Issue link: https://www.ahpindiestylist.com/i/1359889
26 indie stylist Volume 2 Issue 2 WHAT ARE SOME CUT OR COLOR TRENDS YOU LOVE? I love all hair to be totally honest. It's not necessarily one certain thing. Hairdressing, as you can see, evolves so fast. I don't even think there are trends anymore. I think that's an old sort of question that people used to ask. We make our own trends. Young people are their own influencers—their own muse. I mean, they don't need a muse to follow. They're following what's going down on social media, their own tribe, and their own crew. WHAT CUT OR COLOR TRENDS DO YOU NEVER WANT TO SEE AGAIN? You know, in my own little way, maybe '80s hair. It really wasn't my thing. To me, hair has to look almost forced, like a structure, with a definite shape like punk or something that is mod—like those little mod haircuts. These [forced shapes] still fit a style, whereas permed hair just didn't look right—it just never seemed to look right with a tracksuit. I don't think we'll ever go back to permed hair. WHAT WAS YOUR INSPIRATION FOR THE COVER PHOTO? This picture is part of a collection of four new iconic looks that drive our education curriculum [at Sebastian]—the pixie, the graduated, the skimmed bob, and the shag. We wanted to work with looks everyone knows and [can] relate to just by closing their eyes. We created them the Sebastian way—with a modern touch, more melted to the head, and with a more organic touch—100 percent designed with our iconic blading techniques, which is part of our heritage in education. M eet Shay Dempsey, global creative stylist for Sebastian Professional. With 25-plus years in the international hairdressing industry, Dempsey's award-winning talent and creativity earned him a notable reputation. But don't be intimidated. Dempsey's kind and caring demeanor makes him the ultimate beauty mentor. Here, he shares some of his experiences and wisdom for creating a successful career. WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO BECOME A HAIRSTYLIST? I saw a cousin of mine [Norman Jacob] come in and cut my mom's hair in the house. He was a really cool guy who lived in London. He had highlights and a diamond in his tooth—and I just thought he was such a cool guy. I actually went to spend the summer with him when I was 15, and I loved it. I worked in the salon, I swept the floor, and met all the team. And he gave me an opportunity to come and work with him. So I jumped at it, to be honest. I thought, you know, I want a piece of that! WHAT INSPIRES YOUR EDITORIAL WORK? I think there are many influences. It's probably a question that's asked all the time: "What inspires creativity?" It can be something you're working on with a client at the time—whether that's fashion, a product, or a campaign. Or you can bring some of your influences and gel those together with the team you're working with. Or it's something you put away that didn't really fit at that time, and you just draw from that inspiration you had. Inspiration fits the moment and time. So it's constantly putting things away—whether it's pictures on your phone, jotting things down, drawing things. It can be many different elements like nature, the arts, music, life, your family, where you live, when you travel. There's no one particular thing, but I think you have to stay completely aware of what's around you at that time. "I don't even think there are trends anymore. I think that's an old sort of question people used to ask. We make our own trends. Young people are their own influencers—their own muse." —Shay Dempsey