Behind every striking haute couture runway is a team working to make clothes, makeup and hair feel like parts of one creative vision. Backstage at Paris Fashion Week, hairstylist and creative director Jack Merrick Thirlway reunited with French designer Julien Fournié to create the hair for his couture presentation. Representing London’s Neville Hair & Beauty, Thirlway served as the key hair artist for the show. Rather than treating hairstyling as a separate element, the team designed each look to complement the dresses and makeup. The result reflected years of collaboration and a shared understanding of beauty.
For Thirlway, inspiration begins with Fournié’s clothing. The shape, structure and personality of each dress help determine how dramatic or restrained the hairstyle should be. Hair and makeup are then balanced against the garments so that no single element overwhelms the overall presentation. Thirlway credits Fournié with having a particularly clear creative vision, understanding from the beginning how the clothing, makeup and hair should work together.
That creative connection was developed over many years. Thirlway explained that he and his team first met Julien Fournié in Singapore and have worked with him for around 12 years. Over time, their professional relationship has become increasingly intuitive. Fournié trusts the hairstylists to interpret his ideas, while they understand the visual direction he wants to achieve. That mutual confidence allows the team to experiment creatively while maintaining the precise balance required for a couture runway.
Fournié is equally enthusiastic about Thirlway and the Neville team. He describes Thirlway as an imaginative creative who can take a simple request and add what he calls a “magic touch.” Technical expertise is essential to that process, whether the hairstyle requires shine, curls or a deliberately understated finish. For Fournié, successful runway hair should never feel excessive or incomplete. It needs to reach exactly the right level to support the woman wearing the clothes and the story being told through the collection.
Their partnership demonstrates how much collaboration goes into creating a complete Paris Fashion Week presentation. Haute couture may place extraordinary garments at center stage, but the final impression depends on numerous creative disciplines working together. Fournié’s eye for beauty and Thirlway’s approach to hairstyling allow fashion and beauty to strengthen each other rather than compete for attention. After more than a decade of working together, their shared philosophy remains simple: understand the vision, trust the team and find the perfect balance.
