Stylist Spotlight · Backstage
Backstage at The Front Row: Ken Hung Styles the Runway at Oakridge Park
Ken Hung Founder & Master Stylist · Salon Era Vancouver
On Thursday, , Oakridge Park staged The Front Row: Fashion Through the Ages, a runway show in its North Atrium. Salon Era founder Ken Hung was backstage, part of the hair team styling the models before they walked.
The audience saw gowns spanning the decades. Behind the curtain, Ken was doing what he does every day at the salon, at runway speed: reading each model’s hair, shaping it to the brief, and making sure every look was perfect before each model stepped out.
Backstage
The Last Touch Before the Runway
Two moments from the night, filmed behind the curtain: Ken brushing a model’s lengths smooth, then the line-up waiting to walk.
The Job
What Runway Hair Asks of a Stylist
Backstage work is the same craft as a salon appointment, with no second chance and a room full of people waiting.
Hair that reads from the front row
Every look has to hold its shape under hot lights, through a fast change and down a long runway, and still look polished from the first seat.
Hair that serves the clothes
At a show about the silhouettes of fashion history, the gowns lead. The hair frames them: sleek, glossy and deliberately quiet.
The final check
Minutes before the walk, the stylist goes down the line-up: brushing through the lengths, smoothing flyaways, a light mist to set the shine.
The Looks
Sleek, Glossy and Ready to Walk
The line-up shows the brief at a glance: long hair brushed to a high, even shine; sleek, pulled-back shapes; and hair tucked neatly under berets and wraps where the outfit called for it. Nothing competed with the clothes, and nothing was left to chance.
That polish is harder than it looks. Smooth, glossy lengths depend on how the hair has been cut, prepared and finished, and on knowing which product will hold through a long evening without weighing the hair down.
The Show
Fashion Through the Ages, at Oakridge Park
Oakridge Park describes The Front Row as an annual celebration of fashion, culture and design. Its first theme, “Fashion Through the Ages”, looked back at the silhouettes that have defined fashion through the decades, with a collection of gowns bringing fashion history into the present. Joe Zee hosted.
It was a big production. Retail Insider reported 612 guest seats and a crew of about 250, including the hair and makeup professionals Ken worked alongside. Brittany Wong of Bash and Fete led the creative direction and production, and stylist Zeina Esmail directed the fashion. The finale showed new-season pieces from Brunello Cucinelli, Dolce & Gabbana, Harry Rosen, Max Mara and Valentino, and John Legend performed at the grand piano.
See the night on Oakridge Park’s Instagram: Behind the scenes at The Front Row · The runway, Joe Zee and John Legend
From the Runway to Your Chair
What Backstage Work Means for Your Hair
Sleek, glossy lengths
Your haircut
Hair only falls that cleanly when the cut underneath is precise. That is where every appointment with Ken starts.
Haircut prices →A finish that holds
Your blow-dry and styling
Shine that lasts a show, or an evening out, comes from preparation and the right product, not from more heat.
Styling services →Another stage
Ken’s masterclass
Earlier this fall, Shu Uemura Art of Hair invited Ken to teach Vancouver’s stylists six looks live on stage.
Read the masterclass story →Book with the Stylist Behind the Runway
The care Ken brings backstage is the care he brings to every appointment at Salon Era in Fairview.
Salon Era is at 511 W 7th Ave #113, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4R2. Book online or call to reserve your appointment.