The mullet has been in and out of fashion through the years, but a raft of cool celebs and their stylists have helped bring the look bang up to date. Award-winning hairdresser, Sharon Malcolm, shares her thoughts on the style’s recent rebirth.
It was during the 80s that the mullet had its heyday, with, mainly men, in the UK, USA and Australia embracing the style, characterised by its shortness at the front and on top, but exaggerated length at the back.
Now the style is back, and women are loving it as much as the guys. The modern mullet has actually been around for a few years. David Beckham flirted with the look back in 2005; actress Zendaya sported a cool mullet in 2016, with Billie Eilish and Miley Cyrus recently.
But it was perhaps in 2020 when Rihanna rocked up to the Savage X Fenty lingerie show with a full-on modern mullet that the look really had its renaissance. If it was good enough for Ri Ri, it was always going to hit the mainstream, and it has.
How To Create The Mullet
"The main thing to remember when creating a modern mullet is to work with high elevation to maintain length and a contemporary shape. Start by taking a parting from ear to ear over the top of the head and clipping it away at the front. Begin the cut at the back, remembering to work with a high elevation of 180 degrees, point-cutting short to long on a downward angle," explains Sharon.
"For the front of the hair, again use point-cutting and 180-degree elevation with over-direction. Take pivoting sections off the front hairline to connect the layers to the fringe. You can play with the fringe and sides of the hair, depending on how strong you want the look to be, either keeping it softer with a bit more length on the sides or really going for the modern mullet aesthetic by exaggerating the disconnection," she adds.
Sharon's Top Tip
Create plenty of texture in the hair, both on top and at the back to ensure you create a contemporary look.
No No's
Don’t leave too much weight on the length at the back of the head, this can make it look like the 80s mullet and that really should be confined to hair history.
For some mullet inspiration, take a look at the HJI hair gallery - with looks by Sharon herself, Becky Sutherland and Georgia Bell.
In our gallery, you can create bespoke searches by selecting the cut, style, length, colour (and many more!) categories that you're looking for.
Image credit: Sharon Malcolm