I have been fortunate enough to indulge my first love of fashion through a jam-packed line-up of stage, photographic, editorial and session work as well as working backstage at most Fashion Weeks which has taken me around the world. Being part of a team responsible for styling the very same supermodels I used to pore over in the pages of magazines was the moment I actually thought, 'I can die happy now'.   

One of the questions I am asked most frequently is 'how did you get into session work?'

For as long as I can remember I have always been really interested in fashion, imagery and magazines were my bible,  so I knew from a young age that I wanted to be involved with fashion and something creative.

My career has been very fulfilling, I opened my own salon nearly 8 years ago now and this has opened the door to so many different avenues - from management, art direction, competitions, photo shoots, education to mentoring other hairdressers.  

I’d like to think of myself as a bit of a ‘style influencer’ – someone that has carved out a reputation for a gritty, more edgy look than the mainstream – and I think its' due to this that I’ve been recognised by my peers. 

My first step to Fashion Week was as a member of the Label.m team. We retail Label.m products in our salon, which led to an invitation to join their session team. I worked 5 seasons solely with Label.m, and learned so much; the styling and product usage is completely different to salon work. I fell in love with the buzz of it all.

Like with everything there’s a progression, you build the foundations and then you grow. I also wanted to work with my other hair heroes, my list included Gary Gill, Eugene Souleiman, Guido Paulo and Anthony Turner.    I was obsessed by their work and wanted to learn from them but how was I going to get them to notice me?

 I started to work on my portfolio. I had coverage from shows I had done with Label.m but I felt that I also needed to have a more 'editorial' slant to my portfolio.

I put all my free time into collaborations. This meant a seven day week  - often driving to the other side of the country to shoot on Sunday’s. These collaborations were successful and my work got published in various titles including the New York Glass book,  L’affaire magazine Paris, and Vogue Italia.

So once my portfolio looked both presentable and representable I started to contact agencies. This worked out to be slow moving process but I was persistent, and finally I had a call to go and assist both Gary Gill  and Anthony Turner at New York Fashion Week. 

The following season I also started working with Guido Paulo and the season after with Eugene Souleiman.

 There’s few points I suggest you need to take into consideration:

1.         Make sure you can showcase your best work before you contact the agencies.

2.         Be prepared to work long days, travel through the night, fund your own accommodation and travel.

3.         Be adaptable for each situation 

I have absolutely loved my time with all the teams, each show is different and each team is different, so you learn so much. I can’t wait to get back to shows again. 

Written by Karoliina Saunders, founder of Karoliina Saunders Hair Design

Take a look at Karoliina’s online masterclass, Editorial Hair. In this masterclass, Karoliina showcases ways to change the look for an editorial shoot, giving simple tips where to start and how to evolve it.