London Fashion Week SS26 wasn’t just about the clothes – the hair looks were every bit as powerful, playful, and story-driven. From sculptural braids to dreamy textures, here’s our round-up of the shows and the brands that made magic backstage.
Labrum London: Sculptural Braids and Sand Hair
For Osmosis, Labrum London’s show exploring cultural exchange, hair lead Joanna Cree Brown and her team worked with Design Essentials to create four powerful looks. Think neat Drop Braids with rose gold tips, teal-pigmented Sand Hair, intricate Flower Braids, and natural textures left to breathe.
Joanna explained that the Loc & Braid Gel was the hero backstage: “It gave us the control we needed for intricate braiding, and the shine meant every detail lit up under the runway lights.”
Di Petsa: Tactile Beauty
Di Petsa’s collection unfolded like a sun-bleached daydream. TONI&GUY’s Efi Davies led the team in creating worn-in, matted textures that looked as if the models had lived in the elements – sea, sun, and sand. The unifying thread? label.m Sea Salt Spray, delivering that windswept, tactile beauty.
Karina Bond: Futuristic 3D Hair
Karina Bond’s Midnight Sun blurred the line between sculpture and fashion with 3D-printed, zero-waste garments. Hair echoed this futuristic vibe, with squared silhouettes and stud details sculpted by TONI&GUY. The essential backstage tool? label.m Ultimate Hairspray to lock in those head-turning shapes.
Maximilian Raynor: Retro Memories
Maximilian Raynor’s nostalgic, story-rich show inspired hair that travelled through time. Soft waves framed faces, while wide beehives brought bold retro energy. Staying true to each model’s individuality was key, while label.m Ultimate Hairspray held it all in place.
Paul Costelloe: California Dreaming
Paul Costelloe’s Boulevard of Dreams channelled late ’60s Sharon Tate. Cos Sakkas and the TONI&GUY team created voluminous beehives with soft, face-framing strands – retro glamour with a modern lift. The star product? label.m Texturising Volume Spray for that effortless California bounce.
Ahluwalia: Love in Every Strand
At Ahluwalia, Cos Sakkas designed sleek buns with three distinct hair strips, each representing an emotion: joy, heartbreak, and longing. The polished bun reflected love’s strength and solidarity. The style was protected and perfected with label.m Heat Protection Mist.
Emilia Wickstead: Beauty Meets Brutality
Soichi Inagaki for Bumble and bumble channelled photographer Robert Mapplethorpe’s radical contrasts. Hair felt lived-in yet refined, with natural textures enhanced by Prep Primer, Curl Reactivator, and finished with a veil of Styling Oil for shine. The result? Quietly powerful hair with sculptural elegance.
Credit Social: @photobenphoto
Copyright: Ben Broomfield Photography
Simone Rocha: Teenage Nostalgia
Holli Smith brought playful rebellion to Simone Rocha’s runway, creating loose ponytails, croissant-inspired bunches, and undone partings. Hair was parted with pinky fingers for natural imperfection, with Bumble and bumble Surf Sprayand Thickening Spray building airy volume. Finishes came courtesy of Dryspun Texture Spray and Spray de Mode.
“It was about rediscovering your teenage self – playful, rebellious, and nostalgic,” Holli said.
Roksanda: Glossy Sculpture
Authentic Beauty Concept, led by Anna Cofone, celebrated Roksanda’s 20th anniversary with high-gloss hair inspired by sculptor Barbara Hepworth. Slick buns and sculpted pixie partings gleamed under the lights, crafted with Cosmic Blow-Dry Jelly for that perfect liquid shine.
Erdem: Dreamlike Waves
At Erdem, Anna Cofone created lived-in, distorted textures that looked like hair caught after days of picnics and parties. “It was about imperfection in the most beautiful way,” Anna explained. Products like Nymph Salt Spray and Airy Texture Spray added surreal softness with authentic movement.
Susan Fang: Futuristic Symbiosis
Susan Fang’s futuristic vision met nature-inspired textures, with hair shaped into floating loops and sweeping partings. The vibe was messy yet directional, using Authentic Beauty Concept Glow Spray Serum and Airy Texture Spray to balance sculptural structure with lightness.
The Takeaway
From love stories to futuristic visions, teenage nostalgia to sculptural modernism, hair at London Fashion Week SS26 was anything but an afterthought. The artistry backstage told stories as compelling as those on the runway – and it’s clear that the season ahead will be defined by bold textures, strong narratives, and a lot of shine.