Sam McKnight MBE is an influential hairstylist and founder of Hair by Sam McKnight, whose career spans fashion, editorial photography and celebrity styling. Raised in a mining community in the south of Scotland, he worked in a local salon before moving to London in the mid-1970s and joining Molton Brown. It was there that he began working on magazine shoots, opening the door to a longstanding career with Vogue.
Sam has created iconic hairstyles for Princess Diana, Kate Moss, Lady Gaga, Naomi Campbell and Sienna Miller. Through collaborations with major fashion houses and photographers, he has amassed more than 200 magazine covers. In 2017, he launched Hair by Sam McKnight, a haircare and styling brand rooted in his belief that everyone should have the tools and confidence to feel great about their hair. He continues to work on fashion shows and develop new products, with no intention of retiring.
Highlights
For me outwardly it's about what you look like but actually inwardly it's about how it makes you feel, you know, because it's got the power to completely change how you feel, affect how you feel.
I've no intention of retiring and I mean, I can't imagine anything worse than kind of not having anything to do.
I think it's probably the nature of what we do for a living you know, you've got different people sitting in your chair, you can't really be fazed by anyone really.
The thing I've loved most about my entire career is the people because you are in close contact with people.
Freelancers' can't have a day off, you don't have the option of not going to work, or you've lost the client, that's how it is.