The name Eugene Souleiman conjures up an exhilirating combination of technical expertise and inspirational showmanship. On-stage he’s teacher and entertainer combined, yet behind the stage he’s… pure genius.
For the Spring/Summer ’16 collections Eugene worked his magic on shows in New York, Milan and Paris, working to extraordinarily contrasting briefs, yet still delivering hair that in perfect synergy with the creative context of each fashion collection.
THE SHOWS, THE STYLES… A NEW HERO PRODUCT RANGE
This season Eugene was working with the EIMI styling range, launched by Wella Professionals to reflect the demand for an urban, street-style inspired, individuality in hair; it was inevitable that a styling range driven by such eclecticism should have become the backstage hair product heroes on the runways of the world’s fashion capitals.
The SS16 season began in New York, where Eugene created 60s-inspired Doo-wop hair for Jeremy Scott. Taking inspiration from the heroine of John Waters’ iconic film ‘Hairspray’ and the bouffant-haired beauties of that decade. “Building in high-octane volume at the base with a 50/50 mixture of EIMI Root Shoot and EIMI Sugar Lift is the key to creating this look,” explained Eugene. “To get volume on this scale you need to create the texture of over-processed hair as this holds its structure much better. Finish the look with masses of EIMI Stay Styled hairspray.”
Over in Milan, Eugene worked on the Blumarine SS16 collection, where he created a hair look with a tougher and rawer, with an edgy, lived-in texture. “I wanted some movement and a soft, natural wave, but without it looking like it’d been set in a roller,” said Eugene. “You’re using the hair as the roller; twisting it around itself to create the movement and texture naturally. Finish the lengths with EIMI Dry Me dry shampoo for added volume and texture.”
Eugene’s global roadshow ended in Paris, where he styled for 2 shows: a tribal yet playful ‘no-braid braid’ for Esteban Cortazar and personalised beachy blow-dry waves for Roland Mouret. “Roland’s show was cast beautifully, so it was really a celebration of the diversity of beauty,” explained Eugene. “For Esteban, meanwhile, I wanted to do something that really stood out – a very strong, glossy look that was also really playful – every section is different; every girl is different.”
LEARN TO SPEAK EIMI! THE A-Z of HAIRSTYLES
To compliment the backstage creative success of EIMI and roll-out exciting runway styling opportunities to salons, Wella Professionals has created the ‘A-Z of Hairstyles’ in collaboration with three top Instagrammers and international style hunters. It’s a collection of looks found in the world’s fashion capitals – a fresh way of identifying or inspiring your client’s new hair look.
Visit www.wella.com/speakEIMI to view the full alphabet and post, share and name your own A-Z look using #speakEIMI
