Denman stage star's winner shoot results in bha finalist status

Denman Stage Star winner James Forte (@jamesfortehair) has truly made the most of his winning year and is topping it off with finalist status in the British Hairdressing Awards 2022, in the Newcomer category. As part of his winner’s package, Denman funded a shoot with the award winning photographer Desmond Murray. Here, James shares his account of what turned out to be one of the most amazing days in his career so far. “The inspiration behind my Somber collection with Desmond Murray initially came from a phone call with Denman ambassador Sharon Malcolm, when she asked what inspired me. I channelled that into my shoot. I was always more alternative growing up and loved gothic looks, so mood was a massive feature around this shoot. From there, the idea started to evolve. “I wanted to take classic shapes and give them a contemporary twist; when I added a focus on precision cutting techniques plus manipulation, the looks were elevated to a new level. Being my first shoot and previously being mentored, I took to a dolls head to craft my desired looks. “Once the initial concept was formed, I played with manipulation techniques to exaggerate the shapes for the camera while paying close attention to silhouettes to pick up maximum detail. This process took a while, training my eye and thinking outside of the box. The shapes vary from soft to more fashion-forward, with an emphasis on progressive construction. These looks not only display my repertoire, but have a solid foundation on current trends. “My favourite look was Abbie’s braids. I cannot tell you how many hours I practiced that! I went from never braiding to being a pro. I had some mentoring closer to the shoot but for the most part I am self-taught. “Des was brilliant, he made the whole shoot run smoothly. He gave me guidance in front of the camera and directed me to elevate my looks even higher. If a look wasn’t working, Des didn’t hesitate to tell me and pushed me until we created something that did. I felt safe in the hands of true hair royalty. “Des encouraged me to enter Newcomer and I am so incredibly proud to achieve finalist status with my first shoot. The biggest surprise for me was the amount of love and support I received from my friends and assistants; everyone was so full of energy and enthusiasm and it made my first shoot run super smooth. “It was amazing to see my vision come to life before my eyes! I have the bug now. I’m going to push harder, train more and chase my dreams. James Forte…BHA hall of fame…watch this space!” *Stage Star UK & Ireland is a competition to find the next budding stage artist that launches every August. This year's Denman Stage star Winner will be announced on the HJ Stage at Salon International.