Exhibition on Princess Diana's hair stylist celebrates the hair that shaped history
LONDON -- Some images just stay with you.
Princess Diana's slicked back short hair; Tilda Swinton channelling David Bowie; Kate Moss' effortlessly messed up tresses -- these are some of the most iconic images to grace our magazines in recent years.
But who are the unsung heroes behind these images that have defined a generation?
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Sam McKnight -- the hairstylist behind some of the most iconic images in fashion and pop culture for the past four decades -- is one such hero.
He's worked with icons past and present, from Madonna to Lady Gaga, and shot over 100 Vogue covers.
In 1990 Sam McKnight first cut Princess Diana's hair short, after meeting her on a shoot with her then sister-in-law, Victoria, Viscountess Althorp.
A new exhibition celebrating McKnight's 40-year career opens this week in London, tracing his work from the late 1970s to the present.
McKnight is one of the first hair stylists to have built a career solely in the fashion industry, having made a name for himself working on fashion editorial shoots, advertising campaigns and catwalk shows.
The major exhibition will pay tribute to his integral role in the fashion industry, and his contribution to shaping the images of Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Princess Diana, Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington.
The exhibition will explore the creative process behind hair styling in the fashion industry, and reveal the relationships between McKnight and his key collaborators, including the likes of Kate Moss, Christy Turlington and designer Karl Lagerfeld.
Pieces from McKnight's extensive 40-year archive will feature including: photography, magazines, catwalk and backstage footage, private photographs, full outfit looks and commissioned wigs and hairpieces.
Interestingly, the exhibition will take the form of a visual timeline of changing styles from the 1970s to the present day.
Hair by Sam McKnight opens on 2 November at Embankment Galleries, Somerset House in London. Tickets are £12.50 ($15.20). The exhibition will run until 12 March.
Rachel Thompson is the Features Editor at Mashable. Rachel's second non-fiction book The Love Fix: Reclaiming Intimacy in a Disconnected World is out now, published by Penguin Random House in Jan. 2025. The Love Fix explores why dating feels so hard right now, why we experience difficult emotions in the realm of love, and how we can change our dating culture for the better.
A leading sex and dating writer in the UK, Rachel has written for GQ, The Guardian, The Sunday Times Style, The Telegraph, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Stylist, ELLE, The i Paper, Refinery29, and many more.
Rachel's first book Rough: How Violence Has Found Its Way Into the Bedroom And What We Can Do About It, a non-fiction investigation into sexual violence was published by Penguin Random House in 2021.
