Cyndia Harvey

International hairstylist Cyndia Harvey is one of the most exciting talents of her generation, renowned for her bold creations and diverse skillset. As both a Dazed 100 member and a Dazed Magazine Contributing Beauty Editor, she is highly sought-after within the industry.

Harvey has been surrounded by hairstyling since childhood, growing up in her mother’s salon in Jamaica. At a young age, she moved to London and began her career at 18 working in one of London’s busiest hair salons with a focus on afro hair, before getting the opportunity to work backstage with industry legend Sam McKnight. Soon after, she became McKnight’s first assistant, working with him exclusively on all shoots, campaigns, runway shows and over-seeing his extended team. After five years spent honing her skills and knowledge of the business with McKnight as her mentor, her next move was to exercise her own creativity.

Her vision for inclusive beauty has garnered the attention of world-famous names, including FKA Twigs, Naomi Campbell, Kendrick Lamar, and Frank Ocean. Furthermore, she has collaborated frequently with photographers such as Tyrone Lebon, Tim Walker, Harley Weir, Oliver Hadlee Pearch, Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott and Tyler Mitchell, to name a few.

Her extensive roster of clients includes Bottega Veneta, Calvin Klein, Chanel, DKNY, JW Anderson, Kenzo, Louis Vuitton and Moncler. Her work is regularly featured in the pages of publications such as British Vogue, Vogue Italia, Vogue Paris, i-D Magazine, W Magazine, Dazed and Self Service, among others.

'This Hair of Mine'

Afro Hair As Art Form In Film

In 2017, hairstylist Cyndia Harvey made ‘This Hair of Mine,’ a short film celebrating the history and beauty of afro hair. For the film, Harvey researched the individual heritage of a range of women of African descent, before styling their hair based on a modern interpretation of her findings.

The video project was first shown in November 2017 at the art gallery Nataal’s exhibition at AKAA (Also Known As Africa) contemporary art and design fair in Paris, where it received substantial critical acclaim. It was one of only five ‘Special Projects’ exhibited at the fair, which is devoted to celebrating African-inspired culture and creativity.

“This Hair of Mine observes the way in which African hairstyling connects women via lineage and tradition across the globe and as a result of diaspora. By reimagining traditional African hairstyles, you are invited to explore the power of culture and community to discover a sense of belonging to our ancestral homes.”

– Cyndia Harvey

When W approached Harvey to conjure up a project for the magazine, she was more than ready. “I had wanted to capture the essence of Black women for a long time, in a way that hadn’t been done before,” she says, adding that she was particularly inspired by the iconic paintings of the British artist Chris Ofili. “His work makes me so happy, because it celebrates the Black female body in a way that is quite seductive and poetic, but not objectified or sexualized. The proportions, the fluid shapes, and the scale of Ofili’s figures are so interesting—and often, the hair is almost as big as the body.”

Two full days went into creating the sculptural hairdos seen here—and that’s before Harvey even stepped on set with the models and creative team whom she hand-picked for the project. “It’s a lot of work figuring out the shapes that work,” she says. “But of course, there’s the magic that happens during the shoot. I get loads of inspiration when the girl is in my chair and I’m chatting with her, observing her disposition, her body language, her personality.” Harvey wanted her striking styles to work with all shapes and sizes—so much so that she brought a prosthetic pregnancy belly to the shoot. “You never see the same fantasy element when it comes to Black models that you do with other fashion images; it’s just not there. So achieving that was a huge part of this shoot. I wanted Black hair to be part of a fantasy.”