He has shaped hair for Alexander McQueen, Prada, and Yohji Yamamoto, and – lately – Madonna. This August, Eugene Souleiman comes to Copenhagen Fashion Week for the first time
Eugene Souleiman has spent the past few weeks unpacking. A new house, a new studio – both in his hometown of London – and with them the particular archaeology of shifting a kit assembled over a long, illustrious career: boxes of product, wigs from shows gone by, all of it pulled out, cleaned, and looked at again. "It sounds really weird, but I like a fresh start," he says. "I look at what I've done previously and begin to see new things in it, because time has passed."
He is clearing the decks at a convenient moment. In two days, he flies from London to Amsterdam for what he calls a dry run: final looks for Madonna. “I've been doing her hair for about six months now, giving her looks. I'm working quite closely with her and her team, and loving the experience,” he says. Then, after a whirlwind of days in Amsterdam, a day off, before jetting off to Copenhagen.
But why Copenhagen? "I never knew that Copenhagen Fashion Week existed," he admits. “Since I started working with Spalt PR [via Souleiman’s role as Global Professional Ambassador for Kevin Murphy], I've been spending quite a bit of time in Copenhagen, which I love. I was like, guys, you've got to get me out there, we've got to do fashion week.” For Souleiman part of the appeal is in the feeling of “starting all over again, somewhere else.” "The environment plays a huge part in what you produce," he says. "Probably the biggest impact of all."
Widely considered one of the world’s most influential hair stylists, he has shaped the hairscape of Alexander McQueen, Maison Margiela, Yohji Yamamoto, and Prada for the better part of four decades. “I've done so many fashion weeks and worked with so many people. To do what I do in a completely different environment is quite inspiring." But, what drew him to Copenhagen specifically was the bubbling, buzzing allure of the next big thing. "You know when there's a moment,” he says. “You can feel it, that there's a moment about to happen. I have this instinct about things, people, places." And Copenhagen is firmly on that list.
Photo: Courtesy of Kevin Murphy
Madonna at the Met Gala, with hair shaped by Souleiman. Photo: Getty
Photo: Courtesy of Kevin Murphy
That moment Souleiman anticipated arrived in the form of Collina Strada. Hillary Taymour's New York label takes Copenhagen's newly created international guest slot this August – the first brand to do so.
What turned up was Collina Strada. Hillary Taymour's New York label takes Copenhagen's newly created international guest slot this August, the first brand to hold it. Souleiman considers it a good fit for his Copenhagen adventure, as Taymour is a designer with vision. “She is bright, brave, and,” he says with some relish, "really opinionated, which I love." That preference has shaped his entire career and client roster. "They tend to be like Japanese, Belgian, or people like Thom Browne, people who have a world," he says. "Hillary definitely has a world, and a very strong opinion."
Copenhagen first reached him about 10 years ago. “I'm a bit of a foodie, and my former in-laws had gone to Copenhagen and said, 'you're just going to love it there,’” he says. He went for a week, ate well, and bought up mid-century furniture while it was still cheap. “I guess it's not so cheap any more, now everyone knows about it,” he laughs. "Even getting in a taxi in Copenhagen is a really nice experience," he says. "Not stressful like it is in Paris." He calls it a spread-out Amsterdam, cleaner in a strange way, a cross between Stockholm and Amsterdam. "The heart is big, which for me is probably the most important thing."
And how does it feel to come back? "It's funny how things have a natural way of creating some kind of order," he says.