his mom at a salon. He says frankly, “I was completely transfixed.” While other children were playing with toys, he was buying and poring over the pages of fashion magazines. By the age of 11, Douglas knew it would always be hair for him.

At present, he’s been nominated 12 times consecutively for the British Hairdresser of the Year Award. And although his latest (and unfortunately last) collection for this category didn’t bring home the hardware, it has been called his best collection yet.

Shot over a period of three days in Sydney, Australia, with his long-time friend and photog Andrew O’Toole, Douglas’s photos actually took a full seven months to plan. He cast models for a little over two months and dropped four of them mere days before the shoot. Still, Douglas says, “These pictures are a pure celebration of the beautiful iconic woman. This collection is very Italian or French Vogue because it has content that’s consistent and fluid. Every single hairstyle makes a statement; there’s nothing wishy-washy about it.” Overall, the photos uphold Douglas’s reputation for edgy, fashion-forward styling. He says, “I see myself as a Karl Lagerfeld, Donatella Versace or Tom Ford. My collections have to be evolving in order to last a season. I’ve always got to be thinking ahead.” This collection was no exception. Douglas incorporated pure white blondes, voluminous curls, Afro techniques, a balloon shape, and as a very first in his career, he shaved one model’s hair right to the scalp. After getting goosebumps when he first laid eyes on the images, Douglas sums it up, “They’re really amazing portrait pictures. Commercial, but still strong.”