Life through a lens: akin konizi's most iconic images

Akin Konizi, creative director of HOB Salons and four times British Hairdresser of the Year winner, is best known for his cutting skills and continues to produce innovative and contemporary looks. As part of HJ's Life Through a Lens series, we asked him to share six of his most iconic images. Weft on Show “I mused about the concept of truth and integrity in photographic work when I created this style. I decided to show the weft as opposed to pretending it was real hair. It was a controversial statement at the time and not everyone agreed so I enjoyed going against opinion! One of my all-time favourites, this collection led to my first British Hairdresser of the Year win.” Glamorous Waves “I’m always looking for a story to inspire my collections. I feel like this could be a scene from an old movie where glamorous ladies get photographed in a small studio in the south of France, while the photographer’s assistant looks after their dog. A story helps the model to get into character and display the mutual vision of you and your photographer.” Brutal Beauty  “This is arguably one of my most brutal and tribal haircuts, but every style has to be beautiful to somebody. It features one of my favourite and most trusting models and muse – Elle. You’ll see her in many of my collections. Photographer Jenny Hands made this collection more than I had ever imagined and it’s become my favourite. It was inspired by 1970s Sassoon with a modern twist, and resulted in my fourth British Hairdresser of the Year win.” Sensual Updos “This was all about pure sensuality, drama, and style. The shoot was very hard work and very expensive as we had two models in every shot, which at the time, I felt had never been done effectively before. I’m not known for my updos but I really enjoyed creating these looks, inspired by that ‘classical’ feel that I maintain in all of my shapes, whether I’m cutting or creating a hair-up.” Purple Haze “Natural movement in the hair must always be explored – waves, frizz, dark roots, whatever it may be. The first question you should ask is – ‘does it look good?’. Make the model look beautiful first and the hair second. This image was shot by my good friend John Rawson, an inspiration to me in many ways. It was part of a collection that secured a BHA Colour Technician of the Year title for the fourth time.” Wearable Avant Garde “Cutting is my passion, but I’ve always enjoyed experimenting with hair-up. This was made by twisting hair and tightly attaching it to the head. It’s difficult to describe the genre, but you could say it’s ‘wearable’ avant garde.”