Making a name for himself

This is a name to remember – Jordan Massarella. The L’Oréal Artistic Educator reveals all about the journey he embarked on to ‘make it’ in his uber-successful, colourful career.

When did you notice your passion for hair?

It was probably at school. I remember popping down to the local Superdrug and getting my hands on my first box of Schwarzkopf LIVE XL. My classmates were always keen for me to get ‘creative’ on their hair, fashioning them with plum-purple or poppy-red botched bobs with my mum’s kitchen scissors. Eventually I was earning a tenner a pop, and the combination of satisfying my ‘artistic’ needs whilst earning a bob or two motivated me and opened my eyes to the prospect of a career in hair. I just loved the transformation.

Eventually I was earning a tenner a pop, and the combination of satisfying my ‘artistic’ needs whilst earning a bob or two motivated me and opened my eyes to the prospect of a career in hair.

Jordan Massarella

You are an Artistic Educator at L’Oréal, please tell us what this entails and how you got here?After presenting a David Hockney inspired colour at Colour World for L’Oréal Professional, they offered me the opportunity to become a L’Oréal Artistic Educator. Education is something I’ve become increasingly excited about, particularly creative colouring. When it came to creating my course I wanted to fuse my passion for colour and art. Exploring ‘hair painting’ as a concept, my course’s key learnings include experimenting with application and a more visual approach to vivid colour work, working conceptually and story building, as well as sourcing inspiration from other art forms and translating them into hair.  My ethos is to put the art into the art of hairdressing. All course info. and dates are available on lorealaccess.com

What has been your favourite/stand out moment in your career so far?

Oooh, winning the The Rising Star title at The It List awards last year was a big moment, I’d worked so hard towards it so the pay-off felt unreal, it’s an honour to be recognised alongside some of the freshest talent in the industry. Another ‘pinch me’ moment was judging the L’Oréal Colour Trophy this year. Having won the Afro award in 2017, it felt surreal to be on the other side of the competition, judging the very same category just two years later. Especially alongside some of my hair icons.

You won the prestigious L’Oreal Colour Trophy Afro Award 2017 which is a phenomenal achievement – how did you get to that point and can you tell us about your entry?

Entering the L’Oréal Colour Trophy felt like the perfect way for me to dip my toe into competition work, but also creative work in general. In some ways it was a bit of a gamble, working with Afro hair was something I had zero experience in, and at the time of the competition my colour experience was relatively limited. I wanted to push myself so chose to throw myself in at the deep end and commit to it as a project and a learning process. Winning never even entered my mind, but I wanted to create a nod to one of my favourite artists, Frida Kahlo, with a contemporary, commercial twist. We tapped into the Latin American, folkloric sensibility that had been trending on catwalks, and ran with those trademark fiery red, and rich bronze-y tones that were heavily associated with the trend.

How has this award help you move forward in your career as a hair stylist?

Winning LCT has boosted my profile and given my career a tangible boost. It has created an awareness and given my work a platform. My creative work has been featured several times in industry publications, and as well as gaining recognition from industry peers, I gained a place on the L’Oréal ID Artist programme.

What are your plans for the future?

Creative/editorial colour is my passion and I’d love to work more in this realm in the future. I enjoy stage work, creating a colourful look from scratch before an audience, and the opportunity to bring a more theatrical element to my work. If I’m making stuff, I’m happy.

What is your advice for anyone wanting to pursue a career like yours?

Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. As creatives it’s really easy to get stuck in your own head and second guess yourself. But to live a creative life you have to lose the fear of being ‘wrong’. In my experience, if you put yourself out there and you’re passionate, open to growth and development, and you’re prepared to put in the time and work hard, it pays off.