When and how did you start your career as a stylist?
I started as a hairstylist when I was in my teens and then I joined WELLA as a hair educator, worked and learnt a lot by teaching and getting trainings abroad, went back and forth to teach the latest techniques of the chemical formulation and how to use different hair products for styling and hairdressing, then later on I continued with my makeup courses for camera and film. Finally I came back to my country to work with the celebrities to make a difference in screen styling.
Which celebrities have you loved working with so far?
I totally believe as a celebrity artist to do justice with the character / look the director wants to show on screen. I’ve enjoyed working with almost everyone, but I love a few of them because of their versatility, boldness and for their talent to carry the looks I give them. Komal Rizvi, Aamina Sheikh, Amna Ilyas,Sadaf Kanwal, Hira Tareen, Sanam Baloch, these are just the ones off the top of my head.
What’s your all time favorite look you created?
Well I’m a very crazy creative artist, there is not any one particular look I love, I like change, so I always keep experimenting with different looks rather than sticking to one particular look.
If you could choose a celebrity closet to shop in, who’s would it be and why?
Mmmm… I personally think very few of our celebs are blessed with good styling sense; most of them need HELP big time. They might have good things in their closet but they don’t know how to use them and combine them, and few might even need help in changing the whole closet. I see a lot of fashion disasters roaming around us and it’s just because all of them don’t come from a fashion-related background which teaches them fashion ethics. And by fashion ethics I mean which color to wear, when to wear, what type of shoes to wear, when to accessorize and when not to. So that’s when they need a stylist.
What trends you want to see disappear?
Poker straight long hair, they look nice, but not all the time. It’s time for everyone to play with texture and haircuts.
What is the main difference between working in your own country and when you go abroad?
I think our country is still very conservative when it comes to accepting versatility and bold choices, be it hair or makeup, for example; you won’t see pink hair on the streets yet. And the appreciation of art is totally different. Abroad, people are more open to new ideas, rather then repeating and cheating.
How does it feel being a stylist when you’re working with every day people?
Of course there’s a huge difference when you work for camera and when you carry things in real life but I truly love working with people who come for their normal day to day styling because the love and appreciation you get is wonderful. It’s an amazing feeling to make somebody feel like a celeb for a day.
What do you think a good relationship between a hairstylist and a client should be like?
The No. 1 rule is that your hairdresser should never send you to the basin without talking. Every hairdresser should see you walk in and how you dress. It should be a long conversation. If you don’t see that happening, then leave. On that first visit, you should have a coffee and talk to them. What type of hair makes you dream? What do you hate about it? What’s the worst haircut you ever had?
It’s a process of elimination until I start to find what makes someone look good. Sometimes the first time, I do very little. Especially if they say “Every time I go, they cut it too short.” People want to be taken seriously. Investigate your hairdresser.
If someone requests something that won’t look good, I try very politely to guide them away and say I don’t feel it. In the 15 years I’ve been hairdressing, I’ve refused twice.
