A week in the life of ….Jamilla Paul

 …leading session stylist Jamilla Paul

Artistic Director at Sisters Beauty Lounge

 

The busy season in UAE for beauty has officially started! With Arab Fashion Week just two weeks away here is leading session stylist Jamilla Paul’s behind the scenes life into this prestigious event. Dubai is being quickly recognised as the new Milan as fashion designers head east. Paris, New York, London and Milan are known as global fashion capitals but now Dubai is most definitely the new player as Designers and industry professionals are flocking to the UAE which is fast making its mark on the industry. Over the past few years the fashion industry has seen a rapid growth, not just with industry leader but as well as clients who prefer to have access to the latest Ready to wear and couture looks. AFW has prominently gained international recognition and with Sisters Beauty lounge as their official hair partners; Jamilla Paul takes the lead on bringing to life the inspiration behind each designer’s runway look.

 

Day 1

Final day of meetings with Arab Fashion Council. Today is the day we get the final schedule of designers this is where the craziness begins. The list is in we have approximately six shows per day with renowned designers such as Rami Kadi, Lebanon – Sophia Nubes, Italy, Bav Tailor, UK, Blssd, UAE, Fashion Farm, Hong Kong, Mia Couture, France and many more. We discuss all the final requirements including total models approximately 50 where they split them into 20/25 models per show all to be changed between each show where possible. Our designers have very different collections so it is impossible to have one look per day so the organisation is of paramount importance to ensure myself and my team can deliver and execute the looks to my expected standards. We averagely have 30 minutes to change 20/25 models per show, so the looks must be organised very early to ensure all the designers are happy with the looks. We could have a bridal collection followed by a wet look editorial collection, so planning is key.

 

Day 2

Designers final communications and looks confirmed Today is my final day to communicate the chosen looks to the designers, I schedule calls to all of them from all corners of the globe and share my feelings and inspirations for there collections. They usually have a clear vision of what they would like but sometimes I have a stronger vision that I feel would work better with there looks. We openly discuss and logistically look at both shows before and after there shows to ensure the hair changes can be made easily. Imagine a wet look going into a classic glamour wave? It would never be possible, so I have to ensure all planning is completely transparent from the offset. Once all the looks are decided and I have shared my inspirations that I work on for weeks before the confirmation emails are sent to all designers with my final looks to ensure we have no last-minute changes.

 

Day 3

Marketing, Operations and Managing Director Focus Meetings Today I am off to meet my amazing team of leaders that help us to achieve amazing things in enable ling us to leverage this marketing campaign Sisters Beauty Lounge has just signed a two year exclusive Partner deal with Arab Fashion Council for all their shows regionally and internationally. It is crucial that we build the structure that can make everything fit seamlessly in also building our business and supporting maximum brand awareness throughout the event in the region.

 

THINGS TO DISCUSS

Managing Director – what are the goals we want to achieve by the end of fashion week – team morale- exposure for our teams - social media awareness – catwalk collection looks – new consumer friendly trends

Marketing Manager – where the focus will be? campaigns, back stage coverage, videographer, photographer, Sisters branding across venue, models branded robes, towels … front stage marketing awareness, exclusive VIP invitees + backstage influencer social media takeover and on stage marketing awareness and visual content and create a social media plan prior to fashion week and execution.

 Operations Manager – as the saying goes the show must go on we have a huge business to run as well as now needing 10 stylists per day on set with us. It takes a huge operational organisation to ensure we have everything we need including the artistic team, junior artistic team, backstage products, timings, uniforms, hair tools and hair products.

 

Day 4

Secrets of a Session Stylist - Senior Artistic Team It is imperative my teams are fully briefed on all the looks we will be doing throughout the shows on each day so this day I cover many elements in my secrets of a session stylist education course including:

• Backstage Set Up

• Backstage Etiquette • Communication Skills for media interviews and social media content • The Looks – I go through all the mood boards for every designer and the looks for each day • I teach the new catwalk collection looks I have created for the designers

                                             

Day 5

Secrets of a Session Stylist - Junior Artistic Team On this day I support my junior artistic team in ensuring they all have the core foundations in preparing the hair for our finished looks. Building the foundations is the most important part of having successful shows if we do no prepare the hair consistently on each model we will never be able to achieve 4 looks per model if needed. I have very strict guidelines of how our models hair needs to be prepared and our junior artistic team will support hugely in this area. I go through all of the backstage etiquette and set up also to ensure our team is completely clear of what they are required to do on their arrival at the event. We also go over all key product knowledge on the products we will use backstage as product knowledge is key to ensuring we have consistent long-lasting results.

 

Day 6

Day 6 Final mood boards and product descriptions for each look Today is all about ensuring my communications are clear for each day for each show to my amazing team. Communication is key!!! I collate mood boards and step by steps for every single look we are doing what sectioning patterns, list all products to be used for each look. Every show has a step-by-step guide as a reference for all my teams from Junior Artistic Team to also strong communications for my Senior Artistic Team. These will all be pinned visually for my teams on each day.

                                              

Day 7

Final fittings video footage Today I will video all of the key looks so I can send them to my team as extra references for before the shows so they can go through the looks in their own time across many branches we have. It is very difficult to bring everyone together for more than one day prior as we have an operational business to run so this way it supports my team to be able to have a week of practising the looks whenever they have some free time in the salons. Finalise what will be our hero products and also finalise our final Catwalk Collection that will be leveraged across our business after the event.

-Jamilla Paul

                                                                        

Read more Magazine News and see the full spread here.  

