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| Alyssia wears: Knit by Koren Wheatley, vintage shirt by Abercrombie & Fitch |
22-year-old
Iggy Rosales has been making a name for himself as the quietly confident colourist turned session stylist. Rising up the editorial ranks, he's become known for his ability to execute complicated styles with fearless ease and speed. We asked him to create some big hair with fresh face
Alyssia from Volta Models and talk us through some of the methods behind his madness. And in the process we discovered he was born in New Zealand! Naturally it was only a matter of time before his skills would grace our Blacklog audience!
Intro and interview below by
Thom Kerr. Photography:
Thom Kerr Styling:
Sarah Birchley Hair:
Iggy Rosales using Kevin.Murphy Make-up:
Lauren Chalmers Model:
Alyssia at Volta Models
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| Alyssia wears: Dress by Soot, earrings by ManiaMania |
Iggy Rosales is a pretty special name! What's your background and where are you from? Indeed Mr Pop and I do share something special apart from our stage diving antics. I am a child of the ‘Globalised trend’, my father has English and French heritage and my mother has Mexican and Japanese roots. Although born in Christurch, NZ it feels as if half my life was spent in airport queues boarding flights between Mexico, America and Australia and the many stops in-between. Hence my eclectic taste.
When was the first time you realised you liked working with hair? My earliest memory which pointed to this would have been when I made my best friend in primary school cry when she came over for a play-date and I suggested to cut off her waist length blonde hair so I could secretly keep it for myself.
What attracted you to the fashion industry? Ingenuity. I wanted to explore my ideas in a practical way. Developing concepts into something meaningful and hopefully aesthetically edgy, elegant or whatever the occasion calls for. I guess what I love about this industry is that I can share concepts and my ideas when transformed into wearable art. I see the fashion industry as medium of expression and of course a profession that is highly competitive. There is deep love for what I do and the way in which it connects me to many people throughout the world.
Where did you develop the majority of your skills? Because of my obsessive attraction to hair I have always experimented with techniques on my friends’ heads before I began my career. I self-taught a range of things, all experimental however, it was until I began at Rixon Hair when I formalised my hairdressing education. I was lead by one of the most creative directors and a fantastic mentor, Brad Rixon. Hairdressing is also a meticulous craft that is passed down from hairdresser to hairdresser. I am very lucky having the influence of many peers and highly regarded stylists from which I further developed my foundations. Having these skills definitely gives me confidence to create and experiment even more. I am about to leave for New York, London and Paris later this month to continue to develop and learn from outstanding international mentors.
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Alyssia wears: Leather top by Soot, skirt by Cord,
ring by Zora Bell Boyd |
What kind of beauty inspires your work? This is not something I can answer succinctly. I see beauty as an infinite and magnificent flow of shapes, colours, flavours, ideas, sounds and emotions. It is everything represented through what we can perceive and not. I think the beauty that inspires my work is in all elements of life and the universe. This inspiration is complex, I do not anticipate it because I have just began to understand its endless possibilities and the discomfort it causes me to give it shape and form.
In a perfect world, where are you and what are you doing? I could say that perfection exists every time I represent what I went out to achieve however; ideally, I would like to be more actively working on an international platform. I dream of a “Fashion Route”, where I style for selected fashion houses, contribute to editorials and campaigns of my choosing and maintain a close relationship with other innovative people. I would also love to direct every major fashion week in the world!
What is your official title at Rixon hair? Officially I am a Colourist at Rixon Hair. This title is simply too brief to capture all aspects of my duties there. I train junior staff and often deliver industry training for other salons. I also take part in the creation and development of salon collections, among other things.
Have you worked at any fashion weeks? If so, which ones and who with? I have contributed numerous times to fashion weeks within Australia. For example recently I attended Melbourne Spring Fashion Week. I had one of the most remarkable experiences working closely with Kevin Murphy. I learned so much from him and felt so privileged to be included in many shows that paraded some of the most creative pieces in Australia. It is something that I look forward to strengthening at home and internationally.
