Chris Long, GB Styling Ambassador for Dyson, talks us through how he journeyed from salon to session, giving his top tips along the way…
As we sat down with Chris Long in Dyson’s Beauty Lab on Oxford Street, London, we jumped straight into finding out how his career journey began. Rewind 21 years ago, Chris started hairdressing in a little salon in Gloucester. “About 10 years ago now, I was lucky enough to be asked by L’Oréal Professionnel to go and help out at London Fashion Week,” he told us. “I was on my way home and I had a phone call from the hairdresser I was assisting, asking me if I could fly to Milan, and then from Milan to Paris, and my session journey really started from there.” Fast forward to 2024, Chris no longer works in the salon but continues to work on photoshoots, fashion shows, press days, and various other events. When asked if he always saw himself going into the session world, it was clear Chris didn’t envision his career taking this turn. “I thought if you wanted to do that, you had to work in a salon in London. Even though I really wanted to do it, I just didn’t know how to get there. I didn’t really know anyone who was doing it so I couldn’t ask either.”
Often, when people think of session styling, they think it’s all glitz and glamour, shoots, celebrities, room service – but in reality, starting out in the session industry requires a lot of assisting and as a hairstylist, you need to put yourself out there. “I mean, I was assisting different hairstylists, staying in really bad Airbnb’s, going places by coach – it’s not glamorous, but you kind of work up to that.” And after having worked for Dyson for five/six years on numerous campaigns, Chris has recently been announced as the brand’s GB Styling Ambassador. “It’s one of my biggest career highlights. I know all the products, and when I finally got asked, I was like oh my god, I can’t believe it!”
But as we know, each journey comes with its own challenges. And taking the jump from salon to session was something that affected Chris at the beginning of his career. “Going from the salon, where you have a steady income and stepping out of that and being self-employed, you don’t know if you’re going to get work from one week to the next.” And perhaps something all hairdressers can relate to was the challenges during lockdown. “I was classed as production so I could still work slightly. I remember being in boiler suits with facemasks on, but stood at the other side of the room, telling the model how to do her hair.”
Meanwhile, when asked where he draws his inspiration from, it comes down to the collaboration between the hairstylist, the make-up artist, the stylist, and the client. Following hairstylists such as Sami Knight (Adele’s hairdresser), and Peter Lux, Chris is all about the flawless, celebrity work. “You can draw your inspiration from everywhere like museums, architecture, but I think for me, I really just love beautiful hair. I love classic, and old-school Hollywood glamour hairstyles.”
As our chat draws to an end, we can’t help but ask, any words of advice? “Work hard and reach out to agencies to see if they need assistance. Find great people you like to work with, and just be nice to everyone you meet – it can take you a long way.” And a long way indeed, when asked what he’s got coming up in the pipeline, Venice Film Festival is mentioned, and just like 10 years ago, where Chris’s session journey began, he’s returning to Milan and Paris for Fashion Week. “And that’s all I can tell you!” he teases. We can’t wait to see what secrets are up his sleeve…
2006: Completed NVQ at Ashley Paul Hairdressing, Gloucester
2016: Assisted on first fashion show at London Fashion Week
2019: Shot first global campaign for Dyson Beauty
2023: Became Dyson's GB Styling Ambassador
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Lead image photography credit: Zac Walton
