The working wardrobe: Cyndia Harvey
She’s worked the tresses of Naomi Campbell and trained with the likes of Sam McKnight, but CYNDIA HARVEY’s standout style and spirit have always transcended the celebrity circuit. Here, she tells MEGAN LOGUE about her Jamaican roots, form-fitting favorites, and why the ritualistic nature of body moisturizing makes her happy
Any fashion lover worth their salt knows that it takes an extensive team to produce the beautifully polished, seemingly effortless and often thought-provoking images in editorial shoots or TV and billboard campaigns. However, this community of pro photographers, makeup artists, manicurists (the list goes on) is an esoteric one because, despite their esteem, the inherent behind-the-scenes nature of the job means it’s unusual for these stalwarts to be known outside the industry. One big exception to this rule, though, is Cyndia Harvey, whose reputation as a revered hairstylist precedes her.
As one of fashion’s most in-demand hairstyling experts, Harvey has worked with everyone from Naomi Campbell and FKA Twigs to powerhouse brands including Bottega Veneta and Loewe. It’s fair to say she’s known more for her eclecticism than a specific aesthetic, though. “I am very malleable; I’m really influenced by the person in front of me. My work isn’t about trying to achieve a certain look – for me, it’s a question of how I want to make people feel; it’s about tapping into an emotion.”
Born in Jamaica, Harvey’s innate talent for hairdressing was inherited from her mother, who owned her own salon. After she moved to England at the age of 11, Harvey rediscovered her love and preternatural talent for it at the age of 18, quickly asserting herself as a leader in the field. It was after ascending the ranks as a salon stylist that Harvey made the leap into session styling – working on photo shoots, runway shows and fashion campaigns, initially honing her skills assisting industry icon Sam McKnight. “Sam is a legend. He was such a solid mentor and so generous with his knowledge. Even just watching him work was so inspiring and I soaked it all up like a sponge.”
Incredibly warm and almost disarmingly self-deprecating, even on the subject of career highlights, Harvey remains level-headed and enigmatic. “I don’t think a career is a linear thing; it’s a cumulation of all the small achievements. My answer today, a year ago or in the future would be totally different.” All of which is to say, despite the accolades and accomplishments Harvey already has to her name, the best is yet to come. Read on to discover her career – and style – secrets…
FIND WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL GOOD
“Growing up, I was an introspective child and doing hair gave me the space to get absorbed in the task at hand. It was like an escape, especially braiding; and with so many little cousins around, I always had plenty of opportunities to practice. I wasn’t actually taught how to braid, but I’ve always been a very dexterous person and I just learned by watching my mum at work in the salon. It was very instinctive for me; I found it so meditative, I could do it for hours – and I did. I resisted pursuing a career in hair because, growing up, I hadn’t necessarily been encouraged to go down a creative road. I was 17 when I started hairdressing professionally. I was going through a difficult time and wasn’t really doing well at anything, but hair felt familiar; I wanted to do something I excelled at, something that made me feel good about myself. That’s how I found my way back – and I haven’t stopped since.”
DREAM BIG
“When I started hairdressing, I didn’t aspire to do the work I do now because I wasn’t even aware that career existed. My ambition was to be the best stylist I could be. I worked my way up the salon hierarchy and was on a good trajectory. I’d left home at 16 and really didn’t want to become the cliché who loses themselves – which is really easy to do when you don’t have a support system – so I worked super-hard. I set incredibly high standards for myself and threw myself in. I was about 25 years old before I finally learned to enjoy life, which is also when I transitioned into session styling. I was hungry to learn something new and expand my skillset. I’d heard of hairdressers who worked with celebrities, but I didn’t know how to get my foot in the door. One day, I stumbled across an interview with celebrity hairstylist James Brown, in which he literally laid out a step-by-step guide for hairdressers trying to break into that world. I followed every step to the T and eventually started cold-emailing agencies and knocking on their doors. After a lot of nos, I was eventually signed up by the same agency that looked after Sam McKnight, which was the beginning of a whole new chapter.”
