Monday 4 October 2010

Tues 5th Oct: Isamaya Ffrench for Christopher Shannon






You may have spotted this cosmic makeup from the runway of Christopher Shannon's S/S11 menswear show. Last year was tongue'n'cheek tan lines and this season the holiday theme has literally been applied to the face with scenic face paint landscapes - and I LOVE IT! Thanks to Chris's stylist John Colver I got in touch with the makeup artist Isamaya Ffrench to find out more..............

1) What is your background to being a makeup artist?

Ive always been interested in bodies. I love sport, boxing, climbing, dancing, anything physical and i also love art and creativity. For me, bodypainting is combining the two. Having a physical object that is always changing as you watch it move and allowing it to be dressed with something that fits so perfectly. Disguising the skin.
Makeup is fun, but for me, until recently it has its limits. This is why I love painting as it is a totally different medium and has a different application process.


2) What was the brief from Christopher for this show and how did you come up with the idea?

Christopher is amazing because he seems really trusting. I literally turned up at his studio two days before and he said, 'OK, I want something fun and vivid. Holiday themes'
and that was pretty much it. I had sent him a couple of pics from my phone the day before but nothing else.
He knows what he wants and is really strong with his visions for his collection so i knew it would work.


3) How long did it take to do each models look?

about 25 mins

4) What are you working on next?

I'm going to Tokyo to perform with Theo Adams company next week and have some ideas of my own that I'm going to try out with mixed media. Always on the body though.


5) What is your dream commission?

To be honest, Shannon's stuff really excites me. The fact that he designs sportswear really is my ideal because that's what I love.
I don't really have any dream commissions because in 3 years time, I'll probably be doing something different.. Ive got such a short attention span and I'm really quite impatient!


(Backstage snaps c/o of Isamaya)

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