There are expectations of those who work backstage at a hectic catwalk show. It doesn’t matter if you are leading a team or part of a team, you’ve been booked to do a job that is much more than just being an artist.
Last year, makeup artist Nicki Buglewicz was given her first opportunity to lead a team of 15 MUA’s at the first-ever London Queer Fashion Show, which showcased five designers and was being covered by international press.
In this audio story, Nicki shares her tips on how to make the most of any fashion week experience - whether you're leading a team or whether this is your first opportunity to assist. Listen in as she shares specific advice that has helped her become a reassuring and integral presence on shoots and backstage, and deliver her best work.
If you're on the go and unable to listen to the entire audio story straightaway, here's a quick summary of some of the highlights and lessons...
Be positive and maintain a level of enthusiasm and excitement for yourself and the team, no matter what. Nicki was in charge of 15 artists of varying levels of experience but the show had to maintain a certain pace as well as professionalism and artistic integrity. Things will go wrong, that's inevitable, but dealing with them in an open, calm manner will get those problems resolved faster and with less stress to the team.
When you spot a mistake, raising your voice or stopping the flow of the room's work will not bring results. Assess the problem quickly, decide a course of action and know which of your team is best positioned or has the ability to help you rectify the problem, then execute the solution. During the show, just before the models walked out, Nicki saw a model at the end who had wrong makeup. She placed 5 MUA's on the model, assigning one area of the face to each artist so that the makeup could be removed and reapplied correctly in the 30 seconds they had before the model was due on the runway. In keeping with her ethos of taking on responsibility, Nicki did not single out the MUA at fault, she kept the show moving forward seamlessly.
What’s the purpose of going back and giving out to somebody who has made a mistake? There is none. Everyone just banded together to fix it, and you know that’s the last time that they’ll ever make a mistake like that.
Designers can second-guess themselves and sometimes demand changes to the hair, makeup or styling, often at the last minute. Look at the bigger picture to determine the potential outcome - are the changes feasible in the time-frame, will the changes actually work with other elements of the show, such as the lighting or the collection overall? Refusing outright can trigger a damaging confrontation. Instead, reassure the designer that the original look they've agreed on will work, as their request might simply be fuelled by nerves. If they insist on a change, then negotiate - can the existing look be tweaked to accommodate their last minute idea? Use empathy but also commonsense to find a resolution that works for the designer, yourself, the team and the show.
When you're assisting on shows, you want to be remembered so you're chosen again next season. Keeping your positivity levels high is a must, as people will always remember a bad attitude and be far less inclined to work with you, no matter how skilled you are as an artist. Find the things within your craft that are unique to you. Nicki's energy, positivity and her intense attention to detail during skin prep made her memorable (and reliable) as a show assistant, and she continued to be booked for work.
Designers are busy. Sending materials, like lookbooks and moodboards, to beauty teams can slip through the cracks. A good team leader will get on with prepping despite this. In Nicki's instance, she did not recieve any makeup briefs from the five designers until the night before the show. Rather than panic and work through the night, Nicki had already researched each designer's previous work, their influences and current collection to create five looks per designer. When the briefs did come through, she was able to quickly tweak the looks she had already prepared and immediately present the designers with options.
Nicki's story offers many more lessons. To hear all of them, listen below.