Virgil Abloh seeks out his skills. Solange is practically family. Sam McKnight was one of his original mentors. For hairstylist Jawara Wauchope, the rise to fashion month glory has been paved with crystals, chains, and a decent amount of hair gel. After years assisting industry heavyweights like Guido Palau and Luigi Murenu, Wauchope has become a backstage star—and he has the coveted show roster to prove it.
After creating a viral whirlwind with last season’s Preciosa crystal ponytails at Area, Wauchope’s latest runway vision for the label offered up trippy tactile strips of silk organza tied high on the head like the ’90s music video queens from whom he still draws inspiration. At Mugler, it was “bitchy” hair adorned with extended silver chains, and for Off-White, “virgin-like” styles shaped simply with the Dyson tools for which he now acts as an ambassador.
Here, the artist’s favorite behind-the-scenes fashion month moments captured via Polaroids for a no-filter modern photo diary:
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Photo: Courtesy of Art Partner1/14Behind the scenes at Area
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Photo: Courtesy of Art Partner2/14“Area was a beautiful explosion of crystals and silk organza ponytails,” Wauchope shares of the noodle-like updos he trimmed by hand on models for a blunt finish. “It also had an androgynous element with a handsome slicked coiffe,” he explains. Not pictured: Nail artist Naomi Yasuda’s sparkling flower-shaped Preciosa stone nail tips.
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Photo: Courtesy of Art Partner3/14Lineup at Vaquera SS20
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Photo: Courtesy of Art Partner4/14Vaquera has an Alice in Wonderland fantasy hair element this season,” says Wauchope. Paired with Emi Kaneko’s downtown-cool-kid makeup, the darkly interpreted Valentine’s Day–theme extended into a mix of widows-peaked wigs, asymmetrical curly crops, and what he describes as a “Queen of Hearts sculptural hairstyle with beautiful French rolls.”
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Photo: Courtesy of Art Partner5/14Tousled Tresses at Peter Pilotto
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Photo: Courtesy of Art Partner6/14Hopping from London to their first Italian runway, designers Peter Pilotto and Christopher de Vos told Vogue that their theme for the collectsion was “mixing pleasure with leisure.” It played out for Wauchope as wind-swept waves with just a whiff of grunge-y chaos. “This show had somewhat of a glam wave that has been a little destroyed,” he notes. Makeup artist Inge Grognard perfected dewy complexions with a cocktail of Code 8 makeup and MZ Skin products before giving eyes a sheer wash of color. “It was a great balance of the beautiful beach-like fabrics,” says Wauchope.
Photo: Courtesy of Art Partner7/14Behind the scenes at MSGM SS20
Photo: Courtesy of Art Partner8/14“For MSGM, we created greasy natural waves and some graphic braids to go with the beautiful graphic prints,” Wauchope shares of the collectsion’s fabrics that spanned from tie-dyed pastels and abstract sunbathing bodies to psychedelic neon florals. To match the kaleidoscopic mood, makeup artist Lynsey Alexander drew colorful rectangles of “straight block liner” on select models’ lids for an art-school effect.
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Photo: Courtesy of Art Partner9/14Backstage at Koché
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Photo: Courtesy of Art Partner10/14On the catwalk of Christelle Kocher’s sustainable collectsion in Paris, soccer jerseys mingled with feather-trimmed silk pajamas. “Koché has a mix of athletics, rock, and glam in the hair,” says Wauchope. “There was a sleek gelled look with graphic parts to make it modern and cool.” Thanks to three distinct sections—a wide top slick clearly separated from its comb-marked sides—the razor-sharp style added new dimension to the wet look.
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Photo: Courtesy of Art Partner11/14Metallic hairpieces at Mugler
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Photo: Courtesy of Art Partner12/14A seductive riff on ’90s classics called for above-the-neck power moves in Paris. “Mugler has a very sexy, ‘bitchy’-type hair,” Wauchope notes. With makeup artist Inge Grognard’s exaggerated winged eyebrows, Wauchope played with “subtle details on the sides of the heads, along with lace wigs with circular hair lines as well as a tight chignon adorned with chains.”
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Photo: Courtesy of Art Partner13/14The lineup at Off-White
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Photo: Courtesy of Art Partner14/14Set against the “meteor-shower-inspired” eyes dressed in different sizes of glitter by makeup artist Fara Homidi, Wauchope’s effortless styles were given an earthly spin. “Off-White had an extremely pure element of virgin-like natural hair that would dance in the wind as the women walked,” he says. “This show we played with the idea of using no products whatsoever to embrace REAL natural beauty.”
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