About yourselves
Gary Hooker and Michael Young: Hooker & Young. Young & Hooker. Whichever way you look it, Gary Hooker and Michael Young form one of the most successful partnerships ever seen in British hairdressing.
Chris Williams: I have come from a background of Colour, I love colour, it’s my passion and love the way it changes a haircut and brings it to life! At Rush, we are big on education, so I work very closely alongside L’Oréal and have collaborated on many photoshoots and videoshoots creating colours not only in the creative world, but wearable colours for our clients. I travel with the team worldwide teaching and showcasing catwalks of our latest collections.”
Jamie Benny: I’m currently a company consultant for Rush in central London and also a freelance session stylist. I have been in the industry since the age of 15 and progressed to become part of the Rush Artistic Team and as of 2013, the Loreal I.D Team.
Awards won
Gary Hooker and Michael Young: British Hairdresser of the Year (Nominee), British Colour Technician of the Year (Winner), North Eastern Hairdresser of the Year (Winner x 7), Avant Garde Hairdresser of the Year (Finalist), Artistic Team of the Year (Finalist x 3), among others.
Chris Williams: Schwarzkopf Professional Colour Technician of the Year 2009.
Jamie Benny: Photographic Competition 2013 at Rush Awards 2013.
About the collection
Gary Hooker & Michael Young: Fabric by Gary Hooker & Michael Young, Hooker & Young, proves shorter silhouettes can be as trend versatile as fashion. Through the use of colour pairings, styling and texture.
Inspiration behind it
Gary Hooker & Michael Young: In fashion and textile colour is used to evoke feelings. High intensity colours create an instant attraction while in contrast low intensities can appear laid back and soft. We wanted to create a colour collection that interpreted these emotions.
Chris Williams: The inspiration for my collection was about individuality. It’s about the idea that we all have different sides and layers to our personalities and different roles that we play at different times. The images are meant to represent these layers. The overall feel gives the collection a demur sensibility which represents one side of the models character while their hair is an outlet revealing their individual alter-ego.
Big trend
Gary Hooker & Michael Young: Shiny hair is perfect for more formal occasions this season, but there is a move away from the high polished Paris blow-dries towards aristocratic bedhead instead. Remember this look is styled on purpose, not left to its own devices so it is not necessarily the easy option; the look still has to be mastered and teased into place to be stylishly lived-in. Dry shampoos are key to creating this second-day trend. Spray into the roots to dull down any shine, and into the mid-lengths and ends to add texture. A wax such as the Shu Uemura Art of Hair Frame Wax is ideal for roughing up the hair, keeping with the undone style. It also help protect the hair from summer heat and uv rays, contains a humidity barrier and is perfect for colour treated hair.
Products used
Gary Hooker & Michael Young: Matrix has some of the most amazing products and for colour and styling, we didn’t have to look any further. Prestigious and influential roles within global hair care brand Matrix and leading hair extensions company Hairaisers that see the duo educating thousands of hairdressers around the world.
Gary Hooker & Michael Young, Hooker & Young Artistic Team
Chris Williams, International Colour Director, Artistic Team Member, Rush Hair and Beauty
Jamie Benny, Session Stylist, Rush Hair & Beauty
