Tell us about yourself and how you got your start in the beauty industry. Did you always know you wanted to be a hairstylist?
I always knew I wanted to be a performer; I started as a dancer at a very young age, and I always found myself fixing my dancer friends’ hair. My passion for hair started to open up and I started doing colour. When I was 15 or 16—while in high school—I used to shadow in a hair salon in Israel.
I’ve been doing hair for 15 years now. I used to work with Aveda, and for the last eight years I’ve been working on hair for film and TV.
What do you most enjoy about working on hair for film and TV?
I love designing hair and creating a character. I like to work with the actors and design the character they’re going to be playing. For me, it’s very enjoyable to understand the story behind it.
On film sets, we really work as a team. I love working with the makeup and costume [departments]. You’re trying to design the hair so it complements the overall look. I finished season four of The Handmaid’s Tale. We were nominated for Contemporary Hairstyling at the Emmys, which was fantastic. When it’s contemporary hair, it’s really important to follow the character and their lifestyle. Now I’m working on a movie called Code 8: Part II.
You just started entering the Contessas in the last two years. What motivated you to start competing?
I’ve been following the Contessas for so many years. I always wanted to do something like this. I was very excited; it really gives me the opportunity to challenge myself and create something new and fresh.
Why did you decide to enter the Multicultural Hairstylist category this year? Why is this category important to you?
Multicultural is very important to me. I was born in Poland and when I was nine, I moved to Israel, where I grew up. In Israel, there’s a mix of different cultures of people; from Morocco, Ethiopia, etc. It’s just beautiful! From a young age, I had the opportunity of learning about different cultures. I think it’s very important to educate ourselves and to learn about different cultures and celebrate together. For me, I really enjoy doing multicultural hair.
What inspired this collection?
History is very important to me, especially the history of hair. Every time period has a different history and I’m very interested about learning more about them.
[For this collection], I was really fascinated by the Egyptian symbols. I learned very interesting things, such as around the time of Cleopatra, they were wearing lots of wigs. Wigs would represent different statuses, cities and celebrations. Wigs would also be designed for those specific events. I remember learning that Cleopatra would wear wigs to match her outfit or how she was feeling. It was very fascinating to me. I really wanted to present it in this collection.
I understand you work a lot with wigs. What’s the secret to working with wigs and making them look natural?
I think [making them look natural] is the hardest because, depending on what the wig is made of, it may not look real. You really need to put extra work, care and love into it to create it and make the hair look real. In shaping it, you want to make sure you’re taking care of it; whether it’s when you’re washing or setting it. There are so many different techniques, and it takes a lot of work to create a natural look.
What tends to inspire you in general when you’re creating collections?
As I go, I learn so many different things. Sometimes, inspiration can come to me. But most of the time, I really need to work hard on my inspiration. I really need to look at and pick different things around me. I will look around me and ask myself, ‘What inspires you?’ If I’m excited and passionate about what I’m seeing, I will try to create something from that. We always need to be looking for those things. It can come from anything.
I’m passionate about so many different styles. I love period hair; finger waves and anything that allows me to shape and mold hair.
Who would you consider to be your biggest mentors throughout your career?
I remember when I was nine years old in Poland, I got very inspired by Antoni Cierplinkowski. He was a really big hairstylist in the 1920s. He was known for giving women very short haircuts. He took hair to the next level and took risks. I was very inspired by him and his work. I told myself I wanted to be like him when I grew up.
Right now, with what I’m doing with my art, I love to explore, create, take risks and think outside the box. As artists, when we feel too comfortable with what we do, we don’t grow. Sometimes, you really need to push your limits.
What’s next for you? Anything you’re working on now?
I’ll continue working on films and TV shows. I’m working on a hair project that’s still in development. I want to create more and just keep creating. Following my passion is very important to me.
Comments are closed.