Working Backstage at Paris Fashion Week: My Hair Couture Show + Four Runway Shows in One Day

The last two days have been some of the most intense days of this entire trip.

Day 10 in Paris was my first official day working backstage during Paris Fashion Week for the Hair Couture show.

Hair Couture is a little different from the traditional runway shows during fashion week. Instead of executing a designer’s specific hair direction, stylists from around the world sign up to participate and are given full creative freedom. Each stylist creates their own custom look for their model — their vision, their interpretation, their work.

Which means the hair walking down the runway is truly the stylist’s art.

Backstage was exactly what you would imagine and somehow also nothing like you would expect at the same time.

Close quarters.
Makeup artists moving quickly between chairs.
Nail artists finishing last details.
Photographers weaving through the room documenting the process.
Hairstylists with hot tools, brushes, and armfuls of products trying to bring their ideas to life while keeping everything moving on schedule.

It’s loud.
It’s busy.
It’s fast.

And somehow, it all works.

Models rotate through chairs while teams work together to prepare them for the runway. Every minute matters. There’s very little time to stand back and think too long about anything. You trust your training, trust your eye, and just start creating.

In this case, the vision was mine.

I found myself about three hours into the morning realizing that I was in a room full of incredibly talented stylists, and I hadn’t even looked up yet. I had been completely honed in on my work.

So I stopped for a moment.

I looked around the room. I took it all in.

And I had one of those quiet “wow” moments where you realize exactly where you are.

One of the things I loved most about the Hair Couture show was the collaboration. Artists from all over the world working in the same room. Different languages being spoken. Different techniques being used. Different creative processes happening all at once — but everyone focused on the same goal of bringing something beautiful to the runway.

Watching the show come together from backstage is a completely different perspective than what people see sitting in the audience.

You see the preparation.

The adjustments.

The last-minute fixes.

The quiet concentration when someone is finishing a style.

And then suddenly it’s time.

The models line up.
The music starts.
And everything you’ve been working on walks down the runway in a matter of minutes.

After the models walked, each stylist also walked the runway. Then we gathered at the back while the models walked again so we could actually see our looks moving the way the audience saw them.

Standing there and watching the hairstyle I created walk the runway during Paris Fashion Week felt surreal.

It was emotional in a way I didn’t expect.

There was a moment where I just stood there thinking:

“I did that.”

I really created a custom hairstyle for Hair Couture in Paris during fashion week.

As a hairstylist who normally spends her weekends in quiet bridal suites getting brides ready for their wedding day, that moment felt huge.

The show wrapped and I went back to my flat that afternoon. We had started at 8:00 AM and finished around noon, with the show beginning at 12:30.

I was exhausted, but at the same time completely energized by the experience.

So I took the rest of the day easy.

Because Day 11 started early.

Our team call time was 8:00 AM, and from that moment until 10:30 PM, we worked four different fashion shows.

Four designers.
Four collections.
Four completely different hair looks.

The designers were Arial 12, Gaia n Uranos, Ricardo Castro, and Tayfun.

What made the day even more challenging was that many of the same models were walking in multiple shows. That meant switching between hairstyles quickly and strategically throughout the day.

Every change had to be planned carefully.

For example, one of our looks was a very clean bun with gel — sleek, structured, and polished. The next look needed to become an airy, textured wave.

Transforming one style into another quickly backstage isn’t just about styling skill. It’s about strategy. Knowing what foundation to build first so the next look can evolve from it.

Backstage during fashion week becomes a constant rhythm of prepare, execute, reset.

Finish one show.
Reset the models.
Change the hair.
Line them up again.
And do it all over.

Even after hours of working, the energy in the room never really drops. There’s something about being surrounded by so many talented artists that keeps everyone moving.

Makeup teams.
Wardrobe stylists.
Dressers.
Producers.
Photographers.

Everyone working together to make each show happen.

It’s intense.

But it’s also incredibly inspiring.

Stepping into this environment has been such a unique experience. The hair is different. The energy is different. The pressure feels different.

But at the core, it’s still about the same thing.

Creating hair that completes a look and helps someone step into a moment feeling confident.

Fashion week just does it on a much bigger stage.

These last two days reminded me why I love this industry so much. Hair can be structured, soft, dramatic, sculptural, romantic — it’s such a versatile medium to work with.

And sitting here now on Day 12 in Paris, writing this and trying to process everything that’s happened, I can feel how emotional this experience really is for me.

Because moments like this don’t happen in isolation.

They’re built from years of work. Early mornings. Long wedding days. Practicing techniques. Building a business. Trusting that the path you’re on will lead somewhere meaningful.

Paris has already given me so many unforgettable moments on this trip.

But standing backstage during Paris Fashion Week, watching something I created walk the runway, is definitely one I’ll carry with me for the rest of my career.

And the best part?

I know I’ll be bringing a little bit of this inspiration home with me.

For my brides who might find this blog someday while searching for wedding hair inspiration, experiences like this shape the way I see hair as an artist. Working backstage during fashion week pushes creativity in ways that challenge you to think about shape, movement, texture, and balance differently. It’s something I’m incredibly excited to bring back to the bridal work I love so much.

Tonight is my last night in Paris.

I’m planning to spend it sitting under the Eiffel Tower with a new friend I met on this trip, just soaking in everything that has happened over the last couple of weeks.

Feeling grateful.

Feeling proud.

And feeling incredibly thankful for the experience of a lifetime. ✨

For pictures and videos head over to instagram @bespoke_beauty_llc