You’ve worked with Grimes a number of times over the last few years. I imagine seeing as she is such a highly-stylised artist, the work probably offers a lot more creative freedom than many other commercial projects? What is the creative process like working on a project with Grimes? We started working together 5 years ago when we shot her music video for Kill V. Maim. It was such a crazy couple of days; we shot in a haunted abandoned subway station and an empty warehouse that must have been an old meatpacking building because there were giant meathooks everywhere. There were so many friends and dancers and fans in that video, we basically created a giant vampire blood rave and it was incredible! After that we shot her video for Venus Fly with Janelle Monae and we just kept working together after that.

Grimes is a really interesting and impressive artist because she has such a clear concept of the work that she wants to create. From music, to videos, and her image, down to every detail. She is so involved in every creative aspect of what she does – it’s actually insane. Collaborating with her has always been effortless in a way because we have always been on the same page about her hair. I know just from working on countless sets and with other artists, photographers etc., that it’s rare for that to happen in a creative collaboration. So I feel very fortunate that we have a shared vision for her hair. We have developed so much trust throughout the years that it’s really an ideal relationship.

There’s a really nice balance of classic beauty elements mixed with subculture or era-specific beauty elements, giving the references in your work an updated feel – how would you describe your aesthetic or work style? I think that hair should be beautiful but not basic. I once worked with a hairstylist who said that ‘when you’re not sure what to do with the hair just make it beautiful’. The simplicity of that always stuck with me. Sometimes as hair stylists, we can overthink things and overwork the hair and it loses something. But of course beauty all on its own isn’t very interesting and can be stuck in the tropes and clichés of what it actually even means to be beautiful. I would say that I’m interested in beautiful hair that has a subversive element. I’m also interested in taking from history and re-contextualising it with my work, mixing styles and eras to create something new. For me its about finding the right combination of these things that’s really exciting. I would describe my aesthetic in hair as eclectic and futuristic.

How do you navigate finding the ‘right’ people / creatives to work with, whose work compliments yours and vice versa? A photo shoot is such a collaborative process and it’s so important that you work with people that have a mutual perspective. It’s a fine balance between having a goal or an idea with what you want to create and then also being flexible and malleable with what’s working and what isn’t. You have to have a plan but then also be willing to change the plan at the last moment.

A lot of people find each other through social media or you get booked on something and continue to work together when you can. I think you know if it’s a good fit almost instantly when working with someone. I’ve been working a lot with the photographer Charlotte Rutherford. Charlotte is such a unique talent and always has such clear and strong ideas about what she wants to create. At the same time she is open to suggestions and other possibilities which makes her a very generous and collaborative artist.

Do you believe in ‘good’ or ‘bad’ hair? I love bad hair! There’s always a special place in this world for just really outrageously so-bad-it’s-good hair. The only kind of bad hair that I don’t believe in is chemically damaged hair. There’s just no excuse for that.

What are some standout projects you’ve worked on, in terms of having been especially fun for you and your craft? The best projects are when you get to work with people who trust you and make it easy for you to do your thing. I recently did a shoot with the artist Dain Yoon for King Kong Magazine that I thought turned out really well. For one of the looks Dain had painted her face with 15 self-portraits in the style of a photo gallery layout from an i-Phone. I wrapped braid extensions around the perimeter of her face so that her face was at the centre of a circle of braided hair. That look was a lot of fun!

Another project that I loved was a photoshoot I did recently with Sanam Sindhi. I’ve been colouring Sanam’s hair for a while and we had this idea about doing a Marie Antoinette style bouffant with coppery orange and lavender. We did the shoot with photographer Angella Choe, makeup artist Paige Marton and nail artist Sojin Oh. It makes it really easy when working with such talented people who are also good friends. It was one of those special moments when everyone is just having fun doing what they love and magic happens.