Darren Ambrose Leads the Hair Team at Gyunel for LFW

Kicking off the first day of London Fashion Week, and with a FROW including the likes of Ella Eyre (who also took part in the show), Millie Mackintosh, Mary Charteris and Donna Air, Darren Ambrose was enlisted for the second consecutive season to lead the Wella Professionals hair team for the Gyunel A/W 15 show.

Alongside Darren, who designed the look for the show, art directors Luke Benson and Kieran Tudor also assisted to create the ‘Post Apocalyptic Survivor’ look. This season, the hair at Gyunel reflected a collection inspired by an imagined biblical apocalypse. The hair brief was for a modern interpretation of a post-apocalyptic survivor who, having escaped a catastrophe, has a super-natural and powerfully chic appearance that complements the Gyunel A/W 15 collection. Darren says,

Working on the S/S collection with Gyunel late last year was in itself a cool introduction into the design and mind of Gyunel herself. Having the great pleasure of being asked back to do the A/W collection, we totally connected with the concept of post-apocalypse survivor.



I was shown the collection, shapes, designs and materials used to create it, which led to the concept of distressed undone textural hair with the main emphasis on spindle locks, creating an image of a girl who’d survived the fallout and been walking for days – her ‘together’ hair image had collapsed, but entwined with leather and bindings it’s still a very beautiful editorial vibe.



The graphic detail of the braids and textured dreadlocks resulted in the fusion of an extra-terrestrial and human aesthetic. The eye is drawn along artistically entwined braids and dreadlocks to the hive of an ethereal chignon.

For a wearable interpretation off the catwalk, Darren identifies two key trends - material that mimics garments such as leather, (tie around the hair to secure or use as a headband) and ‘roping’ – the plait’s more achievable sister and much easier to do on yourself, “simply twist two strands of hair together for a new, more grungy take on the plait.”

Of the collaboration, Gyunel said,

This will be the second season that we’ve collaborated with Wella Professionals, and I’m really excited to work together again for our A/W 15 show at London Fashion Week, as Wella appreciate and practice the same values of innovation, creativity and individuality.

The look for the show was created with the soon-to-be launched new styling range from Wella Professionals called ‘EIMI’ (which will replace the existing Style range). Individual style seekers can pick from 29 styling essentials, including four exciting new products to create a style that best suits them. EIMI is a natural fit to recreate the inventive and individual hair looks seen at Gyunel A/W 15.

How To!

1. First, shampoo the hair using Wella Professionals ‘Care & Style Moisturising Shampoo’, to leave it in an optimum condition for styling. Then, massage EIMI Root Shoot Mousse into the hair, focusing on the scalp to give a targeted lift.
2. Next, roughly section the hair with fingers and spray EIMI Dry Me into the roots to add texture, blasting with a hairdryer to work the product further into the hair to create a fuller and more undone look. Backcomb the roots for added support and structure whilst working outwards from the middle parting.
3. Protect the hair from heat by using EIMI Thermal Image, and then use a large classic barrel tong to create spiral curls irregularly over the whole head - making sure that there are no defined, clean sections. Shake the hair out whilst spraying all over with EIMI Dry Me dry shampoo to give a matte effect.
4. Take a teardrop section at the crown and apply EIMI Texture Touch before backcombing the roots. Starting at the bottom of the teardrop, towards the nape of the neck, twist the hair into a rope maintaining volume at the base to create an undone billowed root area. To create a distressed post-apocalyptic finish, take a length of distressed leather and wrap it around the roped hair to finish the look.
5. Finish by scrunching the lengths of loose hair with EIMI Rugged Texture for a matte textured look, and spray EIMI Super Set evenly to give hold.