Chris Appleton
British beauty expert Chris Appleton’s first client ever was his mother. His latest muse is Kim Kardashian West. The Leicester-born talent has gone from his living room to the Hollywood Hills in a flight to fame that’s found him a favourite in the world of show business. With many of his clients from the top of the music and fashion – and him being the creator of some iconic looks for J.Lo, Katy Perry and Ariana Grande – Chris understands the pressures of being in the public eye as the ‘go-to hair guy’. Or as Kim titles him during this interview, the ‘hair transformationist’. Well, it seems rather fitting.
“I think the most challenging thing in this job is the fact that you and I can like it, but then the rest of the world has an opinion. Or something might look great in real life but might not photograph the same,” Chris explains as he sits with Kim. “I think if nobody is discussing anything then you’re not doing the right thing – if people are just like ‘whatever’.” With Kim agreeing, he adds: “If you’re going to do something different and try and push boundaries then it’s good to get that conversation.”
Thoughts and online comments are actually welcomed in part by Chris, but they don’t play a deciding part in a final look. That is unless you’re Kanye West – as Kim reveals how her now totally bloody iconic neon look came about.
“I remember we had regular hair and then we FaceTimed Kanye,” explains Kim. “He was like, ‘You’re in Miami, do neon hair. I’m getting you a neon car, it’ll be downstairs – just trust me on this one. You need neon!’ We were like, ‘What, we are running out the door?!’ We had full black hair and we changed that last minute. That was so fun, but crazy!” What did I say? Iconic.
But while his working life was is the world stage, coming to terms with being gay was a conversation that Chris was keeping to himself – beginning that journey later in his life.
“Some people know straight away,
