James styling stars of the catwalk

James styling stars of the catwalk

1 November 2017

A DOWNPATRICK hairdresser was among a handful of stylists handpicked from across the world to work at Paris and London fashion weeks.

James Wallace, who owns James Wallace Creative Hair and Make-Up Boutique, was chosen to work his magic on the models wearing creations from some of the biggest names in the fashion business such as Givenchy and Alexander McQueen.

James worked on the Givenchy, Alexander McQueen and Trioni collections at Paris Fashion Week and then for Chalayan at London Fashion Week last month.

This huge achievement follows on from a number of accolades over the year, including winning the NorthernIreland Hairdressing Championship three years in a row. He is also an All-Ireland hairdressing champion and was the Shaz Awards Hairdresser of the Year in 2015.

Originally from Carrickfergus, James has been living in Downpatrick for the past six years with his partner and has had his own business in English Street in the town for nearly three years.

He also lived in London for a time, where he managed a salon.

“I have also done an awful lot of photo shoots and have a lot of followers on social media,” he said. “I was picked out by Guido Palau to work at the fashion shows. He is real giant in the hairdressing and fashion world.

“You are on a team and I was the only one from Ireland.”

James said he was excited to work for all the designers but had a particular affinity for the McQueen collection. 

“I loved his artistry,” said James. “He was always pushing the boundaries, always the first to do things.

“As one of the hairdressers it was nice to be part of the creative process.

“You are within a team and they tell you what you are creating step by step. It is like a conveyor belt. At the McQueen show I actually got to do a line-up, so I was at the last point before the model goes out. They asked me to come over so they must have liked what I was doing.

“With Trioni I got to work with six or seven different designers. Givenchy in Paris was also absolutely amazing; they have a new creative director. It was one of the biggest shows there and there was a lot of media around that.

“Chalayan in London was a very minimal quite tailored look. It was more relaxed than in Paris. London feels like home to me. It was amazing to be around designers such as Sarah Burton. You can’t pay for that.

“Everyone was so professional. Everyone was so lovely. It was lovely to be among the creatives.”

James says that his rural location in Northern Ireland isn’t a barrier to working wherever he wants, as he balances clients at home with photo-shoots and fashion shows across the water.

“They think that it’s great that I’m only an hour away by plane,” he said.

“I just think it is good for the soul too to be somewhere like Downpatrick. You can get so much inspiration as opposed to being in a concrete jungle. I love London and Paris but it is very nice to come home.”