Her images will move you and her story will inspire you. Cassie Carey has always loved visual medium and always had her hands in hairdressing even at a young age. She had plenty of practice braiding and setting her family's hair and was able to start her cosmetology hours in high school, giving her a jump start on the editorial career she is currently exploring. Only 24 years of age, and 4 years since graduating she is already making a name for herself in the industry. We are in awe of her talent and can't wait to see what Cassie creates next! Take a peek at her winning NAHA collection below for Hairstylist of the Year and learn more about her as an artist.
Tell us more about you as an artist. How did you get into hairdressing and competition work?
I just turned 24 years old and I graduated from beauty school 4 years ago. I was always an extremely creative kid, I loved drawing and painting more than anything. My love for hairdressing started when I was younger and developed over time. My parents were separated so when I would visit my mom she would braid my hair tight enough that I could wear it to school for a couple of days. Eventually, she taught me how to braid her hair as well as my own, I would go back to my dad’s and practice on him because he is a hippy and had long hair (lol). I also would set my grandmother’s hair for her every Sunday, those are two of my earliest memories of really loving hair. My high school offered a vocational program where I was able to take cosmetology classes that would give me hours towards my license after graduation, this gave me an early start to my career. My love for editorial work stemmed from the first photoshoot that I did in beauty school, after that day everything changed for me. I fell in love with creating collections and stories from start to finish which made the competition work organically follow.
Can you give any insight into how your collection was created?
My Hairstylist of the Year collection started in my living room and finished on set. I do not have a team of assistants so I had to prep what I could before the day of. This included a lot hairpieces and wigs that were mostly finished and could be attached/worked with on the day of the shoot to make it run as smooth as possible. I started my day with the looks that couldn’t be prepped at home like the braids and haircut, then moved on to the rest. I was lucky to have my good friend Danielle Waterman on set with me to be my second set of hands! I had a mood board for the overall “feel” I was going for and then really just trusted my team to help make it come to life. I wanted the whole shoot to be about the hair and the pure beauty of the models, with very minimal wardrobe so nothing would take away from that concept. I wanted minimal but impactful makeup paired with glistening skin which was executed by my MUA Deney Adam. I wanted the background white for contrast and lighting to be moody but strong so nothing was missed, my photographer Richard Monsieurs made my dreams come true with that.
How has your style changed over the seasons?
I don’t know that I have found my specific style yet, who knows if I ever will. I just come across things that inspire me and then a concept is born from there. What I do know is that I am extremely detail-oriented and love to create things that change the way people think about hair. I take massive inspiration from fashion because I love moving shapes and silhouettes. I love the impact that a perfectly executed fashion show or editorial can have on people, the kind of impact that takes your breath away for a second, THAT is what I try to do with hair.
What was the inspiration behind this collection?
This collection was inspired by people who are very special to me and it holds a very special place in my heart. I grew up in a small, white town in New Hampshire. When you go to beauty school in these areas you are not taught much/if at all about how to take care of textured hair. Luckily for me, my best friend was from Rwanda with 4C hair and she was always happy to talk about her hairstyles when I had questions. Her hair always piqued my interest because it was a constant reminder that there was a whole side to hairdressing that I was never taught, not even in beauty school. From there I made it a priority to learn how to take care of/style/color textured hair. This collection is symbolic of that journey and has been living in my head for a very long time.
What was your biggest challenge in creating this collection?
My biggest challenge was having very little time to create and finalize the looks. In the weeks leading up to my shoot day, I was traveling for work more than I ever had and was really crunched on time. I was working on pieces late at night after work and any free chance I had. I don't have any assistants so I did not have any extra hands to help until the day of the shoot. Once the day of the shoot came, all of my worries went away and everything fell into place.
What does your collection say about trends or movements within the industry?
I wouldn’t say it has anything to do with a trend because trends come and go. A movement maybe, but it is a movement that should have been done a long time ago. When I moved to NYC to get into editorial work I was absolutely blown away by the lack of hairstylists that are comfortable with textured hair on set. The root of this goes back to the problem we have with education in the beauty industry, even in one of the most diverse cities in the world. That is where a movement should happen, it is not a trend.
Did you have any hero products? (Or any product faves!?)
I have product faves from all different brands, but you will never catch me on set without my Got2B Glued Hairspray. My other faves are: Oribe Texture Spray, Working Hairspray and Hair Oil. I love the Style factor Edgebooster as my water-based pomade (great for braids in my opinion), Amika Moisture & Shine cream and Dry Texture Paste.
Based on your experience what styling trends can we expect to see more of this season?
I could see more people embracing their natural hair. I feel like a lot of people are realizing they have wavy or curly hair and are finally learning to take care of it which is great. I really love big statement hair so I hope to see people become more comfortable with that as well!
Credits:
Hairstylist: Cassie Carey
My Darling Ivy, Brooklyn | NY
Photographer: Richard Monsieurs
Makeup Artist: Deney Adam
