Behind the scenes with Paul Edmonds at the Fashion Awards 2025
Paul was enlisted to help celebrities and industry insiders get ready backstage.
The biggest night in the British sartorial calendar, the Fashion Awards took place last night, celebrating the designers, brands and models who have made waves in 2025.
Paul Edmonds and team were on hand backstage at the Royal Albert Hall, helping to make sure A-list stars and presenters were perfectly coiffed ahead of their moment in the spotlight.
“We don't have much time, so what we're doing is a bit like first aid for hair – making it look good at that moment,” says Paul, who was positioned at the side of the stage to do last-minute touch-ups. “There tends to be some hair emergencies as well. We might need to tidy a look up and make it photo-ready.”
Armed with just “your brush, comb, hair spray and some gloss products,” Paul and team are responsible for adding that finishing touch to hair, and sometimes they’ll need to offer some comforting words to a nervous presenter.
“It's about caring for the person as well as the hair,” Paul says. “You want people to feel confident in themselves, especially if it’s people who are normally behind the camera rather than in front of it. You're trying to make them feel comfortable in their own skin.”
Here, Paul reveals what it takes to prepare for such a high-profile event, what it’s like backstage, and what he thought of the celebrity hair looks at the 2025 Fashion Awards…
WHAT WAS YOUR REMIT FOR THE FASHION AWARDS 2025?
“The main thing is making sure everyone who goes on stage looks good, from celebrities to the chaperones, the people who carry the awards to the presenters. A lot of hair has been done before they come into the stage, so it's a lot of touching up at the side of the stage. We worked in two shifts, so during the day, Matilda Collins and Sonia Surani were prepping hair, then Marvyn Duche and I took over for the awards ceremony.”
HOW DID YOU PREPARE FOR THE EVENT?
“We don’t know what the hair will be like until the day, so we tend to pack for every situation, whether it's an updo or textured hair, and bring a variety of products, normally about two suitcases full. We talked about what kind of brand we would like to highlight at the Fashion Awards, and we all agreed Oribe would be a great choice. We still brought some of our hero products as well, like Shu Uemura Essence Absolue. When we arrived, we got an exclusive preview of the space and we got to see the rehearsals as well. I chose Marvyn, Matilda and Sonia to join me because I knew they could handle this high-pressure situation without panicking. Even when obstacles come up, they're very composed.”
WHAT WAS THE ATMOSPHERE LIKE BACKSTAGE?
“Backstage is always bustling. Even if it appears very calm and tranquil on stage, backstage there are always people shouting things like, ‘Get out the way! We need to get this through! These people have to be rushed through!’”
WHAT HAIR TRENDS DID YOU SEE AT THE FASHION AWARDS?
“There was quite a big range of looks. A lot of the hair was very undone, which was quite surprising for an awards ceremony, but then London fashion is known for being a bit edgy. Some of the more done hair was quite tight and gelled back or pulled into a very tight chignon, which was lovely. I liked that more than the undone styles.”
WHAT WERE SOME OF YOUR FAVOURITE CELEBRITY RED CARPET LOOKS?
“The model Mia Regan looked amazing, hers was a great example of how to do undone hair in a chic way. Celia Imrie looked very good, and her hair was very, very done. She looked really put-together. Raye look really beautiful with her trademark bob and it suited her gown as well. Cate Blanchett’s sleek blonde bob was also amazing. Singer FKA Twigs had her hair up; it was braided and wrapped, and it looked stunning.”
WHAT WAS THE MOST CHALLENGING ELEMENT OF THE EVENT?
“The weather! It was drizzling when the celebrities were arriving, so we had hair that had been destroyed on the way in that we had to try and quickly fix. Gwendoline Christie’s hair was dishevelled by the wind and because's quite tall, her hair was touching the ceiling. Marvyn was having to touch-up her hair to smooth it back out again. The other challenging aspect of the day is that we were doing all these touch-ups quickly without a mirror.”
WHAT WAS YOUR PERSONAL HIGHLIGHT?
“It was getting to catch up with people I know from the industry. Celia Imrie, I've done that hair quite a few times for different films, but I hadn't seen her for ages, so it was nice chatting to her. I was also chatting to Anna Wintour’s stylist who comes over from France to do her hair.”
HOW DID YOU BRING THE PAUL EDMONDS ETHOS TO THE FASHION AWARDS?
“Our ethos is about making people look the best they can, and I think that team is really good at doing that. And they're very good at dealing with people in not the most optimal surroundings, like a busy backstage area. It comes back to my old adage of ‘encompassing care’ – trying to be thoughtful, careful and deal with the hair and the person.”
WHICH PRODUCTS DID YOU USE THE MOST?
“We were mainly using Oribe for the Fashion Awards. The gels and waxes were really useful, plus Davines firm hairspray.”
Backstage brilliance
Working behind the scenes at high-profile events such as the Fashion Awards helps Paul and the team hone their styling skills, which are particularly useful around the festive season.
When you want to get party-ready with a sleek up-do, bouncy bob or voluminous blow-dry, our stylists can deliver red carpet-worthy hair every time.
Ready to experience the celebrity treatment? Book your next appointment at Paul Edmonds London.
