A name synonymous with sustainability and premium haircare, Davines certainly requires no introduction. At their recent Sydney launch of stunning new collection THE PRESENT TIME, Hair Art Director (and all out industry legend) Tom Connell was on hand to take the gathered crowd up close to the looks comprising the collection.

We were fortunate enough to catch up with Tom and pick his brain on all things creativity, inspiration and the importance of sustainability in hairdressing. Check it out, here.

TJ: Can you chat us through your career to date?

TC: Sure, I began at my parents salon in the north of England when I was 13 working on a Saturday. At the age of 16 my dad took me to watch a Trevor Sorbie show in Liverpool, seeing Trevor on stage do the impossible showed me what was possible and I set my sites to working for him one day.

I did the foundation of my training and my first years on the salon floor at the excellent Andrew Collinge group in Liverpool and Manchester. Andrew gave me great foundational training and when I reached a point I left and moved to London to pursue working for Trevor Sorbie. After completing my vardering I made my way up the ranks and eventually became global Art Director of the company after six years. Working with Trevor was a tremendous honour and I still use the lessons I learned every day. Around five years ago I had a conversation with Davide Bollati about potentially joining the Davines group as their Art Director. The thing that really excited me was building a Hair identity for the brand using all the things I loved about Davines back when I was a client. The last five years have been an incredible experience designing the hair identity and mentoring creative teams around the world to help spread that message. There is so much interesting and exciting things to do for this brand in the coming years.

TJ: What inspired you to enter the hairdressing industry? 

TC: I wanted money to buy a pair of football boots. My dad said that I could have the money if I worked in the salon for three Saturdays, I worked for those three Saturdays got the football boots but never left, the hairdressing bug bit me, I loved the vibe of the salon & from then on it was the only place I’ve ever really wanted to be.

TJ: As the Art Director of Davines, what is your creative vision for the brand? 

TC: The vision for the brand is bridging the gap between the editorial and the hair industry. Hair that is well conditioned, well coloured, well cut but executed with a relaxedness and sensibility to what the hair wants to do. We like to create “hair for a person not on a person”. Combine this with a stripped back timeless photography approach using natural light with minimal post editing and you will have a good picture of the hair identity we are creating.

TJ: You have mentioned building characters, stories and concepts with the aim of moving the conversation in hairdressing forward as a goal of yours. Can you unpack this for us further? What sparked this passion?

TC: I feel too often in the Hair industry puts technique ahead of taste and trying to impress other hairdressers ahead of culture. Hair can be as unusual and conceptual as possible or as relatable and wearable as possible but it must be designed on the right person with the right edge and by people who have the ability to check the temperature of what feels right for now. So when I’m working on a campaign, it’s important to collaborate with people who understand and align with this vision. I believe a shoot and a show should go beyond just the aesthetic. It should have cultural layers to it that can be peeled back by the audience. Something looking beautiful isn’t enough in my opinion.

TJ: As a creative, what inspires you? 

TC: As Trevor Sorbie said you always must have your antenna up it could be a conversation overheard in a bar, a song playing in a taxi, a colour or a texture, everything and anything can be used. If something makes me look twice I look a third time document it and put it into a file of ideas, then a couple of times per month I will sit down and go through the file, inevitably there is a connection between the things that have caught my attention, a red thread that normally leads to an idea for a shoot or a show.

TJ: Davines have just launched THE PRESENT TIME. What sets this colour line apart? 

TC: I think the sustainable initiatives that we have put into the colour mean that you get the balance of ethical performance. The colour really really works and has a richness and a depth of tone that I haven’t experienced with other Demi permanent lines but the detail and research we went into when developing it means that our clients can rest assured that the colour they are using is as sustainable as possible.

TJ: How does the new colour line reflect the ideals and values of Davines? How did your creative process reflect Davines’ commitment to sustainability? 

TC: It reflects the ideals of Davines in the way that we go the extra mile in everything that we do, to make sure that we are not only adding something useful to our community but that it’s developed in a responsible way in line with our brand mission “to do our best for the world”. This might sound like a sound bite but believe me, spend a day at the Davines village and this will change your mind. Everyone believes in this mission whole heartedly. So it’s my job to add all of those ethics and creative principles into my work when it comes time translate a product line like this into a photographic campaign.

TJ: Who is your hair hero?

TC: Trevor Sorbie for his constant mentorship, friendship and inspiration and Guido Palau for always showing the rest of us what’s next.