London Michalske
London Michalske is originally a southern farm raised american hairdresser who went to beauty school in Florida and went to work behind the chair for 7 years following school. After moving to NYC in 2013, she discovered the importance of apprenticing under a seasoned hairstylist at Mario Nico Salon in Chelsea. After a short year she was back behind the chair and was dreaming of her next move. In 2015 London became an educator for Wella Professionals and discovered a new passion for entering competitions. In 2018 she was a finalist in the North American Trend Vision Awards for the Creative Vision category and took home the silver trophy. That same year she was also a collaborator on Anna Vaul-Holaday’s stage team for NATVA, Team Expressionists. In 2019, London was a semi finalist in both Wella Color Artist of the Year and GHD Editorial categories for the Beauty Envision Awards eventually competing in the Editorial category. Today, she is a certified Wella Master stylist, travels to spread the #WellaLove in salons, organizes and executes creative photoshoots, and works behind the chair at Muze Salon in Manhattan.
What one word describes how you felt when you found out you were a finalist for the BEA’s?
The one word that describes how I felt when I found out I was a finalist for the BEA’s was actually “conflicted”. I was graciously a semi finalist in two different categories this year for Wella Color Artist of the Year and for Editorial Styling.
After submitting 10 entries, just knowing I had made the top 10 in TWO categories was mind blowing.
When I got the phone call that informed me of which category I had advanced in though, I couldn’t help but feel like this entitled brat who was angry about getting a Corvette instead of a BMW for her sweet 16. I of course was still thrilled to be competing in the editorial category and honestly, just competing at all. I just had a momentary millenial moment.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to enter competitions?
The advice I’d give other hair nerds entering competitions is to not compromise on your vision. I mean this when it comes to the entire creative process. From interpreting themes, to creating your mood/ vision board, to building your team (if any), to finding the right models, and executing the shoot and any post production. I’ve had the most success competing when I create what makes my heart happy.
How does competing help you as an artist?
Entering competitions helped me grow my confidence behind the chair, out in salons as an educator, and definitely as an artist. Entering, in a sense, gave me permission to express myself through a medium that was I used to being only a conduit of. I was used to being told how to create, how to sculpt, shape and color for the pleasure of my paying clients. My hands were the vessel to their hair desires so to speak. About my third year entering competitions I finally found my voice and vision as an artist and how to use it. I got to create for me and me alone. There’s nothing more seductive or addicting to me than using my interpretation of beauty as a medium.
Who are the Top 3 Stylists you would love to work with and why?
The top 3 stylists that I’d love to work with would be :
1. Eugene Souleiman because he’s a creative genius! His editorial work is highly technical and visually interesting with a flare for the unexpected. He is definitely one of my biggest hair deities.
2. Jose Garcia Benítez his Avant Garde work not only blows my mind, but touches my heart because he creates with a political message. His recent work with the hashtag #PlanetOrPlastic features crazy vynl looks that bring attention to our oceans pollution problems. Also, it’s just aesthetically brilliant!
3.Chelsea James inspires me by being a total hair badass babe in a boy’s club that is the realm of hair gods. The aesthetic she creates speaks to my inner intergalactic warrior queen. Working with her would be a dream as I’d lean to be a stronger competitor, Educator, and all around artist.
What is London’s artistic style? What influences your work?
I’ve always been inspired by science fiction/ fantasy imagery and stories. I grew up watching and reading works in this genre like Brave New World, The Neverending Story, and the Labyrinth. Also anything bizzare, strange, or unusual like side show circus performers, insects, bones … actually just anything that captivated me as child has found an influence over my creative work today.
Tell us all about the newly famous Swatch Wig we saw you recently sporting at the BEA’s…
I really just wanted to create something wonderfully weird and interesting to wear for the competition. Competing in character felt like a fun idea. I deconstructed about 4 Wella Professionals color swatch books, bought a cheap ball cap and cross stitch plastic from Michaels, and went to town with utility scissors and a hot glue gun. Later I added some hair sheets underneath for a campy effect. Competing in that head piece made me feel pretty impenetrable to nervousness. In fact, I kind of felt like a hair super hero confidently battling it out in the hair wars.
What’s one thing you would have told yourself on the first day of cosmetology school knowing what you know now?
Get your shit together, move to New York City, apprentice under a legend, and treat your body like a temple, not a distillery.
What traumatic hairstyle have you been guilty of rocking?
I don’t think any of my hairstyles have ever been traumatic for me. Even when I used to cut it back in high school without any training and with utility scissors. That’s not to say that my hot pink and black striped mohawk I rocked in beauty school wasn’t traumatic for my more conservative relatives though.
Greatest accomplishment of your life so far?
My greatest accomplishment in life so far was turning the tragedy of losing my mother to pancreatic cancer into the success of actions taken with the intention of making her proud. Trying to honor her by making her proud taught me self love and pride in a way I had been struggling to find before.
I knew I was a Hair Nerd when…
I knew I was a hair nerd in Beauty School when we learned that ammonium thioglycolate broke the disulphide bonds in hair and the sodium hydroxide solution called the neutralizer reformed them around a perm rod. I thought this was the raddest thing and needed to know more about how chemicals changed human hair.
Stalk London?
Behind the chair at Muze Salon in Manhattan
Scooting around the city on my purple Harley Davidson, and my favorite fitness studio NYSCLab in Chelsea.