Conversations on colour: chris williams

Chris Williams is international colour director for Rush and a member of their artistic team. He's a former winner of HJ's British Colour Technician of the Year and works closely with L'Oreal Professionnel - most recently on their 60th anniversary Colour Trophy show. Chris is also a member of the L'Oreal Professionnel 20:20 Colour Collective; an elite group of colourists from across the UK. Here, we find out more about his life in colour. What do you love most about being a colourist? The discipline it entails. I like structure, and structure requires discipline. At Rush even our free hand colour has a structured pattern behind it. What do you think are the biggest challenges facing professional colourists in 2015? Social media is having a big impact on client's expectations. They see celebrities changing their hair colour in an instant, such as Kim Kardashian going blonde, and assume that it can be done in one salon sitting. Also, client’s come in to the salon armed with colour facts they have read online. The information can be right, but it is tailored to that bloggers/journalist and not personalised to the client sitting in the chair. What do you think is the most exciting thing about being a colourist in 2015? It's an exciting era to be a colourist and while I'm not a huge fan of all the colour techniques out there, clients are much more open to colour options. What colour trend or technique are you most excited about for 2015? I’ve been working with a lot of geometric patterns lately. Not necessarily the most client friendly technique, but one that gives the colourist a lot of scope. What one piece of advice would you give to trainee colourists who would love to be where you are now? Put yourself out there and hunt down opportunities. Learn your craft, master your trade. Take every chance and use it to generate new ones.