Chic Savages. Antoinette Beenders.

Antoinette Beenders has a reputation for many things. Acclaimed for her originality, creativity and vision, she also admits to being a ‘slave to her craft', boasting a fierce work ethic that wins her admiration from many circles.

This year Antoinette was appointed Vice President for Aveda, another prestigious feather in her cap that already boasts the title International Creative Director. She is one of the few hairdressers of profile who has the unique ability to successfully unify hair and fashion and her stunning photographic images elevate hairdressing to an art form. Imagery that is challenging, confronting, yet always uniquely beautiful, culture exclusively presents Antoinette's latest personal collection, as well as the ideas and inspirations that motivated her to create it. By Jenny Burns

Antoinette Beenders' passion for innovative and beautiful hair has won her worldwide acclaim. She worked closely with Trevor Sorbie for many years alongside session maestro Eugene Souleiman and was a mentor to current hairdressing wunderkind Angelo Seminara. Having been trained in photographic work prior to the digital era, a time when photographers never re-touched hair, she believes this strengthened her skills and made her the eagle eyed perfectionist that she is today.

The latest addition to her own personal collection, is dark in mood and composition, echoing a distinct gothic vibe that's so prevalent in fashion and pop culture at present. The black hair and black clothing shot on a black background provides contrasting textures within the
same palette.

"When I do photographs, it's a reflection of how I'm thinking at an instance in time," Antoinette explains. "I shot this collection in Autumn, and I was heavily influenced by the dark, mood of the moment. I wanted to create something mysterious - almost alien - with a really punky and gothic vibe. As the team and I experimented with shapes and textures, we felt enticed by this idea of elegant punk. We haven't seen this kind of look on the runways for a long time, but it's making its way back in a different way. So rather than being subversive, we're presenting punk in a positively revolutionary way."

The hair featured in Chic Savages on these pages are highly texturised and shaped in elegant silhouettes, with frayed edges and elements of transparency woven throughout. A feeling of intense contrast dominates; the clothing is distinguished by its structure and geometric shapes and lines, while the layered fabrics impart a ragged sense. Photographed in black and white, the collection is simultaneously tough and delicately pretty.

Over the years throughout her photographic collections, Antoinette blends her love of contemporary catwalk trends with her passion for hair. Having worked on hundreds of runway shows for designers including Alexander McQueen, Miu Miu and Dolce & Gabbana amongst a host of other renowned fashion labels, she knows all about the successful ‘marriage' of hair and fashion - when it works and when it goes wrong.

"When I'm creating a collection, I start envisioning an image months before actually shooting," Antoinette says. "I make a mood board once I have a clear idea in my mind, then I meet with the photographer, who proposes ideas and makes a mood board of his/her own. Then we meet with the clothing stylist, who also brings inspiration. So the way the concept grows and evolves is really an organic kind of thing. And what we do to keep that ‘marriage' working is to focus on the entire image. We approach it as an editorial shoot, not just a hair shoot. We come together to create something together; we build on one another's ideas. It's my favorite way of working.

"Photo shoots are about energy. To make great pictures, everyone has to come with the same goal - to create something beautiful, collaboratively. If any one person on the shoot isn't ‘there', it can throw off the energy of the entire thing, making the process slower and less productive. You can still get good pictures, but they won't be your best."

There's a select group of hairdressers who understand the balance of hairdressing and session hair when it comes to producing editorial spreads. When it comes to this - what advice would Antoinette give to stylists who endeavour to be creative, but not produce work that is ‘too hairdressery'?

"A great hair picture is not just a hair picture," she says. "Forget about the hair. That might sound strange, but you have to consider the complete image. Hair is part of the fabric of the body and contributes to the overall shape, just like the clothing. You need a great model, hairstylist, makeup artist, photographer and clothing stylist, working toward the same goal, building on one another's ideas. The key is balance, and when these five ‘elements' are in balance, you'll create images with beautiful unity. When you focus on one aspect of the look, you lose equilibrium and harmony."

When it comes to directions for hair and fashion for the upcoming few seasons, Antoinette is heavily influenced by fabrics.

"I love looking at fabrics," she enthuses. "To me, hair is a reflection of the fabrics of a season. And 2010 is going to be all about prints, which suggest texture, so texture in hair is going to be back in a major way. We've also seen elements of transparency on the runways and plenty of ragged edges, which we'll see replicated in hairstyles. There is a lot of underwear being worn as outerwear, too, which I'm seeing translated as under-cutting in hair. Texture is it for 2010."

2009 was a big year for Antoinette - she climbed the Aveda corporate ladder to make Vice President in addition to her global role as Creative Director. Frantic but rewarding, she genuinely loves what she does, describing it as ‘the best job in the world'.

"I love my job," Antoinette smiles. "I travel frequently because every Aveda ad campaign that we shoot is done on location, so at least once a month I'm off to some corner of the world. I still do clients in London and New York, and I'm currently right in the middle of show season - I've just been on stage in Toronto, Amsterdam, Oslo and London. I split my time between Minneapolis, New York, London and wherever my duties take me. When I'm working in Aveda's headquarters in Minnesota, I have the great pleasure of spending time with my team of designers, putting together collateral for launches and visual merchandising. I also have the opportunity to be part of product development for Aveda, so I work with the Research and Development and Marketing teams, as well as the crew in Aveda's Research Salon. No two days are alike - it's quite an adventure."
Fingers crossed we'll be seeing Antoinette in Australia in the not too distant future for Hair Expo, a gig that this hair diva is very much looking
forward to.

"Australian hairdressers are kicking some major ass, and giving the British a run for their money!" she says enthusiastically. "The quality goes from strength to strength. What I adore about Australian hairdressers is their editorial vision. They see editorially; their pictures never get too ‘hairdressery'. I appreciate and respect that a lot."