Sam McKnight to Teach Online Hair Course
Sam McKnight is gearing up to offer an online hair course for industry professionals. (Photo: Mastered)
The best beauty industry experts say there’s always a way to keep learning. That’s the goal of Mastered, an interactive online course that has been developed for experienced professionals. The program kicked off in May with a three-month course under the leadership of makeup artist Val Garland. Over 5,000 applicants applied for a spot in the course and 1,000 were accepted. The curriculum included weekly videos, live Q&As with industry veterans like photographer Nick Knight and designer Vivienne Westwood, and real life briefs that open up opportunities to be featured in magazines like i-D. Next up on the Mastered schedule? A four-month program with legendary hairstylist Sam McKnight.
The October 2015 cover of British Vogue featuring Sienna Miller with hair by McKnight. (Photo: Vogue UK)
McKnight has worked on over 150 international Vogue covers, has led hair teams backstage at Chanel, worked with photographers like Mario Testino, and has tamed the tresses of Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne — who wouldn’t want to learn from him? But McKnight himself wishes he could have enrolled back in the day. “It would have been amazing if this course was available when I was starting out,” McKnight tells Yahoo Beauty. “To be able to access this level of information — not only about how the industry works but also the methods and techniques used — would have been invaluable.” The Scotland native originally went to school to become a teacher but says, “It didn’t feel quite right.” He started working at a salon owned by friends one Saturday and it was there that he threw himself into the world of hair and later training at Molton Brown in London. Now, McKnight prides himself on staying ahead of the curve. “I think it’s about keeping up to date with trends and staying on top of new exciting products. Look at everything: Art, film, street fashion.”
Hair my McKnight for the fall 2015 Chanel ad campaign. (Photo: Chanel)
In a world saturated with YouTube beauty tutorials and 15-second how-to’s filling Instagram feeds, McKnight is taking teaching to the next level with this program. “Mastered is a lot more in depth than a YouTube video,” he says. “The interaction between me and the students and their curiosity about how I work gives a unique insight into both me and my way of working.” The course will include advice from McKnight on how to create looks for a fashion editorial, which will take students behind the scenes of a shoot, and give them the opportunity to present hair looks to the editorial team at Garage Magazine for feedback. They’ll also learn the basics of styling a beauty editorial (with advice from Vogue’s international beauty director, Kathy Phillips), and how to work on a fashion campaign.
Cindy Crawford in Vogue Germany, 1987 with hair by Sam McKnight. (Photo: Instagram)
It’s an opportunity to learn from the best of the best in the fashion and beauty industries — and you can still apply for a spot. “I’m looking for hairstylists who are really passionate and dedicated — who want to take their career to the next level,” says McKnight. “I am hoping that the people applying to the course are open-minded and willing to learn about different ways of working both creatively, by thinking through ideas, and physically, by trying new ways of working with the hair.”
Recent work by hairstylist Laura McCosh. (Photo: InCover Magazine)
One of those stylists is Laura McCosh. “I have always wanted to be a hairdresser from as young as I can remember,” says McCosh. My mum used to catch me cutting my dolls hair behind the sofa.” Today, the Cornwall native is based in Barcelona and over the past few years has expanded her portfolio to include work on commercials, short films, campaigns, and editorials. For her, this course is an opportunity to take her work to a new level and to be challenged. “I look forward to working with other passionate artists around the world, and of course getting to learn from Sam McKnight,” she says. “It´s like getting to be his assistant from your home — what a dream!” Down the road, McCosh hopes to work on fashion shows, red carpet events, and high-end beauty campaigns.
Perhaps one of the best parts of this course is that it is open to those who are not located in a major fashion capital, like McCosh in Barcelona. “There are people out there who are really talented, especially we found, in Australia,” says Grace de Ville, the content and community manager for Mastered. “They want the opportunity, but they aren’t geographically near those opportunities.”
No matter what your skill level, McKnight believes everyone can benefit from and be excited by the course. “Someone who is just starting out in the industry should learn and perfect all the skills they can,” he says. “From setting hair to braiding, it is vital to have the basics to hand. [For] someone further along, explore your creativity, experiment, and step out of your comfort zone.” Even the jaded, think-they-know-it-all working professionals can benefit from a class now and then. “Keep an open mind — nobody knows everything. We are all learning all the time.”
If you’re interested in applying to the course, the deadline for applications is September 23, with the course beginning September 30.
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