Master of “inner volume”

They say that back in Soviet times people wore the same coats, shoes, and even had the same haircuts. It looks as if such uniformity should not have promoted creative development, in particular, that of Ukrainian hair stylists. Yet when Ukraine became independent, it turned out that our stylists are among the world’s best.

The success of the Ukrainian section of Intercoiffure Mondial is to a great extent the work of Natalia Balabanova, vice-president of the section, fashion coordinator for Eastern Europe, and winner of prizes with such poetic titles as “The Knight of Chevalier Order,” “Fashion Creator,” and “Personality of the Year.” On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Ukrainian section of Intercoiffure Mondial The Day met with Natalia BALABANOVA.

“I grew up near Kharkiv. I remember my peers would hunt for stylish clothes imported from Hungary or Czechoslovakia, and then look all alike at some event. Personally, I was never after that. I had my own ideas about the way I wanted to look. That is why I created my image myself, and my ideas were implemented by experts from fashion salons (back then, no one heard of ‘fashion designers’). I had this inherent desire to have a unique look.

“I was 25 when I moved to Kyiv. I became a pupil to Viacheslav Diudenko. This is a person who embodies expertise and professional growth to me. At that time (and it was in the early 1990s) Diudenko had already been publishing special booklets with step-by-step descriptions of various hairstyles. It enabled me to participate in various programs as an expert, to create photo collections which promoted fashion thinking in Ukrainian society.”

What was the society’s first reaction?

“The thing is that we did not expect any enthusiastic reaction. But

Diudenko’s customers were well-known, active people who were prominent in society. They trusted their hair stylists, thus what the latter offered them, served as a kind of guiding light for others.

“Working in the team helped me understand the correct trend in professional growth — besides making great coiffures every day, you also must expand your intellectual abilities. Even at that time there already were master-classes which were attended by hair stylists from all over Ukraine. What we created was not just trendy coiffures but styles and trends. That is why, when we were sent to Riga in 1994, we had something to show as we had already created our own foundations, and had been developing according to our own ideas.

“Some time later, having opened my own salon Linia Styliu, I began to create hair style shows and photo collections. So we met the year 2000 (when the Ukrainian section of Intercoiffure Mondial was founded) as mature experts. Due to the designs which we already had we were invited to join Intercoiffure, an association of elite hair stylists.

“It would be wrong to think that in 2000 we were ‘babes in the woods,’ who had just opened their eyes and started to learn things. Yes, we are all always learning, always moving, but we doubtlessly entered the year 2000 as mature personalities. Over the decade, the Ukrainian team has organized two shows at Mondial Performance in Paris, and I was to participate three times in the development of megatrends on behalf of Eastern European countries.”

The members of Intercoiffure convene in Paris every year in order to determine the trends for that year. This somehow ressembles a masonic lodge... How does it happen? What is the process of trend development like?

“First, a seminar is held which determines what is going on in the world of movies, music, art, fashion, how the world is developing, whom we have to offer coiffures to fall in with its desires. This is classified information, it is collected all over the world by intelligence agencies who then sell it to major fashion corporations, each of which develops these trends in its own way.

“Once tendencies are named, each stylist has to present his or her own vision of this or another trend as a concrete coiffure. A model comes, the stylist evaluates him or her as an individual personality, and implements one of the tendencies, remembering that each face needs its own geometry, and not just a stylish hairdo.”

That is to say, the person is not just a model, they are a personality?

“Sure enough, we don’t work with dummies, we work with personalities. When you look at a photo, it is not only the hairdo that you appraise, you also try to understand what kind of person it is, and if the image becomes him or her. If you feel a connection, you can ‘try on’ this coiffure. It’s like being in love: you don’t care what kind of eyes he has got or how he speaks — you just love him. It is simply intuitive attraction. The same goes for coiffures. Out of thousands, you choose the one that becomes you. That is what all of these get-togethers, findings, and bombastic words are for: for you to find your individuality.”

On the one hand, there is the individuality of the customer, and on the other – that of the one who does the coiffure. How essential is thinking out of the box for a hair stylist? After all, it is not the corner stone of the trade.

“It is essential for the hair stylist and for everyone else. But especially for a hair stylist, because he or she must in five minutes define the customer’s status, mood, balance, the structure of their hair, the anatomy of their face and, like a sculptor, do the work which for a sculptor may take years. As Rodin put it, create ‘the inner volume.’”

“In fact, it is an interesting job which compels the hair stylist to be a psychologist, diplomat, and artist, know the basics of ethics and esthetics, and be able to keep up any conversation if the customer wants to share.”

The other day I talked with one designer about the unfair attitude towards fashion in our society, as being shallow and “glam.” But fashion, I mean clothes, can influence a person’s energy, balancing or disbalancing them. What about a coiffure?

“The same goes for the coiffure. I never split fashion into hairstyles, clothes, shoes, and so on. I do not work separately with the head, the ears, the eyes, and the nose. Therefore I say that the hair stylist is a special job which provides for an entire system of knowledge about a person. If the stylist lacks education, he or she will not be able to determine what hairstyle the customer wants, and won’t be able to convey his idea to him or her.”

That is, a psychological element is crucial here: the stylist must assume responsibility for the choice of the coiffure.

“Yes, and it’s the stylist alone. He or she must be very sensitive to feel if the customer is ready for a change or not. It is subtle and deep psychology which takes root in our hair. Hairs are antennas tuned to the external space, while the hair stylist is to a certain extent a person initiated in a kind of mystery. By the way, the nature of hair is not yet fully discovered. If a person is in bad mood, hair can “lay” less perfectly than yesterday, when life seemed beautiful. At the same time, our hair is a kind of dossier, it records all information concerning us and everything that takes place in our lives. The hair stylist has to come into contact with happiness and grief, joy and sorrow.

“And on one perfect morning, you will want to change All. Often – to radically change hair color or have a short haircut, in line with a complete renovation in your life. And this is when it’s crucial to evaluate just how much the force of intentions for these changes will justify the hopes. I just drop a hing: maybe it’s better to update your outfit? Get something bright from a boutique...