Sam McKnight

‘These days everyone wants to put cameras everywhere. I refuse to have them in the dressing room, because that is sacrosanct. Those are the two hours where the person in the chair becomes the person that’s going to be in front of the camera that day. Sometimes that’s themselves, sometimes it’s somebody very different. It’s not just about the physical act of doing the hair and the make-up, it’s the psychological act of becoming.’

I’m joined by the legendary hair stylist Sam McKnight. Sam’s career has taken him all over the world and seen him work with every noteworthy publication, transforming the most high profile people going, including Princess Diana, with whom Sam worked for 7 years, during which time he famously created that iconic shorter, slicked back ‘do.

In this episode, we talk about his journey from cleaning windows as a boy to being the most in demand hairdresser in the business, his enduring love of gardening (including how the scents of said garden have influenced his Hair by Sam McKnightrange), and how his job is as much about being a grounding confidante as it is about doing the hair itself.

Beauty Full Lives is hosted by Madeleine Spencer, produced by Charlie Jones, and with artwork by Sung Lee.

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