{"id":170149,"date":"2026-04-28T13:46:54","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T17:46:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/?p=170149"},"modified":"2026-05-22T16:12:59","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T20:12:59","slug":"rachel-polycarpe-on-creating-hair-that-moves-with-emotion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/?p=170149","title":{"rendered":"Rachel Polycarpe on Creating Hair That Moves with Emotion"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><em>Behind the Image is an ongoing MODELS.com series taking a more personal look at both established and emerging creative talent.<\/em><\/p>\n<style>\n.quote {\nline-height: 1.2em !important;\npadding: 35px 25px;\n}\n.wp-caption {\n    margin-top: 65px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<figure id=\"attachment_141369\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-141369\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2026\/04\/rachel.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1890\" height=\"2043\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-170151\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2026\/04\/rachel.jpg 1890w, https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2026\/04\/rachel-592x640.jpg 592w, https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2026\/04\/rachel-1184x1280.jpg 1184w, https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2026\/04\/rachel-1421x1536.jpg 1421w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1890px) 100vw, 1890px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-141369\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><br \/>\n<a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/rachel-polycarpe\">Rachel Polycarpe<\/a> | Image courtesy of Forward Artists<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/rachel-polycarpe\">Rachel Polycarpe<\/a>, Hair Stylist <\/h2>\n<p><strong>Hometown:<\/strong> Brooklyn, New York<br \/>\n<strong>Representation: <\/strong> <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/agency\/Forward-Artists\">Forward Artists<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>How did you first discover your passion for hair? Was there a specific moment?<\/strong><br \/>\nHonestly, it started really young. I would raid beauty supply stores, trying to recreate the looks my hairstylist did on me. I was always drawn to more unconventional styles in hair magazines. But the real turning point? I remember helping a friend who was leading a fashion show and thinking, &#8220;This is where I belong. The adrenaline, the excitement, the looks, having my love for fashion and hair all in one space, I knew I needed more of that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>How would you describe your work? What\u2019s your trademark?\u2028<\/strong><br \/>\nI\u2019d say my work lives somewhere between structural and effortless. I love engineering looks, figuring out shape and balance, but I also enjoy when things feel a little undone, like you woke up looking chic and cool without even trying. I\u2019m not sure what my trademark is just yet, but I\u2019m obsessed with creating hair that moves, catches the light, and feels like it has a life of its own, something that sparks a bit of emotion. Even when it\u2019s sculptural, there\u2019s always a softness within it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>You\u2019ve worked with artists like <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/olivia-dean\">Olivia Dean<\/a> and <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/chappell-roan\">Chappell Roan.<\/a> How do you translate their artistry into hair?<\/strong><br \/>\nI\u2019ve learned that it can\u2019t just be about what looks good; it\u2019s about what feels true to them in that moment. With musicians, I always start with the world they\u2019re building. What does their music feel like? Is it nostalgic, theatrical, raw, or a little more chaotic? Then I think about silhouette, texture, and references that align with that. For red carpets, it\u2019s about distilling their identity into a single, striking image. For tour, it\u2019s more layered; it has to evolve, hold up under lights, and move through sweat and emotion.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What non-beauty influences shape your creative perspective?<\/strong><br \/>\nFilms are a major source of inspiration for me, especially those with a strong visual identity. I\u2019m constantly pulling from cinematography, color grading, lighting, and different time periods. People-watching also plays a big role. Hair is such a personal form of expression, and it\u2019s always interesting to see how someone approaches their own styling. Paintings and sculptures, in particular, are incredibly inspiring because hair is essentially sculpting in real time. Often, I\u2019m trying to create hair imagery that evokes the same emotions you might feel when looking at a painting. Structure, balance, negative space, it all translates.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What other jobs have you had?<\/strong><br \/>\nOh, everything. Retail, office jobs, assisting, sweeping floors in salons, doing hair for free, just to build something. I even interned at a record label and worked as a wardrobe assistant. I think it\u2019s important to explore all your interests and absorb everything. It all shapes your perspective and the person you become. Each role taught me something essential that I still use today.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What do you love most about what you do?<\/strong><br \/>\nThe transformation process, but not in a superficial way. I love watching someone become another version of themselves, seeing someone who may not be feeling their best grow in confidence and attitude. And the collaboration of it all. That moment when everything clicks, the stylist, makeup artist, photographer, the artist themselves. It\u2019s electric. You can\u2019t really replicate that anywhere else.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What have you watched, heard, or read lately that inspired you?<\/strong><br \/>\nHonestly, watching the women I\u2019ve been so lucky to work with go after what they want, work tirelessly to master their crafts, and champion other women while holding space for others has been both beautiful to witness and deeply inspiring.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Who&#8217;s one to watch?<\/strong><br \/>\nI\u2019m always drawn to people who have a <em>point of view<\/em>, not just talent, but identity. There are so many emerging artists right now who aren\u2019t trying to fit into anything existing, and that\u2019s where the magic is. The ones building their own worlds. <\/p>\n<h3>Selected Work<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_141376\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-141376\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2026\/04\/Olivia-Dean-Vogue.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"472\" height=\"640\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-170152\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-141376\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><br \/>\nOlivia Dean by Daniel Jackson | Image courtesy of Forward Artists<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/models.com\/work\/vogue-australia-vogue-australia-december-2025-cover\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Vogue Australia December 2025 Cover<\/a><\/strong><br \/>\nThis was my first Vogue cover, and I felt so honored to do it with <a href=\"https:\/\/models.com\/people\/olivia-dean\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Olivia (Dean) <\/a> at such a monumental moment in her career. It felt really special.