With London Fashion Week coming to a close today, the season showcased captivating patterns including backless dresses, demure slits, fringes, and chikankari coats. Yet beyond the fabric and silhouettes, hair, in particular, emerged as a showstopper—a craft that demands extensive preparation, creative vision, and flawless execution under pressure.
According to TONI&GUY Global Creative Director and British Hairdresser of the Year, Cos Sakkas, who leads the TONI&GUY Session Team, the process begins long before the lights hit the runway. “There are so many hair tests with the designer to get their initial approval and then add the finishing touches to develop a look,” he explains. Despite three decades of experience spanning over 30 fashion seasons, Sakkas acknowledges that each collection presents unique challenges and complications. The ultimate goal remains consistent: creating cohesive looks efficiently while coordinating seamlessly among team members. As he wisely tells Forbes from backstage, “When everyone else is losing their head, you have to keep yours cool.”
The following are the standout hair and beauty trends that will inspire off-runway styling in the months ahead.
Barrus Global’s Hair And Collection Influenced By Istanbul
Barrus Global delivered one of the season’s most captivating presentations, showcasing flowing silk, chiffon, and sculptural layering inspired by Istanbul’s spiritual landmarks. The hair direction, masterfully led by Sabit Akkaya, one of Turkey’s leading creative hairstylists crafted looks that mirrored the same fluidity and spiritual grace as the garments themselves. Loose, romantic updos with softly escaping tendrils echoed the weightless quality of silk and chiffon, while intricate knots and twists drew direct inspiration from the flowing curves of Ottoman calligraphy, bringing architectural delicacy to each look. Braided detailing paid homage to Istanbul’s intricate mosaics and architectural motifs, weaving textural storytelling into the hairstyles while allowing the collection to remain the undisputed star. Natural-textured waves evoked an organic, windswept effect reminiscent of Bosphorus breezes, while loose waves, undone braids, and air-dried finishes created a lived-in luxury that aligned with the collection’s spiritual lightness.
The production was elevated by Hülya Kayhan, whose aromatherapy-infused, natural haircare line brought sophistication to the presentation through lightweight mousses that enhanced natural wave patterns. The makeup direction followed the same ethereal brief, with fresh, radiant skin enhanced by light-reflective finishes and understated lips in sheer, natural tints.
Roksanda Proved Sculptural Hair Is Art
Celebrating its 20th anniversary year, Roksanda presented her SS26 collection at The Chancery Rosewood, transforming hair into an art form with the support of premium haircare brand Authentic Beauty Concept. Drawing inspiration from modernist sculptor Barbara Hepworth, the collection celebrated curves, abstract shapes, and dynamic lines—elements that were perfectly mirrored in the sculptural hair crafted backstage. The artistic and bold aesthetics that define Roksanda’s design philosophy extended seamlessly into the hair direction, creating a cohesive celebration of form and creativity.
Anna Cofone, Global Creative Advocate for Authentic Beauty Concept brought Roksanda’s vision to life through carefully structured looks that balanced fluidity with precision. “We wanted the hair to reflect Roksanda’s exploration of form: high gloss shapes with curves and graphic lines that felt both modern and timeless,” explains Cofone. “Using Authentic Beauty Concept’s Cosmic Blowdry Jelly we created looks that were fluid yet structured, enhancing the collection’s strength while staying true to Authentic Beauty Concept’s ethos of mindful beauty.” The technique involved saturating hair with the Cosmic Blowdry Jelly and using wide-tooth combs to carve sculptural lines and curves, creating graphic shapes that maintained sleek sides for short hair or pushed-back precision for longer lengths, finished with Working Hairspray and diffuse drying to set the architectural forms in place.
Erdem’s Surreal Romance Proved Hair Is Poetry
The iconic British Museum provided a fitting backdrop for Erdem Moralıoğlu’s SS26 show, drawing celebrity attendees including Sonam Kapoor, Rashida Jones, and Olivia Munn. The British-Turkish designer collaborated with Fara Homidi and Anna Cofone to create a mystical beauty look grounded in surrealism, with hair echoing the collection’s dreamlike world through the support of Authentic Beauty Concept. Inspired by artist Helena Smith and referencing the ethereal film “Picnic at Hanging Rock,” the collection and its accompanying hair looks embodied girls caught in fleeting moments.
