“MEDIOCRE ISN’T MY VIBE”

There’s something quite magical about Federico Damiani. Known as Fede (he/they), his love of adding something extra to his clients’ looks aligns with his belief that self-expression is multi-faceted. This approach has worked. The colour talent was born in Tuscany, Italy, and now runs his Fhairy studio in East London. A refurbished container, the private area works two-fold, offering clients the space to be themselves, while allowing him to create the mystical vivid colours and textured cuts that have made him a hair force to be reckoned with.

Dropping out of school when he was 16 was a serendipitous decision that changed his life. “I couldn’t afford university and I wanted to help my family financially,” he says. “I knew I needed a creative space where I could be my true self, and hairdressing seemed like a good fit.”

After finding an academy sponsorship for people who had dropped out of school, he decided to throw himself into hairdressing completely. “Mediocre isn’t my vibe – if I’m doing it, I’m doing it properly.”

Fast forward 10 years, and with stints at Not Another Salon and Hunter Collective under his belt, he’s immersed himself into a vividly colourful and textured world that embraces everything he loves. “People always said I needed to choose one thing to specialise in, but I didn’t want to be put in a box.”

Thinking outside of that box instead has paid dividends; his work is a riot of colour, texture and creativity. “I have always been very extra but I’m not extrovert,” he says, acknowledging he likes to be in the spotlight – but on his terms. “Understanding myself encouraged me to take on my studio. I wanted a space to feel free, and and where clients could feel the same.”

His studio space, which he took on in January this year, has fast become his hairdressing haven. A far cry from his home town of Piombino, Tuscany, he’s in huge demand, creating textured looks his clients love. He is an ambassador for Shogun Scissors, and has a podcast ‘for unhinged hairdressers’ called @whatableach_. In 2023 he also won the L’Oréal Colour Trophy’s Roving Image Award where entrants had to create a reel showcasing their skillset. Artistic, creative and impactful, his colour, technique and placement saw him scoop first place, allowing him to flourish further across his social media channels, where he shines brightly.

Immersing himself in a fantasy world allowed him to create his ‘Fhairy’ concept. “It’s a representation of me, an inclusive studio and educational platform that allows me to take a breath, to live in the moment,” he muses. Happiest in his studio ‘creating hair content’ for his clients, he loves having a safe space for creative freedom. Seeing hair as a blank canvas for him to ‘create abstract art’. His forté? “Rainbows, pastels and tonnes of texture. There’s a lot of mythology in there too,”he replies. Sounds like magic to us.

@fededamians

Fedrico Damiani