DESIGNER IN FOCUS - FAM IRVOLL
Culture 13 March / Designer Backstage Feature
FAM IRVOLL
A/W 26 BEAUTY
Designer Fam Irvoll Words Astrid Kearney
1 — BACKSTAGE AT LONDON FASHION WEEK
There was a hum of back to back shows as I joined the beauty teams for Fam Irvoll backstage at London Fashion Week, that familiar rush of steam, pins, pigment and adrenaline. In the middle of it all, the world was unfolding in flashes of colour and deliberate contrast, guided by Makeup Lead Mandy Gakhal with AOFM Pro and Hair Lead Narad Kutowarooof Unite Hair with Sally Beauty with calm focus and quiet authority.
2 — THE EYE
Mandy Gakhal led makeup with team AOFM Pro, translating the brief for a strong, elongated eye into something unapologetically bold. Colour was fearless. Turquoise, blue, red, green and cerise were placed with intent, that stretched the eye outward and upward, exaggerating the shape without losing control.
There was a deconstructed quality to the finish, as if the pigments like Danessa Myrick’s Color Fix and Lightworks had been allowed to move rather than sit obediently within traditional lines. Yet the structure remained. The eye had presence with mascara by Pat Mc Grath, graphic and self assured, anchoring the entire beauty direction.
3 — SKIN AND LIP
The lip told a softer story with gold on lip by Viseart. Blurred and bitten, with a glint of gold tracing the Cupid’s bow, it caught the light without becoming precious. A creamy flush through the cheeks kept the skin alive and dimensional. Nothing felt overworked. It was colour with instinct, polish with restraint.
4 — THE HAIR
On hair, Narad Kutowaroo’s direction centred on tension and contrast. Mismatched ponytails introduced a deliberate clash between natural hair and synthetic fantasy, opposing tones and textures placed side by side so the difference was unmistakable. It nodded to coy experimentation, the fearless way identity is tried on and remixed, but executed with discipline.
Using UNITE Haircare with Sally Beauty, structure was built from the roots with Elevate Mousse Volume Foam, layered and heat set to hold tension at the crown. That control allowed the lengths to feel exaggerated without tipping into novelty. The silhouette was sharp, graphic and knowingly off balance, reading instantly from a distance.
5 — BEAUTY IN CONTRAST
What stayed with me was the precision behind the playfulness. It is easy to create chaos. It is far harder to create intentional imbalance that feels confident rather than cute. Here, every mismatch had purpose.
Watching both teams work felt like witnessing a conversation rather than separate departments. The makeup pushed colour to its limits while maintaining shape. The hair held structure while embracing contrast. Fantasy and reality met somewhere in the middle and decided to coexist.
Fam Irvoll’s aesthetic has always celebrated individuality, and this season the beauty amplified that spirit without overwhelming it. There was humour, irreverence and a refusal to dilute bold ideas for safety. It felt instinctive and modern, the kind of beauty that does not ask permission.
As the models lined up, ponytails swinging in deliberate opposition and eyes flashing with saturated pigment, the message was clear. Beauty can be playful and precise at the same time. In a week defined by speed and spectacle, this was a reminder that the looks which linger are the ones brave enough to hold contradiction and make it look effortless.
Article/Backstage shots : Astrid Kearney Designer: Fam Irvoll @famirvoll Fashion Scout @fashionscout Show Production: Martyn Roberts @mrfashionscout PR :Black PR Makeup (Backstage): Mandy Gakhal for AOFMPro using Dermalogica UK @aofmakeup @mandygakhal@dermalogicauk Hair: Narad Kutowaroo using Unite Haircare | Sally Beauty Photography: Beauty/backstage Astrid Kearney Catwalk photography: Becca Geden Illustators Drawing: Caberet Couture, Lily Pichon Flannery, Louise Boughton, Anna Huang
