Moscow, February ’22
We’ve travelled around the world to interview the Global Winners of the Keune Hairstylist Awards ’21, with a first touch down in Moscow. Meet Artem Kayukov, winner of the Unlimited Creativity category.
Artem, nice to meet you! Tell us a little bit more about yourself.
My name is Artem Kayukov. I am 27 years old and I have been working for 5 years as an International technologist at Keune Russia and a teacher at Keune Design International Academy. At the moment I live in Moscow, but I am from Voronezh, located in the heart of Russia.
Wow, that sounds impressive at such a young age! When did you become a hairstylist?
Since my childhood I was fascinated by beauty salons and masters who worked there. I remember how my mother used to take me to hairdressing salons when I was a boy. After finishing school, I went to study hairdressing without a doubt. Since the age of 16, I have been in this profession. That’s how my story began.
That’s quite a long time now, 11 years. What do you like most about being a hairstylist?
Actually, I like everything: cutting, coloring, combing. And I love to see the result of my work at once. The happy eyes of my clients motivate me very much to go forward, to develop, and not to stop on the achieved. I like and specialize most of all in styling and hairstyles. It’s an opportunity for me to express my ideas.
We’ve definitely seen your creative ideas come to life during the Keune Hairstylist Awards. Congratulations on your win! Where did you get the inspiration for your winning look from?
I find my source of imagination in all sorts of things. Architecture, nature, clothes – you can draw inspiration from all of these. For the contest work, I wanted to make something bright, but also quite unusual in form and texture. I have been thinking for a long time about who and what could give me that impression when all of a sudden I happened to see an image of a floating jellyfish. It fascinated me. It was impossible to take my eyes off its tentacles. On the one hand, they were incomprehensible, but on the other – they were very aesthetically pleasing. And I decided to transfer this image to my hair.
We love to hear more about the background of your look. What drew you to the model you’ve chosen?
My model, a girl, had a short haircut, which suited me for a creation. She was ready to cut her hair. We had worked with her once before on a project. The girl is very beautiful and looks spectacular in the shots. The camera loves her.
How long did it take to create your look for the Hairstylist Awards?
The work took about 2 months because before I start making it out of her hair, I make what is called a mock-up.
Amazing! Thank you so much for your time. We can’t wait to see you in Amsterdam this summer during our 100 years event. In the meantime, follow Artem on Instagram @kayukovartem.
Next up: ….
