Angelo Seminara: “Why I chose Great Lengths”
What does beauty mean for you?
I feed on beauty and love it from the bottom of my heart, it makes me happy and fulfilled. Beauty is desirable but sometimes the level I desire can be unreachable.
What does hair, in a fundamental sense, mean for you?
Hair has been my life and is my canvas to express myself and to be able to communicate. I love my craft and if you love something in life you automatically become loyal and truthful to every aspect of it. Hairdressing is my passion, through good and bad times and I always stick with it. Every day I look forward to my job.
Where do you think, creativity comes from? Or where do your artistic ideas come from?
Mostly my energy comes from my passion and drive, I can?t stay still. Inspiration comes from so many things, but I must say I am always inspired by the essence of nature: it embraces everything. You can draw from its beauty and wonder, be inspired and adapt it to create anything you want. Fashion stylists and photographers also inspire me because they think outside the box of hairdressing. External experts in their field also inspire me, people like Sir. David Attenborough, architects, designers and contemporary artists.
Do you have a special daily working-routine?
Today my time is primarily devoted to travelling the world to share my experience and expertise. Seminars, shows, photo-shoots, designing hair for fashion shows and exhibitions,
working for various fashion campaigns and magazines ? that is my world now.
When you get a job, for example, styling?s for a photo-shoot or a catwalk presentation, can you tell us something about your working process? Is every job different or are there some standards for you?
I?ve worked for many years with many fashion houses and brands ? each of them having their unique artistic expression. When I get the assignment I study the brand and then liase with them to see what is the result they want to achieve and how we can work together to have an amazing end result. I admire them all for their individual style statements, their creativity. Creative hairdressing is an art form in itself, a vital visual force to complement other arts. In addition to my salon work, my own creative productions, magazine and session work, I?m also regularly involved with fashion exhibitions in various museums, liaising closely with the curator I love to work with. They ask me to design hair for different exhibitions around the world, such as the exhibition for Chloe, Frida Kahlo and Louis Vuitton.
You can understand more about this on my website: www.angeloseminara.com
Why are you working together now with Great Lengths?
I?ve always been a big fan of hair extensions and wigs simply because it can become your daily base canvas to create your artistic work. For years I wanted to be associated with a brand that is well respected, can deliver quality, professionalism and a service to the fashion and hairdressing industries but also to the consumer. That is why the company I chose to work with is GL.
What do you think about extensions in general?
What you can do with extensions is incredible, for example giving a lot of confidence to a woman, making the impossible possible and so on.
Did you ever work with extensions? And do you have some experience in that field?
To be very honest, since I began hairdressing, I have always worked with extensions. I have enough experience using extensions, that I am able to do anything I want to try and achieve any look.
Next year you will create some looks with extensions from Great Lengths? Is this a new challenge for you? What do you think about it?
This is something I?m looking forward to and I?m very excited, every job is always a new challenge for me and I will do my best to create something beautiful that reflects the kudos of the brand.
Do you have already an idea, in which direction these looks will develop?
For sure it?s got to be realistic, natural and modern, but most of all everything should be contemporary, glamorous and in harmony with the body, soul and mind of the woman.
You were born in Italy. Why did you decide to live in London?
Because I find London a better platform to entertain my mind and my soul in many ways. I find London a very exciting, multicultural city. When I was working in Rome I was working with clients who were generally Italian. When I started at Trevor Sorbie salon in London, I started really learning about hair and hair structures, my clients varying from afro to Asian or Caucasian. So I have the chance to work on all types of hair, therefore my skills increased and my level of ability increased as well.
What is your secret of success?
I work hard and always put some love in anything I do.
Angelo Seminara
Starting 30 years ago as a salon trainee in a village in his native Italy, Angelo moved to Rome to work for Toni&Guy for five years before fulfilling his passion to work in London for 16 years as international creative director for Trevor Sorbie. Since 2010 he has worked as an independent freelancer around the world on a multitude of projects, fashion week shows, hair trade seminars and glossy magazine editorials, inc Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, Vanity Fair.
Enduringly original, Angelo is the undisputed leader of avant-garde and beautiful commercial styles, pushing the boundaries of hair, crafting it into surprising shapes, astonishing colours and sensational textures. Looks of wondrous complexity achieved via creative intelligence and artistic vision.
Angelo Seminara is Artistic Director of Davines.