Toronto-based hairstylist Aprille Bouchard found her way into the world of hair more than 20 years ago, when she began her career as an actress. While working on set for various acting gigs, she noticed how much fun the hairstylists were having. While she knew she had an artistic drive and was thinking of becoming a makeup artist, her heart eventually led her to hair.
She’s been showcasing her creativity throughout her career, including the 2020 Contessa Awards, in which she’s earned two finalist titles—one of them for the Session Hairstylist category. The collection featured intricate hair pieces of various shapes, patterns and textures. Her vision was to produce stunning yet simple work that could stand on its own. “I wanted to bring that very classic and clean look that stylists used to do before Photoshop,” says Bouchard. “I come from a generation where, when we did photo shoots, your shot was what you had to work with, so it’s embedded in me to want to get it right with minimal touchups.”
“Pulling out that artistic side where there are no boundaries and I don’t have to consult with the client is really exciting.”
Weave Your Mark
This creative collection showcased three different hair pieces that were all shaped and molded into different textures and patterns, but according to Bouchard, the most time-consuming look was a woven wig with a low-placed bun. She used a weaving loom to form each of the hair squares until it looked like a woven piece of fabric.
“This was my most complex look because it was all done by hand and took a lot of finessing,” she says. “It was such intricate work and my main objective was for it to look perfect. So, if a piece started to fall out, I would take it out and start over again.” After days of continuous work, she had made approximately seven to eight different pieces of woven hair in various shapes and sizes in order to be able to manipulate them into an actual hairstyle through the use of pins and folding.
Haute Couture
When it came to the overall feel of the collection, Bouchard had one word in mind: Chanel. “I wanted the models to look clean, classic and feminine,” she says. “With the lace, pearls and even the hair pieces that I wanted to resemble classic hats, I wanted to create that old-school Chanel look.”
She brought her vision to life through the use of creative wardrobe, jewellery and even makeup with a classic, bold red lip that brought a level of balance to the overall classic feel. Looking ahead, Bouchard says she’s excited to continue producing “out of the box” work that she feels has been missing from her everyday routine.
“I love to make people happy on a daily basis but pulling out that artistic side where there are no boundaries and I don’t have to consult with the client is really exciting,” she says. “It’s been a long time since I did something this creative.” “Pulling out that artistic side where there are no boundaries and I don’t have to consult with the client is really exciting.”
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