It was quite a sexy fashion week for the 11 artists who won Sexy Hair’s "Faux-tography" contest who came to New York City during New York Fashion Week to work on the hair for The Blonds S/S 2017 collection, one of the most exciting shows presented during the season. The competition was enticing for the 200 educators in the Sexy Hair world. According to Sloane LaMartina, Sexy Hair Director of Corporate Communications, “Clients don’t want to commit to a look so we did ‘faux look’ for the competition - faux bangs, bobs, faux ponytails. There were 128 entries and MODERN editors chose 11 winners -  9 from the U.S., one from Canada and one from UK.  It was a great process.”

The 11 arrived to NYC with team leader and Sexy Hair Artistic Director Rafe Hardy several days before the show to prepare. That preparation included meeting with the designers, customizing the wigs and then actually working backstage for hours before the models hit the catwalk. One of the winners, Brian Jensen from Reno, Nevada (clearly no stranger to wig work!) shares that interacting with The Blonds has been the most exciting part of the experience. “I love that I get to spend time with them and pick their brains,” he said during prep. “They’re experienced in design and art. I’ve learned so much.” Wigmaster Meaghan Masterson from New York adds that “The level of detail and they way they look at things makes me look at things differently as well.” Dawn Atkinson has learned to be patient “You have to make time to give it the attention it needs to customize.” Arlene Martin, a wig master from Atlanta, says that working with synthetic hair created a fresh experience. Although she works with wigs for tv and film, Martin acknowledges its all about the foundation. “Working with synthetic wigs is more challenging. Prep is more important than ever.” Rafe Hardy noted that there are particulary interesting challenges when working with one length curly wigs. "You have to take in little steps," he says. "You have to work various techniques to get maximinum volume and texture. We are using Spray Clay to get texture without disrupting the curl." The team spent hours prepping te hair which included a lot of backcombing and volumizing. Although already full, more hair was added and “fluffy rabbits” were used for added lift.

The Blonds is a particularly interesting show for any beauty team because the designing duo - Phillipe and David Blond - embrace beauty like no other designer in the fashion world. “Beauty is an integral part of the narrative we are trying to tell,” David Blond told MODERN right before the show. “You can utilize the hair, nails and make up to push your point across and to make an impact. You only have 11 minutes and we feel like these are great accessories.”

Hardy agrees.  "We enjoy working with The Blonds because they are one of the few designers that believe that hair is part of the essential look. They are all about the hair. They are not afraid of it taking away from the fashion."