Photo: Getty
Over the years, Lady Gaga has undergone more hair transformations than you can shake a stick at. Pepto Bismol-pink, Lichtenstein-yellow and, even, vivid aquamarine. She’s had pixie cuts, Hollywood curls, and Elvis Presley-inspired sideburns. She’s worn hats fashioned from meat, and bows made out of hair. And now, for her latest transformation into Patrizia Reggiani in House Of Gucci, she’s gone back to her brunette roots, courtesy of JOICO celebrity artist and Lady Gaga’s hairstylist Frederic Aspiras. Here, Vogue speaks to the longtime collaborator about Gaga’s iconic hair evolution.
How long have you been working with Lady Gaga?
I have been Lady Gaga’s hairstylist and wig designer since 2009. Together, we have created some of the most iconic and influential hairstyles and hair colour looks in pop culture, and now we are starting a new chapter in the magical world of film with House of Gucci.
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How would you describe your working relationship?
Our relationship has grown and expanded over the years. She’s a creative genius and it’s been so exciting to work and grow with her as we have developed iconic and influential looks that have helped shape the hair industry.
How would you describe Lady Gaga’s approach to hair?
Gaga’s hair has been a staple in some of her most iconic looks over the years. We’ve worked to really home in on what message she wants to convey through her hairstyles. We’re always changing and developing different styles to help tell our story.
What’s been some of your favorite looks and eras you’ve created with her?
It’s so hard to pick a favorite because I think all of our looks were very reflective of how we were feeling at the time and the story we wanted to convey. I’ve been able to achieve such amazing looks using some of my favourite JOICO products – Dream Blowout, Power Spray and K-PAK Color Therapy Luster Lock. To get Gaga’s well-known platinum blonde, we use JOICO Blonde Life; it helps to deeply nourish blonde hair.
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Can you tell us a bit about your experience working on House Of Gucci?
For House Of Gucci, I was tasked with creating and designing all of the wigs and hairstyle looks for Lady Gaga in her role as Patrizia Reggiani in the film. I worked very closely with the head of costume of the film, Janty Yates, to create a directory book dedicated to Lady Gaga’s look – which ended up being over 350 pages of each scene’s hair, make-up and costume. Her character required 10 custom, full lace, hand-knotted, human hair wigs. Each wig was delicately coloured or highlighted with professional hair colour to depict where the character was in her life, the circumstance and time period. House of Gucci was a magical experience and taught me so much about the craft and the work and dedication that goes into making the film.
How is it different from your regular work with Gaga?
The film required months of preparation and research to master the role of Patrizia Reggiani and understand the fashion and trends throughout the decade. The time I spent working on this project surpassed any other project I’ve been a part of. But it’s been an amazing experience.
What was your creative process and inspiration for the looks and what did you want Patrizia’s hair to communicate about her?
The progression of the character’s life had to be depicted not only by the script and setting but also in her hair. I worked very closely daily with Lady Gaga’s make-up artist for this role and we combined our extensive findings of style inspiration or evidence. The journey for building the hair looks for the character Patrizia Reggiani spans from 1972 to 1997. Even throughout all of the transitional periods, I was able to use my JOICO products to help develop Patrizia’s multitude of looks. They were really essential to evolving the looks we wanted to create.
There wasn’t much of her life documented in photos or videos as a young woman to refer to, and with the photos available and with the documentary about the murder of Maurizio Gucci I had to create a complete forensics of her hairstyles from a young blushing bride to a scorned, convicted older woman. It was critical to do investigative reporting all about her lifestyle as a young 24-year-old Italian woman who lived in Rome. It was very important to remain as authentic and honest as possible.
As the story in the movie progresses, the slightest changes in hair colour can be seen. She begins with a virgin dark brown, because she came from a working-class family and most likely didn’t go to a high-end luxury hair salon to have her hair coloured by a specialist, to then when she starts to build a relationship with Maurizio Gucci. She starts to play the part of a society women and wants so much to be accepted into the Gucci dynasty, so her hair becomes more tended to and then kept longer and is professionally highlighted to meet the trends of that time.
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Moving forwards, what’s next for your creative journey with Lady Gaga? How would you like it to evolve?
We’re always growing together and I think right now we really just want to be present and enjoy each other and what we have accomplished thus far.
Originally published on Vogue.co.uk
