Backstage with Eugene Souleiman: The Hair That Defined AW26

The hair created at the Erdem LFW show by KEVIN.MURPHY Global Professional Ambassador Eugene Souleiman set the tone for a season full of personalised, lived-in finishes. Waves were imperfect, smooth styles felt elevated, curls fluffy and undone, and above all else—natural texture and individuality shined. “I loved the idea that every girl should look like herself,” Souleiman explains. “It wasn’t about imposing a look — it was about taking her natural texture and pushing it forward.”

Creating a style that complemented the fashion, Souleiman noted that “It needed to feel real, so it didn't feel like it was styled in front of a mirror. It was like hair that women could do themselves; that's what we did.” In addition to fashioning hair that is easily recreated, Souleiman goes on to explain his reasoning behind this choice was “Because I thought the clothes were unreal and I felt like the hair needed to have this kind of reality to it that was real, but it also needed to have this otherworldly kind of quality that was more textural and more light. So really it was about us styling the hair with a very gentle hand, which is really quite nice because it didn't feel cosmetic, it felt really cool and very personal, but at the same time it was stylised and there was an edge, which I think for me as a hairdresser, that's probably the hardest thing to do. There was a real feeling behind it that was very personal. The finishing touch was intentional imperfection. I always like there to be something in the hair that isn’t too perfect,” he ends.

Similar to the way the pleats, lace and feathers that floated down the runway, Souleiman wanted the hair to mimic this movement. To create the looks, freshly washed and air-dried hair was lightly misted with water before applying ANTI.GRAVITY.SPRAY. This weightless hairspray was sprayed from a distance to allow the product to settle gently onto the surface of the hair, a technique chosen to enhance movement and lightness without visible styling. One which encouraged curls to expand, straight hair to sharpen, and pulled-back styles to feel effortless instead of constructed.

When extra detailing was required, a sprinkling of POWDER.PUFF at the roots created a touch of lift and grit to deliver a soft, hazy feel with added texture.  

Alongside the greys, browns and black seen at Giada AW26 in Milan, the designer brought in touches of buttery yellow and lilac—not usual choices for Fall, but with an effort to tease the audience, and the orchid as the house’s inspiration, we wouldn’t expect anything else. Alongside the tones, the feel of the fabrics was a focal point of the show—opting for choices that felt as great as they looked, there was comfort and femininity woven throughout with attention to the shapes and silhouettes that felt effortlessly 90s minimalist-inspired, which is exactly how the hairstyles transpired. “We’ve done something really, really beautiful for the GIADA woman,” says Hair Director and KEVIN.MURPHY Pro Ambassador Eugene Souleiman. “It’s loosely based in the 90s — minimal hair that feels effortless and chic at the same time, but with a little twist,” he adds.

When it comes to the hair, like many of Souleiman's creations, the beauty lies in its wearability. “Sometimes at shows we get carried away — it becomes about the fantasy. But this is different. This is hair you can actually wear. It’s about aspiration that feels achievable.”

That aspiration was also delivered in the idea of the gentlewoman. “We wanted the women to feel like gentlewomen,” Souleiman explains. “So we combed the hair back, away from the face. It’s moving backwards, almost aerodynamic, but still soft.” This flexible structure gave the models a look without taking away from their natural beauty. Because hair was combed back from the face and tucked behind the ears, their faces—natural head shape and bone structure—really took centre stage and echoed the architectural lines and distinct tailoring seen throughout the garments.

Speaking of twists, when it came to creating the finished look, Souleiman pushed the envelope by utilising BODY.BUILDER—a volumising mousse—to create a look with little to no body. In this scenario, what this product did was enhance a satin finish without a glossy or hard finish, delivering a look that felt real to him. “What I love is that we’ve contained the hair and given it a style, yet there’s still movement. It’s controlled movement. It’s not fluffy or chaotic — it’s disciplined, but human.”

To set this style, which looked groomed without being overly perfect, a wide-toothed comb was essential. It helped shape the hair and pull it away from the face, and allow to air-dry. The result was a great deal of controlled movement that didn’t feel too rigid or overly set. Once the texture was dialed in, lengths were gathered low from the mid-lengths and folded into a loose bun with a delicate sprout of hair emerging— a detail that created balance between discipline and fluidity. The look was then finished with STAYING.ALIVE leave-in treatment for a smooth, silky finish and moments before stepping onto the runway, spritzed with SHIMMER.SHINE for added luminosity and sparkle as models took the stage.

Moschino has always had flair—inspired by one culture or another. And this season, Moschino Creative Director Adrian Appiolaza brought to life the vision of Argentina presented through a Moschino lens. The brand has always been a vessel for creativity and expression, and this year’s show touched on the childhood nostalgia of growing up in the countryside of the Pampas.

The show had four chapters—urban, rural, masculine, and tango that unfolded with subtle shifts in mood and the hair to match. To do so, Hair Director and KEVIN.MURPHY Pro Ambassador Eugene Souleiman enhanced each model’s natural texture to amplify their individual personas. “If she has curly hair, we made it wild, big — almost a little witchy. If she has a sexy, French rock-and-roll cut, we made it more tousled. Shorter cuts felt more masculine and shiny. Some looks carried a Spanish or tango energy. It’s tango, masculine, Joan-of-Arc-y.” Said Souleiman. “The collection is an homage to Adrian’s childhood in Argentina, married with Moschino’s signature language — it’s witty, curious,” says Souleiman. “We wanted the hair to feel as diverse as the collection, and a kind of tongue-in-cheek too. It’s about contradiction, sharp structure meeting soft, unravelling movement. Polished, but slightly undone.” He adds.

