Even before the first model stepped foot on the catwalk, the world knew this was going to be a London Fashion Week to remember. As the UK co-opts the death of the Queen, the show goes on – as it always must – but not without further chaos. Luckily, London seems to be doing what it does best: creating memorable works of art both on the runway and behind the scenes. UK fashion designers have a long history of drawing inspiration from youth culture, and the aesthetic of their shows is often the same. At Poster Girl’s SS23 show, eyebrow piercings got a high-fashion update, thanks to a line by celebrity makeup artist Isamaya French and her singular vision. Things are already off to an exciting start with the most recent London Fashion Week in recent memory just days away.
If you’ve attended high school at any point in the last 30 years, you’re probably familiar with eyebrow plucking or plucking. Sometimes the actual scar tissue is a cut in the eyebrow, but most of the time it’s simply shaving off the eyebrow hairs and even calling it out with makeup. The style’s exact origins are often debated — some say it’s old-school mobsters, though the eyebrow cut has been a staple of hip-hop and LGBTQ+ culture for decades — but the look’s iconic nature is undeniable.
At the Poster Girl show, Franchche used her ISAMAYA Browlacq Brow Laminator to part the models’ brows into spiky spikes, leaving plenty of visible flesh in the hairline. The eye-catching brows looked even more extreme and fun when paired with barbell-style piercings in the models’ lips, noses, and cheeks. The theme of youth rebellion continued with a sweat-like eyeshadow – French’s aptly named eye shadow, Sweat – for a nighttime vibe.
Aesthetically, Poster Girl and Franch couldn’t be more matched. The makeup artist and design duo share a love for the beautifully twisted and unusual, culminating in this grunge-based collaboration. Stars like Cardi B, Paris Hilton, Khloe Bailey and Meghan T Stallion are all signed up by Poster Girl fans – girls for poster girls, you might say – while French clients include Bella Hadid, Madonna and Kate Moss. Together, the Girl Alliance is a perfect storm.
French’s London Fashion Week is as jam-packed as it gets, working as lead makeup artist at other shows, including the glitter-drenched KNWLS LONDON presentation and 16Arlington. What kind of makeup theatrics she plans next is anyone’s guess.
