2 mins
DARCIE HARVEY
BASED IN MANCHESTER, THIS TALENTED FREELANCER IS SUPER-COMFORTABLE CREATING EDGY HAIRSTYLES ON SET, BUT ALSO LOVES THE CLASSIC, SIMPLE AND ELEGANT LOOKS THAT SHE EXECUTES WITH NOTED PRECISION. HER WORK HAS APPEARED IN VOGUE, GRAZIA, DAZED, HUNGER AND HUFF.
@DARCIEHARVEYHAIR
I ran straighteners over Got2Be hairspray to create these horns
IT LIST 2024 OPEN NOW! SIX BRILLIANT TROPHIES – WHICH ONE’S YOURS?
“WE ARE THE FREELANCE GENERATION, THE ONES WHO DECIDED TO BE MORE INDEPENDENT AND PAVE OUR OWN WAY.”
This wig was tightly tonged and finger-waved through the top – cut, coloured and made by me
What made you become a hairdresser in the first place?
Originally, I wanted to be a rock star, but I have zero musical talent. I remembered that the girl who cut my hair as a kid looked like a rock star and drove a sports car. I’d also read an article that hairdressers were the happiest employees, and that had me sold.
What do you love about working in hair?
The creativity, people and variety. You can make art with hair. It’s been a gateway for me to meet and collaborate with amazing people. No two working days are the same.
Describe your hairdressing style.
Feminine, bold, and evolving.
Describe the work you’ve been doing this year so far.
My New Year’s resolution was to take my career to the next level. So far that has meant assisting and test-shooting more to evolve my skills and update my book. I’m writing this on a flight home from Paris after a hectic fashion season.
What would you say to a young person considering a career in hair?
You’re about to have so much fun! It’s hard graft mixed with lots of laughter – there’s no other profession like it.
Who in your generation do you look up to, and why?
My fashion friends inspire me a lot. We’ll only see each other at fashion week but recognise what each other has achieved since last season. If one of us gets a job/show that we can’t make we pass it on to our friends. We’ll skill swap. We’ll talk passionately about new techniques we’ve learnt at a show. (To name a few… Kenneth McLeod, Lee Devlin, Leanne Millar, Rosie Grace, Ellie Bond, Stefanie Mellin, Gordon Chapples, Laurie Deraps, Arpat Abdimajit, Poppy Leigh).
What excites you about what your generation is achieving in the hairdressing industry right now?
Social media has given my generation the opportunity to get clients and work without relying on a boss or shop front to do it for us. We are the freelance generation, the ones who decided to be more independent and pave our own way. Gone are the day of hairdressers tearing each other down, we are a community supporting one another.
If you could change one thing about the industry, what would it be?
Pay transparency. I don’t know why we find talking about money taboo. The secrecy surrounding staff pay/commission is very toxic.