Hair artist and Hairdreams fan Charlie Le Mindu never takes the road well traveled, or even less traveled for that matter. Instead, he chooses to blaze his own artistic path while celebrating the bumps and brambles that he encounters along the way.
A case in point: Le Mindu’s most recent showing at London Fashion Week where pigs squealed offstage as the maestro treated British fashion enthusiasts to blood-smeared models and lacy gas masks to protest human brutality and perversion.
Adding more than a bit of provocative spice to this potent message: neo-’40s fashions that took their cues from Europe’s underground sexual movement during World War II.
Delighting the eye and making the most creative minds spin, Le Mindu fashioned his designs with transparent PVC, wool from Mongolia, delicate, cream-colored French lace, and Hairdreams’ human hair extensions. (HairdreamsUSA.com)
Bo in Bergerac, France, Charlie Le Mindu quickly entered the beauty limelight as a child prodigy at the French Hair Academy.
Swiftly moving from student to hairdresser in Bordeaux, to fashion icon in Berlin, Le Mindu currently lives and works in London as a contributor to this bustling metropolis’ fashion scene and nightlife.
Le Mindu created a big buzz—make that a huge roar—by creating a major runway show that consisted mostly of Hairdreams’ hair and nudity for London Fashion Week, spring 2010. For fall 2011, Le Mindu once again had models parading down the runway with Hairdreams playing an integral part in his collection.
HOT caught up with Le Mindu just before press time! Here’s what this wild and wonderful hair artist had to say:
Q: Your work with wigs and hairpieces spins a new light on uses for this delicate fabric. How did you first get interested in doing hair additions and why?
A: I worked as a salon hairdresser from age 13 to about 18. For me, hair was such a great material to work with that I decided that I should do much bigger and crazier things with it. I was frustrated with just doing regular salon hair, so I decided to move into wigs and hairpieces.
Q: Do you create wigs for Lady Gaga or just headpieces?
A: I create both wigs and headpieces for Lady Gaga. She has also worn a hair dress from two seasons ago that I created using Hairdreams extensions—a pink flamingo style. [Actually, Lady Gaga caused quite a paparazzi photo frenzy in October 2010, when she walked out of a London pub wearing Le Mindu’s hairy pink confection accompanied by a bombardier jacket, fishnet stockings and a demure Chanel purse.]
Q: Do you always intertwine hair into your headpieces?
A: For me, hair is the most important thing I can use; I always work best with hair as a material. Whenever and however possible, hair is included in my pieces.
Q: What about your pop-up salon concept. Are you still appearing all over Europe?
A: I’m still doing pop-up salons. In fact, I have lots of them planned for this year. I love being a nomadic hairstylist who travels to different cities and sets up temporary salons in clubs, galleries and boutiques. I usually do a lot of extension work at my pop-ups, but I do cut and colors too! All dates will be on Charlie Le Mag next month, which can be found on my CharlieLeMindu.com website.
Q: Have you ever considered doing any other type of art? If you have, what would it be?
A: I have some big art projects coming soon! That’s all I can share at the moment, except to say that you should stay in touch by visiting my website.
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| One of Le Mindu’s key pieces for London Fashion Week: a long, floor-length skirt made with thousands of Hairdreams strands. | Le Mindu leverages the underground European sexual movement of World War II to add provocative cultural elements to his collection. |
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