 …leading session stylist Jamilla Paul

Artistic Director at Sisters Beauty Lounge

 

The busy season in UAE for beauty has officially started! With Arab Fashion Week just two weeks away here is leading session stylist Jamilla Paul’s behind the scenes life into this prestigious event. Dubai is being quickly recognised as the new Milan as fashion designers head east. Paris, New York, London and Milan are known as global fashion capitals but now Dubai is most definitely the new player as Designers and industry professionals are flocking to the UAE which is fast making its mark on the industry. Over the past few years the fashion industry has seen a rapid growth, not just with industry leader but as well as clients who prefer to have access to the latest Ready to wear and couture looks. AFW has prominently gained international recognition and with Sisters Beauty lounge as their official hair partners; Jamilla Paul takes the lead on bringing to life the inspiration behind each designer’s runway look.

 

Day 1

Final day of meetings with Arab Fashion Council. Today is the day we get the final schedule of designers this is where the craziness begins. The list is in we have approximately six shows per day with renowned designers such as Rami Kadi, Lebanon – Sophia Nubes, Italy, Bav Tailor, UK, Blssd, UAE, Fashion Farm, Hong Kong, Mia Couture, France and many more. We discuss all the final requirements including total models approximately 50 where they split them into 20/25 models per show all to be changed between each show where possible. Our designers have very different collections so it is impossible to have one look per day so the organisation is of paramount importance to ensure myself and my team can deliver and execute the looks to my expected standards. We averagely have 30 minutes to change 20/25 models per show, so the looks must be organised very early to ensure all the designers are happy with the looks. We could have a bridal collection followed by a wet look editorial collection, so planning is key.

 

Day 2

Designers final communications and looks confirmed Today is my final day to communicate the chosen looks to the designers, I schedule calls to all of them from all corners of the globe and share my feelings and inspirations for there collections. They usually have a clear vision of what they would like but sometimes I have a stronger vision that I feel would work better with there looks. We openly discuss and logistically look at both shows before and after there shows to ensure the hair changes can be made easily. Imagine a wet look going into a classic glamour wave? It would never be possible, so I have to ensure all planning is completely transparent from the offset. Once all the looks are decided and I have shared my inspirations that I work on for weeks before the confirmation emails are sent to all designers with my final looks to ensure we have no last-minute changes.

 

Day 3

Marketing, Operations and Managing Director Focus Meetings Today I am off to meet my amazing team of leaders that help us to achieve amazing things in enable ling us to leverage this marketing campaign Sisters Beauty Lounge has just signed a two year exclusive Partner deal with Arab Fashion Council for all their shows regionally and internationally. It is crucial that we build the structure that can make everything fit seamlessly in also building our business and supporting maximum brand awareness throughout the event in the region.

 

THINGS TO DISCUSS

Managing Director – what are the goals we want to achieve by the end of fashion week – team morale- exposure for our teams - social media awareness – catwalk collection looks – new consumer friendly trends

Marketing Manager – where the focus will be? campaigns, back stage coverage, videographer, photographer, Sisters branding across venue, models branded robes, towels … front stage marketing awareness, exclusive VIP invitees + backstage influencer social media takeover and on stage marketing awareness and visual content and create a social media plan prior to fashion week and execution.

 Operations Manager – as the saying goes the show must go on we have a huge business to run as well as now needing 10 stylists per day on set with us. It takes a huge operational organisation to ensure we have everything we need including the artistic team, junior artistic team, backstage products, timings, uniforms, hair tools and hair products.

 

Day 4

Secrets of a Session Stylist - Senior Artistic Team It is imperative my teams are fully briefed on all the looks we will be doing throughout the shows on each day so this day I cover many elements in my secrets of a session stylist education course including:

• Backstage Set Up

• Backstage Etiquette • Communication Skills for media interviews and social media content • The Looks – I go through all the mood boards for every designer and the looks for each day • I teach the new catwalk collection looks I have created for the designers

                                             

Day 5

Secrets of a Session Stylist - Junior Artistic Team On this day I support my junior artistic team in ensuring they all have the core foundations in preparing the hair for our finished looks. Building the foundations is the most important part of having successful shows if we do no prepare the hair consistently on each model we will never be able to achieve 4 looks per model if needed. I have very strict guidelines of how our models hair needs to be prepared and our junior artistic team will support hugely in this area. I go through all of the backstage etiquette and set up also to ensure our team is completely clear of what they are required to do on their arrival at the event. We also go over all key product knowledge on the products we will use backstage as product knowledge is key to ensuring we have consistent long-lasting results.

 

Day 6

Day 6 Final mood boards and product descriptions for each look Today is all about ensuring my communications are clear for each day for each show to my amazing team. Communication is key!!! I collate mood boards and step by steps for every single look we are doing what sectioning patterns, list all products to be used for each look. Every show has a step-by-step guide as a reference for all my teams from Junior Artistic Team to also strong communications for my Senior Artistic Team. These will all be pinned visually for my teams on each day.

                                              

Day 7

Final fittings video footage Today I will video all of the key looks so I can send them to my team as extra references for before the shows so they can go through the looks in their own time across many branches we have. It is very difficult to bring everyone together for more than one day prior as we have an operational business to run so this way it supports my team to be able to have a week of practising the looks whenever they have some free time in the salons. Finalise what will be our hero products and also finalise our final Catwalk Collection that will be leveraged across our business after the event.

-Jamilla Paul

                                                                        

Read more Magazine News and see the full spread here.