Thinking Outside The Square - Jamie Dryden, Fabrik

As a creative hairdresser, I have always judged myself on my last haircut and last photo shoot etc. I like to think out of the square at every opportunity and like to leave my mark at every occasion. Sounds easy doesn’t it?

I was very privileged to be able to work with a few amazing hairdressers in my career and it wasn’t until I joined the Charlie Miller creative team in 2004 that my creativity really flourished.

The store room in the basement at the Charlie Miller flagship salon in the West end of Edinburgh, is a ‘wonder’ to anyone with an imagination and I spent most my free working and non-working time playing with hair pieces and wigs. I was lucky that Creative Directors Jason and India Miller saw something in me to allow me to spent so much time making a mess in a quiet corner of the salon, coming up with ideas and creations on a daily basis.

It was with these creations that I was finally asked to join their creative team that toured the world and directed the hair and make up for such events like the MTV music awards in Europe. It was also with a certain creation that I won Avante Garde hairdresser of the year at their annual Charlie Miller Awards.

Now... these pieces that I had created were all made from hair that had been cut and coloured to suit and pasted or melted in a way to create shapes and forms that could be worn with a modern cut and colour. I would treat the hair like a fabric in a way and try to make it not look like hair as much as possible.

It was with this background that I set up the Fabrik and with it, its philosophy "Fabrik is Hair”!

Since opening Fabrik in Hamilton and creating these pieces for our Collections, I was appoached, firstly by Schwarzkopf and then Goldwell, to perform throughtout the country creating & sharing these amazing ideas to other professionals within our industry.

An other of my career highlights was getting to direct a show for Miramodo where I took an old idea even further than before, creating an amazing look much to the delight of the designers involved.

As a hairdresser who works foremost with hair, it pays to use our Fabric in an non obvious way and think of its possibilities.

Think out side the square because the possibilities are endless. One idea can lead to numerous ideas and before you know it your creative juices are flowing and ideas are coming to you in the most non-hairdressing way.

All these pieces make me appreciate the Fabric that people bring me everyday and I genuinely feel privileged to colour, shape and design in a way to suit their needs. I don’t always think first and foremost beauty but consider a design for lifestyle. Thinking out of the square can be risky but on the right person and when executed modernly, it can be the most amazing thing and your clients will love you for it!

Fabrik Education is available to any salon, the details of which are on our web site www.fabrik.co.nz