The overall look was deemed “polished natural,” which is what many consumers today strive for on the daily. Instead of a set formula for each look, products were chosen based on each individual’s texture and desired finish—one that subtly shifted to match each mood.

That being said, there were many backstage essentials that help shape each look, including SESSION.SPRAY for hold, ANTI.GRAVITY.SPRAY for volume and body, YOUNG.AGAIN to nourish and finish the ends, SMOOTH.AGAIN for hydrated control, EASY.RIDER for frizz-free hold, STAYING.ALIVE for the signature Souleiman wispy texture, and SHIMMER.SHINE to detail with a bit of light.

“It’s a little Eva Perón,” Souleiman explains. “Her glamour but filtered through nostalgia and character. Elegant, emotional and just a little bit undone.”

From depicting movement through the fashion and hair to actually practising it through a group performance, everything about the AW26 Caroline Hu show at Paris Fashion Week was moving. Moving beyond the structures of fabric, the runway told a compelling story about beauty born from destruction and pointed a spotlight on the fragility of everyday objects we hold attachment to.

“There’s a lot of romance in the clothes, but I want it to feel like a dark romance. Almost cinematic. Really refined but raw. I love when there’s dialogue in the hair—contradictions, mystery.” Says Eugene Souleiman, who enhanced the design narrative with hair that felt ethereal yet unsettled, as though it was stuck in time, caught between moments of beauty and disarray. “For me, it’s about doing something that is kind of ethereal but also with a bit of drama to it,” says Souleiman. “I want it to look like she’s been chased through a haunted forest by a shadow she doesn't understand, but she knows it’s not good for her, and she needs to get away,” he explains.

Although perfectly secured in place, the finished look was a towering and abstract creation that was designed to look as though it was extremely fragile—like it could fall apart at any moment. To create the design, two ponytails were placed based on the model's unique details, like face shape and hair length. From here, hair donuts were used to create a foundational structure and volume.

From here, hair was wrapped around to conceal the structure, but with tendrils left to escape and some sections crimped to introduce more texture and movement, and soften the silhouette. Alongside the appearance of movement, texture was an essential element throughout, which is why POWDER.PUFF was utlised to create grip and volume at the base of the silhouette.

Then, to further enhance the feeling of movement, as though the models had been running through a forest, the team used a hairdryer to disrupt the shape, encouraging pieces to separate naturally. Souleiman then applied SESSION.SPRAY through the airflow of the dryer. This technique allowed the hairspray to crystallise as it met the hair, enhancing hold without appearing wet or heavy. “I love the idea that the hair feels very delicate, almost about to fall apart,” Souleiman says. “There’s a preciousness to it, but they’re actually dancing in the presentation and the hair won’t fall apart. I love hair with emotion behind it.”

The show ended with a t-shirt that read “My dad is a rockstar,” which perfectly summed up the way in which Stella McCartney drew on herself, her life, with her AW26 show at Paris Fashion Week. In addition to being the year of the horse, McCartney’s love for animals (and sustainability) has been an unwavering thread throughout her career. And looking back at 25 years of the brand, this year’s show presented a bit of her personal history and shone a light on the effortless glamour of the 70s with a modern twist.

The hair was everything we love about an “effortless” look. “I would describe the hair just like a cool girl’s hair,” Hair Director Eugene Souleiman says. “It’s not that ‘I don’t do anything because I can’t be bothered.’ Rather, it’s ‘this just looks great, so I’ll wear it like this.’”

Creating hair that goes with the flow doesn’t always happen overnight. It is built upon healthy habits and quality care. Which is exactly how Souleiman created the looks—with the prep.  

Similar to how McCartney brought it back to her roots, Souleiman chose to restore each model’s hair to its healthiest, most natural state before styling even began. Assessing each model’s hair individually, washes and treatments were applied based on their needs. For porous, thick, or curly hair, the team used PLUMPING.WASH and PLUMPING.RINSE to hydrate, even porosity and create a fuller base. BLOW.DRY WASH and BLOW.DRY RINSE helped the hair dry smoothly while maintaining natural movement and body and for the models who had a great amount of product buildup from previous shows MAXI.WASH was used to reset the hair.

With this fresh slate, hair felt effortless, confident, and unmistakably real—a reflection of the Stella McCartney woman herself. “The hair was inspired by Stella’s mum in the ’70s,” Souleiman adds. “Very natural, effortless, but still looking cool and chic.”

Once the hair was prepped, lightweight treatments were tailored to each model. STAYING.ALIVE was perfect to help balance porosity and protect against humidity, NIGHT.SHIFT overnight hydrating serum enhanced hydration, softness and strength, and ANTI.GRAVITY.SPRAY was ideal to give lift and texture.

With this clean and controlled foundation, the hair was then minimally styled to allow it freedom to be itself. Movement and texture was encouraged with a diffuser and flipping the hair upside down, delivering that soft volume and natural texture without looking overly styled. “That was really it,” said Souleiman. “It was about shaking the hair, looking fabulous, having a natural yet elevated and a bit sexier texture.”