Friday 19 / April / 2024
Calling all hair fanatics, this week I’m going to blow your socks off with a new hair trend that’s been taking the hairstyling scene since earlier this year. If you are a fan of neon hair colours and vibrant, unique identities then you must have heard of the incredible Guy Tang, the mastermind behind the creation of out-of-this-planet hair colours that look nothing short of amazing. He is the founder of Mydentity brand, which gave hairstylists a chance to let their creative juices flow onto the hair of their clients with colour palettes that are individually unique and pretty much awesome. From rainbow colours, to shades of blonde and everything in between Tang’s collection has it all.
My fascination with Tang’s work began on Instagram, and as a fashion photographer, I have to keep up with what’s trending in the style department. The colours looked ubercool. I had to find out more about it, so I went to meet one of Muscat’s best and professional hairstylist Mykola Kuzmin to find out all about Mydentity.
Mykola is a hairstylist from Ukraine who has an unparalleled passion for fashion and style. I met him during one of my fashion photo-shoots and we’ve been working together ever since. One day, he called me with an idea to do a shoot using Tang’s products. He had ordered the colours from USA and decided to experiment with a quick photo shoot using two trendy colours of Mydentity collection: Silver Smoke and Rose Gold. The results were stunning. I had a quick interview with Mykola after the shoot to learn more about this miraculous brand.
First, the styling was fantastic as usual. How did you end up in the hairstyling department?
Well, I started with teaching, so my first occupation was a teacher of English and foreign literature. I have a Bachelor’s degree in it, but I felt like this is not for me and I’m more interested in fashion.
That’s interesting. So why not go for designing?
Well, because I know that fashion is hard, and to become successful it’s even more harder. So I decided to choose an easier way on how to get to fashion, which is by doing hairstyling.
Quite an idea for fashion lovers actually. Was coming to Oman on your bucket list?
I was on a mission to get out of Ukraine because Ukraine is not quite trendy. It can be trendy, but trends come a bit later to the country. Instead I worked in crew ships which was a great experience, but I decided to stop and go to Dubai. I stayed there for like a month, but didn’t get offers that caught my attention. Oman offered me a job right away, so I decided to come here. Now it has been three years.
It’s a different vibe than here.
It is more interesting here than in Dubai, to me. Oman has a character. I guess both have their own individual charms.
Now, let’s talk hair. The colours are absolutely stunning. What inspired you to experiment with Mydentity?
I was inspired by Guy Tang, who is a genius when it comes to hair. I’m following him a lot. I watch his videos because he does a lot of videos when experimenting with any colour. He joined a brand called Olaplex that makes hair products. After getting that experience he launched his own brand that sells his experimented colours called, ‘Mydentity’ and it celebrates individuality and identity.
So he creates new colours?
Yes, and makes colours that weren’t popular and trendy. Green was once ugly, now it’s trendy.
So what’s the hottest trend right now?
Like the series ‘Orange is the New Black’, Grey is the new blonde! But in Oman people like to be blonde, which is nice and a bit challenging when it comes to Arabian hair because it’s more dark. It has more pigment in it, it’s stronger, but it is fun to style. Worldwide, the trend is denim, very dark ashy blue. Anything that could look like jeans basically. it looks nice but less vibrant.
What makes Mydentity colours unique and trendy?
His colours are easy to blend, because there are lots of different boosters. And he has shades that no other brand has, for example, Silver Smoke, Dusty Lavender, and Rose Gold are quite unique colours. Thanks to him, we no longer have to mix 10 different colours to get a creative look, now we can just use one from his brand. It also has the best and most interesting selection of boosters, like charcoal and lavender.
What’s a booster?
It’s basically an enhancer for the colour. You pick the base colour and then add a booster to enhance it. Like if you use Rose Gold with lavender booster, you will get a less pinkish colour and more violet shade. Or you can add more pink to achieve a vibrant colour. For example, for Eva (model in pink) she’s wearing Silver Smoke. I added more charcoal booster in her roots to create a shady look on the roots, you can just play around. It’s super easy, less damaging, and safe, too.
Talk to me about skin colour. Who can wear Mydentity colours?
I always say to people that that’s a limit you put in yourself and your mind. The times are changing, in early 2000s Beyonce had dark or brown hair, now she’s blonde. She has a dark skin and she’s fully blonde. She looks amazing. So I don’t believe if having a dark skin limits you from getting blonde hair.
So what if I want to try some of the colours? How would the procedure be?
First we light up the hair colour to blonde and then dye the hair with Mydentity’s colours. You just need to understand that it’s a step-by-step process that may take time, especially if your hair is dark. Because it is a massive process to lighten it and still save the hair. Some hair take up to 12 hours, so it needs patience.
Mydentity colours will debut in the Middle East next year, but if you fancy having an identity of your own inspired by Guy Tang, then book a session with Mykola for a creative makeover, at Muscat Beauty Salon, Sabco Centre, Qurum; +968 9114 8692
