Darren ambrose's career in pictures

Creative, directional and cutting-edge are just some of the words used to describe the work by award-winning hairdresser Darren Ambrose. Always one to push the boundaries, Darren, co-founder of D&J Ambrose in Pinner, Middlesex, enthralls audiences worldwide with his vision of galactic beauty, creating looks that have the most experienced stylists scratching their foreheads in amazement. Here he talks you through some of the images that have defined his career and helped him to win awards, including HJ's 1992 Newcomer of the Year, 1995 Eastern Hairdresser of the Year and the Avant Garde Hairdresser of the Year three times.    

• "This is one of my favourite pictures because it was architecturally formed. It was about volume and shape and precision cutting, which came together to create a great image. It was used as a front cover on many hairdresing trade magazines around the world, which I was very proud of. I loved working on this collection because of the team work involved. All the elements came together on the day - hair, body paint, make-up and photography - and everything gelled beautifully."
• "This is from my Imprisoned collection which was about the era of Joan of Arc. I used chain mail to create body armour and backlit the model for added drama. The Italian model was well known at the time but I was allowed to cut and colour her hair. I bleached it platinum blonde and used hair pieces to create different styles. Extensions are perfect for photo shoots as they really let you create multi-dimensional looks. On this particular shot I extended her hair and created movement with a wind machine."
• "This was one of the shots from my HJ's 2007 Avant Garde Hairdresser of the Year collection. I love this photograph because the whole pose and balance of the model works really well. I believe the colouration and shape of the hair creates a great iconic shot. I normally start planning an avant garde collection at least six months before working on it - putting together mood boards, collection materials, samples, ideas for lighting, mood and make-up and sketching my hair ideas."

• "The Darren Ambrose artistic team flew to Beijing in China on behalf of Wella Professionals to take part in a the launch for Koleston Perfect. My brief was to produce a 20-model catwalk show to trade and consumer press, so it was quite daunting. There were fashion editors from Elle China, Marie Claire, Tatler and Vogue. I also had the opportunity to be interviewed for the magazines, which was great for my profile, appear on TV and produce a campaign shoot for Wella Professionals, which was going to be published in Elle China magazine. Fashion editors are exactly the same the world over - they respect hairdressers for the art of dressing hair and creating stunning looks their readers enjoy. The world might be a big place but in terms of fashion it is small. Fashion might be different in various countries but they still want to hear what British hiardressers have to say. I do a lot of work on the international circuit which I really enjoy as it throws up so many challenges, from working with different models to the language barrier. For this shoot I saw about 150 models, all with one-length black hair. On this occasion it really was the girl's face that I chose rather than what I could or couldn't do with her hair."
• "Me and Jackie make a great team. Jackie focuses on the business side of the salon and I focus on the artistic element, but we often cross over - especially since the birth of Tennyson. Having a child puts life into perspective, you realise what it is all about and how important family is."

• "This is one of my favourite images as it really shows off the colour in the hair. It was a very successful promotional image in the salon and was a talking point among our clients. I worked with my wife Jackie on this collection which I really enjoyed. We complement each other well as our work is very similar and we bounce ideas off each other. Whether it's a commercial or a creative image I am working on, I know I will be using that image for a full year so it has to stretch through the seasons. This image borders on the avant garde as the colour is very creative and, while it might not be to everyone's liking, it still attracted attention because it was beautiful and striking."
• "This is from one of the first photo shoots I worked on. As you can see, creating ordinary hair isn't me. As a hairdresser I have always wanted to break the rules and have been drawn towards a more unusual, avant garde concept. I love creating an image that is creative and directional, you can have so much fun with shapes and colours."
• "This collection is very special to me as it my 2009 HJ's Avant Garde Hairdresser of the Year entry, and now I am in the Hall of Fame for winning this category three times. I used quite old fashioned techniques such as wrap blow-drying to get the hair straight which leaves a seamless look and follows the head contour. I used an airbrush and powders to create the circles and depth of the colour. I felt like an artist working on a blank canvass and loved it. I had a lot of fun creating these looks."

More Darren Ambrose Images

• Avant Garde Hairdresser of the Year 07 collection
• Avant Garde Hairdresser of the Year 08 collection
• Avant Garde Hairdresser of the Year 09 collection