A Brilliant Businessperson Makes Red Carpet Regulars: Exclusive Interview with Mover and Shaker Rodney Cutler on His Role and Impact on the Fashion Industry during Fashion Week Our Coverage Sponsored by Hallak Cleaners the Couture Cleaner & Official Cleaner of Whom You Know
Mover and Shaker
Rodney Cutler
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Everyone wakes up in the morning and gets dressed, but what sets the standard for what the world experiences in the best stores are fashion shows and viewings, held twice a year in New York: September and February. Mover and Shaker Rodney Cutler, the best hairstylist in this international business, gave us an inside view of what really goes on backstage before the lights go down, the music turns up, and the most beautiful people in the world sell the latest fashions to the top buyers and editors and we’re going to keep you in the know by letting you into the Gregory Parkinson Spring/Summer 2013 collection held at 450 West 31st street, as the hair was done exclusively by Rodney Cutler and team. Not everyone on the team works at one of the Cutler salons-some work independently as well-but they all come together for each show with results that will impress all. Cutler covers hair for about 25 shows every fashion week, and Rodney himself does about half of them-up to as many as seven a day. In collaboration with the fashion designer and the makeup artist, Rodney comes up with a bespoke concept for hair and the results are breathtaking, as you can see in the pictures. Also as you can see visually, it is a lot of work, though glamorous! In this interview you will gain a new respect and appreciation for how hair plays a major role in fashion week.
In this specific show, color and texture played a starring role in the dresses. To accentuate the fashion, the hair of the models is an ethereal and whimsical updo, with airiness in the texture. As there’s a lot of color in the clothing, some color was sprayed on hair as well. Deconstruction is important to reflect that of the clothing, and a stunning modern look that is fresh for the dresses of Spring/Summer 2013 emerged. The updos were secured by a myriad of hairpins and bobby pins that you see photographed also and all Redken products were used-as you know Rodney Cutler a Redken Ambassador. Our complete coverage of this shoot was our 1,000th post in Fashion Alert:
We could not be more thrilled to present Mover and Shaker Rodney Cutler in this latest interview. Peachy Deegan only works with The Cutler Salon on her hair, and she interviewed Rodney Cutler for Whom You Know.
Peachy Deegan: What was the first fashion show you worked on ever and what do you remember about it?
Rodney Cutler: Calvin Klein, Orlando Pita was the lead hair dresser and you instantly realize the world of opportunity that has arrived!
Did you lead the hair design for that first fashion show and if not what was the first fashion show you led and can you tell us about that?
Amazing as it sounds I actually don’t remember the first show I led, it was roughly 12 years ago in New York for a small designer.
What trends do you see evolving in both hair and fashion for Spring/Summer 2013 and did you expect to see this?
Spring 2013 was all about bursts of color from the beautiful clothing to accents in the hair. Definitely strong shapes and lots of detail in the hair; rope braids to hair accessories. Season to season hair gradually evolves into fresh ideas so I’m never that surprised. What changes some seasons is the designers are more open to doing more interesting hair, or they prefer more toned down hair this plays a big role in how many unique hair styles you see on the runway.
Over the years what trends have you personally loved the most for both fashion and hair – what seasons in particular stand out the most?
There’s a reason why pony tails and textured buns are seen so frequently on the runway and that’s because they work well for so many clothing styles and they always look fantastic on the runway. As boring as it may seem to some people they are here to stay.
What designers have been the most interesting to work with and why?
What’s special is when working with designers for a number of seasons and being a part of their passion you are able to see the hair fit into their creative story and participate in the evolution of it all. Carlos Miele, Tadashi, Gregory Parkinson to name a few.
What designers would you like to work with that you have not yet?
Jean Paul Gaultier, while we’ve done some small projects with him doing his Paris show would be a career highlight.
What percentage of fashion shows in New York does Cutler do the hair for from season to season and how much of your business is this week as opposed to fashion shoots and salon work?
While being a part of fashion week is a large part of our identity at Cutler and we lead anywhere from 25-40 shows per season our staff and myself included balance clients, photo shoots and shows during fashion week. It is important that our salons are still running at full capacity and to ensure our clients are being accommodated we schedule our staff accordingly.
Do you think Cutler will start to do the shows in London, Paris and Milan or anywhere outside of New York?
We have certain team members that work on the European shows and as a company we will definitely have a stronger presence in the future.
Has a designer ever asked for something impossible to do with the hair and if so, how did you confront the challenge? If not, what have been the most challenging looks to achieve in hair for fashion shows?
We conduct hair tests a few days prior to the shows, this is where the clothing, make up, nail and hair inspiration come to life. The designer provides us with ideas of where they would like the hair to go and based on their inspiration we create the look from there. The designer and I will adjust and perfect the style from there. Our biggest challenge is casting models that all have hair that the look can be achieved on. Also, many times girls are coming from other shows with completely different hair styles than what our look is going to be. For example, they're coming from a show where the hair is sleek and straight and our look is voluminous with lots of texture. We take all these things into consideration when we are creating the look of the season.
How much creativity can you put into hair in a fashion show-does the designer usually tell you what they want or do they ask you to do what you think looks best to go with their look?
All of the above, the longer you work with a designer and the more comfortable they are with your style the more open they are to suggestions sometimes the designer knows exactly what they want and sometimes they give me very basic loose inspiration and from there the magic happens, it’s always a creative and open minded experience until we reach our final goal. It is important that the clothing sets the stage, you want the hair and makeup to compliment the look not over power it.
What do you look for in team members for your Cutler hair fashion show team?
Most of our team consists of our styling staff in which they prepare year round in creative classes and editorial classes to get themselves ready for Fashion Week. We also have a great team that has worked with us over the past years from all over the world that come out for the week they are part of our extended Cutler family and share our culture and passion for hair.
How has hair evolved in fashion shows over the years?
In some ways hair hasn’t evolved much it has become more demanding to get the hair done in time. Also, with models coming from other shows the looks are less intricate. So, hair has been simplified and unlike some of the couture shows where they have more prep time.
What are the five most memorable fashion shows you’ve ever worked on and why?
Carlos Miele, Tadashi, Tommy Hilfiger, Patricia Fields and Levis, while these aren’t huge shows it’s all about the experience and the people you get to work with.
Are there any models or modeling agencies that you’ve worked with that were especially fantastic to work with and if so, what made them so?
Part of what I love about our culture is that we work with everyone and have a great relationship with the modeling agencies. A lot of them come into our salon regularly and we work with them backstage during Fashion Week.
What hair products are the most helpful to you in achieving your goals in a fashion show?
Cutler Fly Away Stick and a great hair spray like Redken Fashion Works 12.
How many models do you typically work on as a team and personally during any given fashion show?
Anywhere from 15-40.
Do you always move forward with the original hair plan or has a fashion designer ever changed their mind at the last minute and told you to do something else?
Not always we've definitely tweeked or changed a look last minute, it’s part of the experience! It's important to be prepared for anything and stay level headed.
What are the craziest and most wild happenings that have come up in a fashion show that you’ve worked on?
Surprisingly every now and then there are a few temper flares although most of the drama experienced isn’t in New York. Usually the bigger the show the more organized and smoother it runs.
What else should our readers know about how hair plays such a major role in fashion shows?
Fashion truly begins on the runway and it sets the tone for tomorrow’s looks. It is our job as hair dressers in the salon to interpret these trends into wearable haircuts and color.
