YOU AS is a men’s fashion brand “focused on building a lasting wardrobe.” The Knockturnal was invited backstage to their Autumn/Winter 2017 collection for NYFW, for a chance to talk with John Ruidant for AXE, the head hairstylist for the show.
The show room overflowed with energy as Frank Ocean blasted through the speakers. Young male models in clean-cut shirts and dress pants stood around the presentation room, as attenders danced around them, studying and photographing their individual looks. The various styles presented a mix of preppy, casual, and punk—paired with crocs or vans. The collection comprised mainly of black and neutral colors; embracing a cool, young aesthetic.
John Ruidant for AXE was in head of stylizing the boys’ hairstyles. In our conversation, he speaks of his start in the fashion industry and some of his most used AXE products among many things:
TK: How long have you been working as a hairstylist?
JR: I started working in salons when I was 18 or 19 and went into fashion in 2001.
TK: How did you launch your first job in fashion?
JR: I called a friend who had already moved here, to New York, and I got assigned as an assistant at fashion week in February 2001. I contacted their agency afterwards and my name was passed around to different agencies and artists through that. Within about three years I started working on my own. This is my 17th year doing shows.
TK: Where were you before moving to New York?
JR: Dallas, Texas. I lived there for 6 years and worked for Toni & Guy at the time specializing in haircuts. Before Dallas, I was in Charlotte, North Carolina—and originally, I’m from Belgium.
TK: So you’ve always just done hair? No makeup or other types of styling?
JR: Yeah. I knew my junior year of High school that hair was what I wanted to do; and not just in a salon but in the fashion industry.
TK: Do you think your background of living in multi locations has influenced your style in any way?
JR: For sure. You know, living in Dallas, they definitely teach you about volume. They like their big hair—although they’ve been better about taming it over the years. But yeah, you definitely see different trends as you move around. Over time, you see various styles trickle down from New York to the South or West.
TK: Is there a particular look you’re going for in this show?
JR: For this show, there isn’t one specific look all across the board. The main thing was to keep the models’ natural looks. If they had wavy or curly hair, I tried to keep their texture—maybe just minimize the fizziness, or enhance the definition of their curls. We used “Messy Pomade,” which is good for the ends, and used salt sprays to enhance any sort of natural texture or movement, and same for the guys with shorter hair.
TK: Are you using any products other than AXE?
JR: No, they’re all AXE products. Some of the guys are also using matte gel—which dries matte without looking wet or crunchy.
TK: So you’re not going for a solely neat or messy look—it’s a combination of both.
JR: Yeah. There’s one guy in the show who’s got shoulder length, collarbone hair; and his texture is really nice because it’s not too straight but it has a nice wave to it, so spraying a little salt spray and just letting it dry naturally gave it a look that was done, but not too much.
TK: What’s challenging about styling men’s hair compared women’s?
JR: Some challenge is to show texture or definition when the hair is really short. Sometimes the client wants to see more separation or texture, and it can be difficult to do that. But you can definitely achieve that with certain products. For the most part, guys are pretty low maintenance; they’re not too picky and usually easy going.
TK: What’s the best part of your job?
JR: The best part is travelling, meeting different people, and experiencing new cultures. It’s nice to be in New York because there’s already a lot to see, but it’s always nice to get out of the city and see different sceneries and people. A lot of jobs, you’re just sitting at a desk all day in a cubicle.
TK: Yeah, I imagine you get to interact with all types of people.
JR: Exactly, which is great. I can also dress the way I want without someone telling me to wear a suit and tie everyday.
TK: Do you get calls directly from the designers to work on their shows?
JR: Usually it’s the sponsors. They get to sort of dictate who they want as their hair or makeup people. I can’t necessarily approach a designer, although it used to be that the designers would handpick their stylists. But now, with sponsors and agencies, it has changed.
