Taking the subject of an editorial photoshoot and pushing the creative to give it an edge, Travis Bandiera created DOLL HAUS! The Popovy Sister art dolls were a big inspiration to his latest collection, but he also felt that their aesthetic fit his natural style. Bringing the two together, he created a contemporary story you can escape with your imagination to. Keep reading to hear about the inspiration behind the collection, including the makeup, styling, and photography and see the fabulous images!
In creating DOLL HAUS as a collection, I had a strong objective to pay homage to the Popovy Sister art dolls. I wanted to create a collection that was unique in its approach to hair whilst still utilising a fundamental skill set, with a bright and unique aesthetic.
I was inspired heavily in this collection after a late-night scrolling through my Instagram feed. I came across a page called POPOVY SISTERS. I was immediately drawn in by these creepy but beautiful doll figures. After reading a direct quote from the website, and knowing how I look at my collections and how they look at their dolls, our visions were seemingly very aligned.
‘Together with fashion, it has given us the freedom to express our contemporary and cosmopolitan vision of beauty. We believe that our mission is to tell you a story and each time it should be a new one allowing to dream and escape into a world of unfettered imagination. Inspired by history and nature we always try to transcend the humdrum and commonplace’
I truly wanted to create a story with this collection, whilst wanting it to represent unique beauty. Throughout the collection I push the boundary of the usual glamour you would see in a typical photographic editorial, mashing it in with an edge and fresh take on texture, style and finish of the hair.
The juxtaposition of these strong unusual textures and shapes in hair with soft and flowing clothing takes direct inspiration from the dolls. The models are carefully selected to show the diversity and uncommon beauty; the more unique the model, the better.
MAKEUP
My choice of makeup plays a vital part of telling the DOLL HAUS story; it is a literal representation of what these dolls are. The makeup base is very nude/natural, enhancing the models’ natural skin tones whilst having a contradicting pop of colour throughout their eyes or lips. I wanted the makeup to directly represent the colours chosen on the dolls to give an otherworldly/unique feel. The eyebrows are enhanced so the colour you see on the eyelids and the makeup around the eye extends to the eyebrow to over-exaggerate. The eye makeup also has a slight shimmer or wet look, allowing the makeup to shine through the chosen matte texture that the photos have, drawing you into focal points in each image.
STYLING
The styling plays a vital part in this collection, the shapes and textures of the clothing add to the juxtaposition of the collection. Beautiful gowns with texture and movement are chosen, some to match with chosen hairstyles and others to completely edge up softer looks. The movement of the clothing is super important as it adds to the eery poses by the modes, to create that ‘DOLL’ figure. The shapes of the clothing have an edge, geometric or otherworldly vibes, tying in beautifully with the hair and without any of the components clashing with one another.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Throughout most of the doll collections, there is often a white background used. I’ve taken this literally and chosen for a completely white background with a clean and crisp finish. This will mean your eye is drawn directly to our models’ hair, with no distraction. Keeping it clean and with a strong focal point creates the strong finish I’m seeking in this collection, while the makeup and styling aesthetic harmonise this collection
Credits:
HAIR: Travis Bandiera
PHOTOGRAPHY: David Mannah
MAKEUP: Mikele Simone
STYLING: Lydia Jane Saunders
SALON: Royals Hair Sydney
