When international fashion stylist Peter Gray got his first haircut, he was attending an all-boys boarding school in South Africa. At this school, one of the many strict rules of his was that hair stay cut above the ears. Gray’s friend Andrew was told one Friday morning that his hair broke protocol; if he didn’t get ready for the night, he would face punishment. Finding the ultimatum unreasonable, Gray sat Andrew down with scissors and saved the day.
From that day on, cutting hair became more and more of a daily practice for Gray, as his friends began asking him for the same favor that Andrew once asked. He quickly realized that cutting hair would be one of his passions, which led to his first job at a salon as a shampoo boy. While he was there, the owner of a nearby barbershop gave him a book, “Cutting Hair the Vidal Sassoon Way.” The book ignited his drive to become a hairstylist. So, at just 20 years old, he booked a ticket to London and told his parents that he would be leaving in two weeks.
See Peter’s work during the Meow Wolf runway collection on Tuesday, November 15. Buy your Denver Fashion Week tickets HERE
Photo by David Dunan for Vogue Japan.
Today, Gray maintains his status as one of the world’s most exceptional and creative hairdressers, traveling the world to work with high-profile clients and publications such as Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue.
“It could be a worse way to make a living,” he joked.
Growing in the Industry
Gray had just turned 21 when he got his first real job. After brief spells at Toni and Guy and Sassoons, Gray found himself with a salon in the Covent Garden district of London. This opportunity attracted many editorial hairdressers and a broad client base.
“I just gravitated towards them, they took me under their wing,” Gray said. “I was just a crazy kid who used to sleep on the towel bags in the living room. He was afraid to go home because if you went home, you might miss something.”
Photo by Mario Sorrenti for Elle.
As Gray recalls, many of the salon’s most famous clients came early in the morning seeking privacy, and he didn’t want to miss a minute. After seven years of shampooing and drying hair as an assistant, salon owner Greg Cazaly booked Gray an interview at Sassoon. After being accepted, Gray completed his nine-month barber training program in just three months.
He moved to Manchester during the summer of 1988, also known as the second “Summer of Love”, when house music was born. Gray then met Anthony Wilson, owner of Factory Records. With a passion for music, film, and television, Gray still wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to commit to hairstyling, so Wilson brought him in to help with his television show. The incredibly successful show featured bands like New Order and Joy Division, leading Gray to tour with groups like Oasis.
After some time, the crowds began to move from Manchester to London. To continue her career, she also moved. While in London, she worked intermittently as an assistant to fashion stylist Ray Allington and editorial hairstylist Eugene Souleiman. Still interested in film, Gray also worked with a creative design company called Microdot. Owner Brian Cannon supported Gray while he wrote music video scripts for about five years. Many of these materialized with a Welsh band called Super Furry Animals.
In this busy time, Gray continued to teach diplomas and academic courses in London for Vidal Sassoon. On the days that he was able to travel, he would work in a residence with a band, cutting hair and sitting in studios with them.
“I never charged for any of those haircuts backstage at the concerts, in any of the recording studios,” Gray said. “It was always because I wanted to do it. I wanted to be a part of that experience.”
Photo by Ryan McGinley for Porter magazine.
Entering the 2000s, Gray collaborated with Maison Martin Margiela for nearly seven years, periodically assisting it with Hermes shows. He describes this as introducing him to the world of haute couture after previously working in high beauty and publishing. Simultaneously, Gray also became a consultant for brands such as Procter and Gamble until 2002, when he became an international editorial consultant. In this role, he was able to include his sustainable input into products used by brands like Moroccan Oil, L’Oreal and Aveda. He encourages brands to be authentically sustainable not only for their benefit but also for their customers. Having worked in the production of many hair care products, Gray is well aware of poor ingredients that are commonly used. He feels that stylists like him have a duty to champion brands that care about their environmental footprint.
“We are exposed to large amounts of cross-antigens in all of our beauty products, large amounts of toxic chemicals,” Gray said. “That kind of level of toxicity that our business puts out into the world leaves all of us with the responsibility to improve it and not be biased about it.”
Photo by Antoine Harinthe for Daily Things Journal.
In an industry that strives to stay green and cruelty-free, Gray refuses to compromise her sustainable beliefs and the integrity of the brands she uses. Many brands that he outwardly supports— back of the bottle (BOB) and color space –They not only offer sustainable packaging, but also provide full transparency of all ingredients.
At large-scale events, Gray will use products from small, sustainable companies like Intelligent Nutrients to give them visibility. Between the models and hairstylists who use the product and those who work behind the scenes of the show, Gray is able to draw the attention of a large audience to a green business they might not otherwise have tried.
“I would like some kind of help to convince people,” Gray said. “I’m not going to be the one to change the world, I just want to be that spark that turns someone else on.”
Photo by Mark Seliger for Vogue Greece.
Their sustainability efforts don’t end with the products, they extend throughout their daily lives, even taking the subway instead of a taxi. The way he sees it, the $40 saved by not taking a cab will go toward dinner later. His hope is that as he takes the step to become more aware of his impact, others will follow and feel they have gained something in the process.
Being a devoted vegan, Gray is a strong advocate of improving the food we eat and being more informed about what we put into our bodies. When he researches the best foods to incorporate into his diet, he often uses the Yuka app to scan barcodes and receive objective feedback related to the quality of the ingredients. He values not only plant-based alternatives, but also those that are nutritious and healthy.
In a world where vegan and sustainable products are already marginalized, he believes in making these brands not just enough, but special enough to stand out and capture the attention of everyday shoppers.
As Gray continues to work with high-end fashion shows and big-name clients, she still maintains her solutions-based approach while constantly asking herself “why?” Her unique approach as her stylist is to go in with an attitude of how she can enhance the outfit and pay close attention to detail. By doing this, she is able to bring things to the table that other skilled stylists cannot: the ability to make a creative difference.
Photo by Jennifer Livingston for Only Natural Diamonds.
Gray’s daily work is constantly changing, and much of his work is based on his adaptability. Whether it’s hectic days on the runway, touch-ups between back-to-back interviews, or creating looks that last the red carpet for hours, her work is constantly changing. Every day and every client is different. And unlike some stylists who have their base of operations in a salon, Gray is always on the go, fitting in with others’ schedules. He describes it as a “weird lifestyle” where he travels constantly working on editorial projects.
come to denver
One of Gray’s first shows was London Fashion Week, at the time it was just two young men putting everything together. In all the chaos, Gray remembers feeling excited to take on something new. Many major cities—New York, Miami, and Los Angeles—have major fashion weeks that rely heavily on business and marketing, but Gray believes in holding on to creativity and being open to growth in a time when everything is open to criticism.
“You have to not go down the path that everyone else has gone down,” Gray said. “I think that’s really the key, not just going the other way. You know, finding your own individual path.”
When asked to attend Denver Fashion Week this year, Gray agreed without hesitation, seeing that it was similar to her earlier shows: different, yet accessible. He sees the show as “fresh” and a “new frontier” for designers and stylists to get creative without an emphasis on business.
Gray will be DFW’s stylist Day two: Children’s show and hairdresser on November 13 in collaboration with Jade Sanghee, a close friend and stylist from Seoul. The duo will be working with the Back of Bottle brand to support its launch this past September.
Get tickets HERE to see Gray’s talent on the runway at Denver Fashion Week for the Sunday event at 5 pm
Source: news.google.com