Stella McCartney and Kate Hudson opt for vegan Met Gala hair
At first glance, Kate Hudson's top knot and Stella McCartney's wavy, side-swept hair for the Met Gala in New York on Monday night seemed to have nothing in common — one, a nod to the evening's avant-garde theme, the other, an ode to old-school glamour. Turns out, stylist Peter Gray was not only responsible for both, but also used a vegan hair line to create them.
"Stella is also vegan," says Gray, who has been a vegetarian since the age of 7 and vegan for most of his adult life. "People don't have to be granola to be environmentally conscious. It alienates people." But when it comes to most vegan hair products, he argues they usually fall short in terms of performance — especially when it comes to styling. "When you are looking for hold and gumption, you always have a problem," says Gray.
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But that all changed on Monday night when the stylist turned to vegan haircare line ABBA to envision the duo's red-carpet-ready hair. "I try and support environmental products," says Gray, who has always tried to seek out products that don't test on animals. Loosely interpreting the evening's Commes des Garcon's theme, Gray envisioned an editorialized top knot for Hudson, dusted with ABBA Dry Shampoo sprayed with talcum powder around the hairline and layered with the line's Firm Finish Hair Spray for extra hold. McCartney, on the other hand, opted for a Jerry Hall-inspired look, featuring a cornrow part with waves. "I applied ABBA's Dry Shampoo and created two tiny cornrow raids on the side of her head," says Gray, who first prepped damp hair with the ABBA Volumizing Root Lift Spray. For a dose of glitz, he sewed an antique Cartier brooch into the braids.
"The interesting thing about working with Stella is she always changes the people up who she invites to the ball," says Gray. "She is never habitual and never predictable." For proof, he says, look no further than her line. "It's always eclectic and diverse."
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