We are thrilled to partner once again with the Professional Beauty Association (PBA) to promote all of the talented artists who are finalists for the 2018 NAHAs (North American Hairstyling Awards), the most prestigious hair and beauty award in the country. In this feature, get to know more about this year's Editorial Finalist – Jag Moussa.
We absolutely love the high fashion feel Jag Moussa's Editorial submission took. Crafting accessories and even half of a model's face in the medium of hair is a level of creativity that is above us! We are so thrilled to feature this amazing artist and to get to know more about him in the feature below.
How did you decide on entering “Editorial”?
On shoot day, when all of the pieces were coming together, I knew that we were creating something special. After going through the photos, it was clear to me that there was an editorial submission in the work that we created.
What was the inspiration behind this collection?
There are a lot of elements in my collection and I wanted to challenge myself to create looks that use hair in different ways. I love colour, pop imagery, strong shapes, beautiful nails, makeup, fashion, and design. The team that I assembled was so strong and I wanted to highlight all of our abilities and that combined with some creative magic we created a very fashion forward editorial story.
What sentiment did you aim to express in all of your images?
I really wanted these images to be striking, romantic, fashion-forward and intoxicating to look at.
How did you work with wardrobe to craft the final image?
Crafting the right wardrobe for these hair looks was key. It was important to me that we had very current and urban styling to keep the looks fashion forward as they are very bold and graphic.
What was your biggest challenge?
Most of the challenges for this collection was to keep the looks looking fashion forward. I knew that I wanted extreme imagery but I still wanted the entire look to be relevant, so there was a tremendous amount of communication with the team leading up to the shoot to make sure that all of the pieces came together on shoot day.
How did you work with your team to bring your vision to life?
Every member of the team is equally important as the others and I make sure that before the day gets going that we have a meeting in the morning where everyone and their contributions are highlighted. There was a tremendous amount of communication with all of the team member leading up to shoot day, and I could tell that everyone felt very prepared and ready for a great day on set.
What does this collection mean to you?
This is a very important collection for me. I feel as artists we show pieces of our soul when we create. For this collection, I took a big risk with my design choices and I am so thrilled that it is being well received by the hair and fashion world.
Tell us a little more about you, as an artist.
From the day that I realized that I had some artistic ability I have tried to create a life that I can use it in daily. Aside from my work in the salon, I like to create and manipulate clothing, craft unique hairpieces, take dance classes and sing live at open mic nights.
How do you Vegas?
I have actually only been to Vegas once so I am still figuring that out! I do have some plans on checking out some shows, eating great food, a little shopping and getting some sun poolside :)
Salty or sweet?
Both :)
What did you learn about yourself through creating this collection?
I learned to be brave in my choices, work with talented people who love people, keep focused on the task at hand, pay attention to details and to see setbacks as opportunities to pivot and create.
If you won the lotto (or slot machine) tomorrow, what would you do?
I would retire my hard-working family and book an around the world trip.
Be sure to stalk Jag Moussa on Bangstyle and stay tuned for even more NAHA inspiration!