“I think the industry is moving towards meaningful change in terms of diversity – we won’t get there tomorrow, but we are taking positive steps towards it
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BE THE CHANGE
“This Hair of Mine began as a beautiful film that I created in 2016 with publisher and creative agency Nataal for the inaugural AKAA (Also Known As Africa) art fair in Paris. It was a visual commentary on the history and lineage of Black, textured and Afro hair that I created with some amazing women from the diaspora. The film touched on how expressive and expansive that history is, and how intrinsic hair is to the Black experience. Culturally, hair plays a huge role in the lives of Black women and informs our identity. Nowadays, every big company has a head of diversity, but at the time I made that piece, there were so few Black models on the runway and, having worked in an Afro hair salon for five years, I was keenly aware that we weren’t highlighting the beauty and variety of Black hair. The film was my ode to the many women who weren’t being represented; I’m actually working on a new iteration of that project as we speak, but I can’t reveal anything yet. I think the industry is moving towards meaningful change in terms of diversity – we won’t get there tomorrow, but we are taking positive steps towards it.”
“My clothes need to give me the freedom to be as expressive as I want
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EASY ELEGANCE IS KEY
“I really like to be comfortable in whatever I’m wearing, especially when it comes to work. I need to be able to move freely – I’m not afraid to get down on the floor if I need to. Anything restrictive or precious just won’t do when I’m cutting hair and getting covered in product; my clothes need to give me the freedom to be as expressive as I want. Most of the time I’m in a sort of skater look but, that being said, I do like to amp it up every now and then. When I’m going out for dinner, I will opt for something a little more form-fitting. Wales Bonner is one of my favorite designers – her tailoring and silhouettes are amazing. I think she has described her designs as ‘intelligent’ before, which is so apt. I’m also a huge fan of Simone Rocha – her work is so unique in that anyone can wear it. Her aesthetic is so distinctive, yet it adapts beautifully to whoever is wearing it, which is really rare. Plus, when I wear her designs, I feel hot!”
“People in Jamaica take a lot of pride in their appearance, so even my school uniform would be immaculate. Every pleat in my skirt would be perfectly ironed and my shoes were polished every night
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STYLE AND CULTURE ARE SYMBIOTIC
“My earliest fashion memories are of my mom and her friends getting ready for dancehall nights in Jamaica during the ’90s. It wasn’t an everyday thing, but about once a month they’d make incredible custom outfits paired with loads of jewelry and get their hair done especially – they looked amazing. I was so in awe of those women. My cousin is a trained tailor and so my mom used to have all my clothes custom-made. I had so many little outfits that tapped into whatever was in style at that moment – mostly, I remember a lot of wrap skirts with co-ordinating crop tops. People in Jamaica take a lot of pride in their appearance, so even my school uniform would be immaculate. Every pleat in my skirt would be perfectly ironed and my shoes were polished every night.”
CREATE YOUR OWN RITUALS
“I don’t wear makeup, but I’m passionate about skincare. I have a regimen – it’s not extensive, but I do make sure to cleanse and moisturize, of course, and I also use hyaluronic acid and vitamin C. I enjoy doing it all myself, so luckily, during lockdown, I wasn’t missing trips to the facialist or special treatments. I have a body routine, too. I moisturize from head to toe every single day, and it’s my favorite thing. It’s something I’ve been doing my whole life. I might be generalizing, but I feel like it’s something a lot of Black people have been doing since they were little. When it comes to cult products, British brand Liha makes the best African black soap – I’ve been using its products since I was 18, and I also really love Epara’s Natural Cleansing Oil. I’ve also started using a product that I’ve developed myself and has transformed my scalp, which is essential when it comes to styling, as I’m really into braids at the moment – they make it easy to look good in an instant.”