The F.A.M.E. Team: ‘The Deviants’

This F.A.M.E. Team are the Fellowship’s ‘jewel in the crown’. This year’s four bright talents, Ellie Bond from Spargo Hairdressing, Katie Prescott from Toni&Guy, Peter Mellon from Medusa Hairdressing and Paddy McDougall from Rainbow Room International, took centre stage as a unit for the first time at Pro Hair Live at Manchester Central this year, presenting their first creation, ‘The Deviants’.

Inspired by the underground nightclub scene from the 1980’s, ‘The Deviants’ is eccentric but raw and real, reflecting a fashion statement and way of life.

“On the first day that we got together as a team, Karine Jackson invited us to the Basquiat exhibition at the Barbican in London,” explains Ellie, “We were so inspired by the art and Basquiat’s life in the early 80’s downtown New York art and club scene, that we decided to use this as a theme for our first collection.”

In the early 1980’s, people were beginning to experiment with their clothes to define their personalities and the importance of individuality was a defining element of the decade. Basquiat’s work was at the forefront of the movement, inspiring the F.A.M.E. Team to take this and depict it into four looks reminiscent of the era with an up to date twist inspired by the latest fashion movements of today. ‘The Deviants’ collection features a male model look inspired by Basquiat’s own identity, featuring dreadlocks with plenty of structure and texture.

“I think it’s important to use both male and female models in our work,” says Katie, “Over the last few years, male grooming and fashion trends have had an important shift and have adopted a more abstract approach. Incorporating male looks is more relevant than ever, as designers are currently raising questions of gender identity and the post-modern male.”

The team stormed the Pro Hair Live stage with their creations, making their on-stage debut as a team, representing Fellowship talent.

“Being on stage as a team was such a buzz,” reveals Paddy, “We gelled perfectly when creating our collection behind the scenes and also on stage. It has set the tone for the year and now we are more focused and driven than ever. Seeing our vision come together in front of us, topped off with the styling and make-up, was an indescribable feeling.”

Next up for the F.A.M.E. Team? They have a busy few months in the pipeline, soaking up and experiencing everything on offer during their year on one of the greatest platforms in the industry.

Peter says, “We’ll soon be heading to Melbourne, Australia to represent the Fellowship at Hair Expo and collaborate with BaByliss PRO. What an opportunity! We’ve been putting a lot of energy into the collection that we’ll be showcasing out there, which is such a fun process. Watch this space!”

The Look

Inspired by Basquiat’s own personal style, the team embraced the model’s natural hair texture whilst emphasising the shape. The dreadlocks were hairpieces made from synthetic hair and were sewn into the model’s natural hair. They were then sculpted into shape using irons, finished with plenty of texturizing.