The undone elegance was achieved through a carefully orchestrated process that created textured, lived-in waves with surreal distortions. “The hair for Erdem was about capturing imperfection in the most beautiful way including irregular textures, soft distortions and undone details that feel authentic, lived-in, and effortlessly chic,” explains Anna Cofone. “It’s the poetry of real life woven into high fashion.” The technique involved prepping with Nymph Salt Spray at the roots and Flawless Primer through the lengths, twisting longer hair into low buns while diffuse drying, then adding irregular movement with varying tong sections to create intentional distortions, finished with Airy Texture Spray for light hold and Pliable Paste to tame flyaways while maintaining that authentic, otherworldly romance.
Aadnevik Honors Marie Antoinette
Aadnevik’s SS2026 collection transported audiences back to 1770 at the Royal Horseguards Hotel near the River Thames, exploring the fascinating duality of Marie Antoinette, who was the last Queen of France. Her ornate court drama blended seamlessly with her rebellious spirit and was reflected perfectly in the collection. The collection also manifested her obsession with blossoms through gowns in pale pastel hues of blue, green, and pink, adorned with handcrafted silk flowers, laced silk corsets, braided fine leather, and porcelain white silks that captured the defiance of the era.
The beauty direction also complemented this historical narrative, with BURN BEAUTY by Michelle Webb creating ghastly porcelain skin enhanced with striking red and black shades that manifested in deep, noticeable blush—a dramatic contrast that embodied Marie Antoinette’s complex persona. To recreate this bold flush at home, Rodial blush offers silky, blendable cream formulas that deliver natural color with a skin-like finish, perfect for building from subtle glow to bold pop. The hair direction by Sakkas featured tight curls set and prepared with Label M Texturing Spray to achieve that dusty yet lived-in texture. “We intentionally pulled wispy pieces for soft outlining and added flowers randomly yet strategically for a feminine, romantic touch that captured the Queen’s love of natural beauty amid courtly grandeur,” Sakkas explained.
Simone Rocha Presents A Rebellious Innocence In Their Hair
Held at Mansion House, the official residence of the Lord Mayor of London, Simone Rocha’s SS26 show drew inspiration from surrealist painter Leonora Carrington’s short story “The Debutante,” in which a teenage girl frees a hyena from the zoo to replace her at a debutante ball. This playful yet profound narrative about being on the cusp of womanhood while pushing against societal expectations encapsulated the collection’s teenager-inspired brief: playful, rebellious, yet innocent.
The beauty looks masterfully captured this youthful energy through glowing skin and deliberately undone textures that balanced romance with edge. Hair dresser Ellie Kaps achieved the look by keeping the base makeup light to maintain that fresh, youthful glow, then styling hair with playful textures using Got2b mousse and Pretty Gorgeous hair straighteners to create soft bends that embodied the collection’s spirit of gentle rebellion and emerging femininity.
Paul Costelloe’s “Beehives” Invite Back Big Hair
Paul Costelloe’s “Boulevard of Dreams” collection, presented on September 19, 2025, delivered a vibrant ode to femininity, freedom, and the effortless glamour of 1967. Inspired by Hollywood icon Sharon Tate’s enduring style, the collection reimagined the spirit of late sixties California, blending romance with sharp tailoring and bold silhouettes that evoked carefree confidence while showcasing Costelloe’s mastery of structure enhanced with whimsical touches of color and texture.
The hair direction by Sakkas embraced towering beehives that captured the period’s dramatic glamour and confident femininity. The hero product, LABEL.M Fashion Edition Texturising Volume Spray, provided the essential foundation for creating these voluminous, structured styles that transported the runway back to the golden age of Hollywood, when hair was as much a statement of empowerment as the revolutionary fashion that accompanied it. Gen Z seems to also think that this hairstyle means a return to big hair with unapologetic volume. According to hairstylist Alisha Bennett, ““Brat girl beehives” defined the mood with bold, maximalist and attitude at the forefront.
Looking Ahead To Hair At Paris And Milan Fashion Weeks
With the remainder of fashion month still unfolding, London’s hair trends struck a compelling balance between effortless authenticity and polished sophistication. Natural, undone textures embraced a hint of strategic frizz, creating that coveted lived-in quality, while silky, high-shine finishes provided elegant contrast.
Francesco Aresco, seasoned hairdresser at CULt. Hair Salon anticipates this duality will intensify. “Looking ahead to Milan and Paris Fashion Weeks, I think we’ll see hair move even further towards contrasts,” he predicts. “The sleek, glossy finishes that have dominated this season won’t disappear, but I imagine they’ll be offset with much sharper shapes like strong bobs or cropped cuts that are decisive and modern.” He also forecasts an evolution in texture appreciation, with stylists increasingly embracing curls, coils, and what he terms “couture texture.”