If you’re not privy to the premise of Marvel’s Black Panther, Wakanda is a fictional place in East Africa that is home to the superhero Black Panther. Releasing today, the movie came to life this past week with a special presentation at NYFW named “Welcome to Wakanda.” It was a beautiful way to transport models and the audience alike into the heart of Wakanda. “We wanted to create looks that would represent the clothes from the movie in a fashion-week way.” Said Redken Brand Ambassador Rodney Cutler. “We wanted the elements of the movie to be represented, and braids were very present in the movie, so I collaborated with two of the designers to incorporate braids into the final looks. Now more than ever, the influence of both fashion and the red carpet is having more and more blurred lines across entertainment and street style. Looks are taken from the runway and used in real life, and vice-versa, and individuality is embraced across all channels. We also celebrated each model’s individual beauty in this presentation as the models were cast for their individual looks, so we played off of the models’ unique beauty while representing each of the designers that they wore at the event.”
The designers at the event included Cushnie et Ochs, Ikiré Jones, Sophie Theallet, Fear of God, Chromat, TOME and Laquan Smith. They created beautiful, individualized pieces while Rodney Culter created the hair to match. Follow along below to see just how he got the looks.
GET THE LOOK: CUSHNIE ET OCHS’ BRAIDED CROWN:
· Prep your hair with Redken All Soft Mega Shampoo and Conditioner to soften and hydrate your strands.
· Allow your hair to air-dry.
· Center-part your hair using your fingers, then apply a combination of NEW Redken All Soft Mega Hydramelt and Redken Glow Dry Style Enhancing Blow-Dry Hair Oil throughout your lengths and ends to add moisture and shine to your hair.
· Blow dry your hair to smooth it down and incorporate the product into your strands. Once cooled, flatiron your hair to get a smooth and sleek look.
· On either side of your center part, use a comb to section out 1/5 of hair on both sides and begin to braid these sections starting at the crown to the back middle of your head. Secure with a bobby pin.
· On both sides of your crown, create an extremely fine 1/5” scalp braid, moving down your hair line towards your ears until you run out of hair. Secured each thin braid underneath your ear with elastics.
· Section off the top 1/3 of your hair and clip it up.
· Pull remaining lengths into a low-sitting ponytail.
· Take the remaining 1/3 of your hair and smooth it back into a second ponytail on top of the first, securing all together with a hair elastic. This helps to contour the temple area and gives you a high-fashion effect.
· Flatiron your lengths several times to get a smooth, shiny effect.
· Finish with a heavy coat of Redken Fashion Work 12 hairspray for hold.
GET THE LOOK: LAQUAN SMITH’S HIGH, BRAIDED PONY:
· Prep your hair with Redken All Soft Mega Shampoo and Conditioner to soften and hydrate your strands.
· Apply a combination of NEW Redken All Soft Mega Hydramelt and Redken Glow Dry Style Enhancing Blow-Dry Hair Oil throughout your lengths and ends to add moisture and shine to your hair.
· Blow dry hair towards the back of your head in an upwards motion to get the ideal root direction for a high ponytail. Allow hair to cool.
· Straighten your hair using a flatiron to get a sleek ponytail.
· Apply a small amount of Redken All Soft Mega Hydramelt and Redken Glow Dry Style Enhancing Blow-Dry Hair Oil for added shine and control.
· Pull your hair back into a high ponytail and secure several times with an elastic for the ultimate hold.
· Section off three equal sections of hair in the ponytail and create three braids about 4” long.
· Secure them all with an elastic.
· Flatiron your remaining lengths one more time to help smooth and create a whip-like effect.
Stay tuned for even more styles fresh off the runway and be sure to follow @Redken on social media for the latest updates!
