“I don't look at other hair styles, I like to combine different elements” Interview with Louis Souvestre, FKA twigs hair stylist

If we tell you FKA twigs, what comes to mind? Unearthly music, alternative nature, but also hair. And if we were to ask you who is behind the most memorable hairstyles (of the singer and dancer, but not only) of recent times, would you be able to answer? We do. This is Louis Souvestre, who defines himself as hair freak and who has marked with his creativity a real wave of hairstyles, colors and styles. We interviewed him for Under The Beauty Radar, our format that investigates the beauty that lies below the surface.

Interview with Louis Souvestre, FKA twigs hair stylist

Introduce yourself to our audience

My name is Louis Souvestre, I am French and I live in London.

Describe your aesthetic in three words

Experimental, otherworldly, narrative.

How did you first approach hair as an art form?

I started to love my hair at the age of 3, when I understood everything I could do with my cousin's very long hair. Then, around the age of 8, a new classmate from Senegal arrived at my school in the French countryside: her hair was something I had never seen before. One day she had cornrows and the next day she showed up with box braids that reached her mid-back. I was enchanted and intrigued, just like everyone else at school. When I asked her how she did it, she answered that her mother was a witch and could make her hair grow overnight. That response definitely stimulated my creative process and made me see hair as a real art form.

Who are your muses? What do you get your inspiration from?

My muses are usually the warriors of fantasy or historical picture books that I had as a child and that I still collect today. I recreate new ones in my head, blending them with other inspirations that I draw from nature, space, sculpture or even helmets and headwear. I don't look at other hairstyles much, I just love combining different elements with each other.

How was the collaboration between you and FKA twigs born? Do you follow a specific process with her when it comes to creating a look?

I first worked with FKA twigs 5 years ago, on the set of their Measure of a Man music video. While I was fixing her hair, she asked me what I would do to her if I had total creative freedom. I told her she would be fantastic with looks inspired by the 18th century, but recreated with dreadlocks and twists. Then a few weeks passed and, to my great surprise, his team contacted me for their next project, Caprisongs. From that moment on, we have never stopped working together. My process with Twigs usually starts with a conversation about emotions and the story he wants to tell. We share ideas and images that we find around, often not related to hair. From there we begin to talk about the construction of the universe (world-building), about forms and the creation of something that is new and intentional. I usually listen to her music before designing any new hairstyle for her and I enter my world, where I constantly create new ideas, concepts and visual cues to integrate into the Twigs universe.

What is your favorite part of working with artists and how can you create an entire universe around them starting only from hairstyles?

My favorite part of working with artists is discovering their world, being able to elevate it and bring their vision to life. To create universes based on hair, I usually draw from their imagination, so that the result is authentic, and then merge it with mine. It is also essential to study their personality and their body language, to observe how they move, so that the universe of hair that I create adapts to them and enhances them. In addition, I must understand how they see beauty and art, because these are extremely subjective aspects.

In fashion, hair is often put in the background. What is your relationship with fashion and what role do you think hair plays in it?

I don't think that hair is put in the background in fashion, but rather the value of hairstylists. We are often seen more as performers than as creators, and that's why I give so much importance to my research, my creativity and my know-how, so that they become an integral part of my DNA.

What's the difference between working on real hair or wigs and extensions? Which one do you prefer?

Both are extraordinary for different reasons, but I would say that I use 80% natural hair in everything I do, because it's an incredibly versatile and multifaceted medium. On the other hand, synthetic hair can be fantastic for creating large pieces or structures.

If you could give advice to young hairstylists, what would you say to them?

My advice is to spend more time inside your mind, cultivating your imagination and your personal world, because that is precisely what will make you stand out from others. We're so lucky to be born with different tastes and brains that no one can really access until we're ready to show them off. As trivial or cloying as it may seem, look at books, nature, and your surroundings. Be curious and keep learning, even things that have nothing to do with your art. Learn to appreciate time spent alone and to create worlds in your head. Collaborate and engage with the right people, who share the same sense of world-building. Another thing I do every night before going to bed is to choose some books with pictures that I like, even if only to browse them. It's the last thing I do before I sleep, so my brain can process all those images while I'm sleeping. And finally, keep a journal and document every single idea that comes to mind, so that you can develop it later.