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_141376\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-141376\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2026\/04\/gabriette.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"768\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-170153\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2026\/04\/gabriette.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2026\/04\/gabriette-640x384.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-141376\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><br \/>\nGabriette by Aidan Zamiri | Image courtesy of Forward Artists<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/gabbriette\/reel\/DCr1xSJTNBd\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Nothing Precious<\/em> by Marcelo Gutierrez<\/a><\/strong><br \/>\nWorking with <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/models\/gabbriette-bechtel\">Gabbriette <\/a> was amazing, and it was fun to create a look reminiscent of the 90s bombshell updos I loved growing up.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_141376\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-141376\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2026\/04\/blanc.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"768\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-170154\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2026\/04\/blanc.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2026\/04\/blanc-640x384.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-141376\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><br \/>\nHody Yim by Yanran Xiong | Image courtesy of Forward Artists<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/models.com\/work\/blanc-magazine-blanc-magazine-july-2024-cover\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Blanc Magazine #27 July 2024 Cover<\/a><\/strong><br \/>\nThis Blanc cover always makes me smile. So many small details went into ensuring the hair&#8217;s shape worked in harmony with the clothing and makeup angles.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_141376\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-141376\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2026\/04\/Olivia-Dean-NY-Times.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1600\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-170156\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2026\/04\/Olivia-Dean-NY-Times.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2026\/04\/Olivia-Dean-NY-Times-512x640.jpg 512w, https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2026\/04\/Olivia-Dean-NY-Times-1024x1280.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2026\/04\/Olivia-Dean-NY-Times-1229x1536.jpg 1229w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-141376\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><br \/>\nOlivia Dean by Damien Maloney | Image courtesy of Forward Artists<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/models.com\/work\/the-ny-times-online-olivia-dean-adds-love-to-the-mix\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Olivia Dean for New York Times<\/a><\/strong><br \/>\nI love the hair we did for the NY Times. It was soft, but there was a purposeful effort to still sculpt it around her face shape.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_141376\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-141376\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-27-at-4.41.45\u202fPM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2086\" height=\"1420\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-170157\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-27-at-4.41.45\u202fPM.png 2086w, https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-27-at-4.41.45\u202fPM-640x436.png 640w, https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-27-at-4.41.45\u202fPM-1280x871.png 1280w, https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-27-at-4.41.45\u202fPM-1536x1046.png 1536w, https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-27-at-4.41.45\u202fPM-2048x1394.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2086px) 100vw, 2086px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-141376\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><br \/>\nElsa Majimbo by Abdul Ibrahim | Image courtesy of Forward Artists<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/C8GCMxLNzbx\/?img_index=1\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Elsa Majimbo for Okay Africa<\/a><\/strong><br \/>\nWe had so many hair changes for this shoot, but this one was my particular favorite because it felt exaggerated in a way that still complemented the close and the space effortlessly. <\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_141376\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-141376\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2026\/04\/Friend-Collab.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1297\" height=\"1871\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-170158\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2026\/04\/Friend-Collab.jpg 1297w, https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2026\/04\/Friend-Collab-444x640.jpg 444w, https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2026\/04\/Friend-Collab-887x1280.jpg 887w, https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2026\/04\/Friend-Collab-1065x1536.jpg 1065w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1297px) 100vw, 1297px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-141376\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><br \/>\nMinami Gessel by Enmi Yang | Image courtesy of Forward Artists<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Ch-RtSoA-D1\/?img_index=1\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Personal Project, 2024<\/a><\/strong><br \/>\nThis shoot was a beautiful collaboration with friends. The absence of clothing made me feel free to go for it and create shapes and angles that almost draw your attention right up to the face. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Behind the Image is an ongoing MODELS.com series taking a more personal look at both established and emerging creative talent. Rachel Polycarpe, Hair Stylist Hometown: Brooklyn, New York Representation: Forward Artists How did you first discover your passion for hair? Was there a specific moment? Honestly, it started really young. I would raid beauty supply&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":450,"featured_media":170151,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6476,12752,13941,10414,16,13943],"tags":[12930,13154,15087,13951,15319,15318],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170149"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/450"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=170149"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170149\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":170163,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170149\/revisions\/170163"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/170151"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=170149"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=170149"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=170149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}