Andrew Gallimore: Beauty Meets Music
Andrew Gallimore, formerly Beauty-at-Large at HUNGER, has worked for the likes of Erdem and Versace as well as gracing the pages of countless fashion magazines. Trained as an artist his approach to makeup has always blurred the distinctions between makeup and visual art and, known for using unusual materials from slime to Haribo, his concept-driven work has always been two steps ahead of his peers’.
But for this exclusive shoot, created as part of his HUNGER VERO takeover, he’s decided to look to the past. Inspired by the raw energy of London’s music scene in the 70s and 80s, he’s adorned the faces of models, including iconic designer Zandra Rhodes and DJ Princess Julia, with bold splashes of colour and even dribbles of PVC and pink rubber. Hardcore!
Check out the full shoot below, as well as a Q&A with Andrew where he breaks down how the looks came together, the song that gets him in the makeup mood and what he’s missed most during lockdown.
Tell us about your latest shoot for HUNGER and VERO. What was on your mood board?
It was very much inspired by London’s cool club culture and iconic music scene of the late 70s and 80s. It’s a bit punk, a bit new romantic and a lot peacock on parade. On my mood board, there were reportage pictures of punks, club kids, street art and graffiti.
How would you describe the concept?
The concept was inspired by Rankin saying he was going to showcase beauty and music on HUNGER’s VERO account. I thought I’d mash the two together and take inspiration from my favourite era of music that inspired the makeup and fashion of London in the 70s and 80s.
You are a legend in the beauty world for always breaking the mould. Can you share any special techniques or artistic approaches that you used for these looks?
Very kind of you to say! My approach to this shoot, and some of the techniques I used, was to try and stay in the same vein as the shoot’s inspirations. I wanted the looks to have a rawness and subversive energy and to be statements, exclamation marks on the face.
Rather than just cosmetics, I used alternative materials. Adding PVC facial adornments I’d made in the style of brush strokes and bright pink rubber that I drizzled to look like paint drips. I also created intricate eyeliner effects using a web of false eyelashes. I wanted it to have the feeling that the face had been customised, like a punk’s leather jacket, with a sprinkling of the subversive energy of that time.
Any favourite looks?
I love all the looks, they’re each special in their own way. We had such amazing models for this, including two London icons, Princess Julia and Zandra Rhodes. They were pioneers of this era, so they really added their own unique stamp to the images.
2020 has been a heavy year. How has the crisis and lockdown restrictions affected your creative approach? Obviously it’s hit the fashion and beauty world hard, but for some, it’s also been an opportunity to experiment and to reconnect with our inner child’s sense of play over productivity.
For me, personally, as soon as I realised it was going to be a long time before I could apply makeup to someone’s face, I began to find other ways to be creative. Whether that be directly in relation to my work, where I began to apply makeup digitally to images of model Fallon’s face using my iPad and various apps to manipulate the image, or whether it be me taking to drawing and painting. I’ve taken part in several online life drawing classes with Sue Tilley and the Isolation Station Hastings Facebook page — I even drew Princess Julia on the first week, which was very in keeping with this shoot.
Also, friends of mine formed our own portrait drawing group, where we would challenge each other to draw or paint somebody and share it with the group. I’ve loved painting again, probably because I don’t normally have the time to devote myself to it pre-lockdown. I’ve also reminded myself how to knit and taught myself how to tie-dye, so anything I owned, made out of white cotton, has been given a make-over and everyone is getting a scarf for their birthday!
Any upcoming projects you’d like to share with us?
Shoots are slowly coming back into play, so I’m looking forward to getting my teeth stuck into them… A few things are in the making but sadly I can’t spill the beans just yet!
How would you define beauty in 2020?
Exciting, experimental and future-facing.
Do you have a favourite album or track that gets you in the MUA mood?
I’ve often been inspired by music to create makeup looks. I once did an Erdem show look which was heavily inspired by Kate Bush’s “Wuthering Heights”. At the moment, it would be Lady Gaga’s Chromatica that gets me in the mood, it gets me in the mood for most things as it makes me really happy. I think its 90s vibes give me nostalgia for my formative years! I’m also obsessed with Rina Sawayama’s track “Comme Des Garçons (Like the Boys)”.
What have you missed the most during lockdown?
Having a dance at The Glory, an amazing gay bar in east London, and going swimming — though I have found solace in a local river and reservoir. Beauty locations wise, I’ve missed going to Kryolan in Covent Garden, I can usually find the answer to any questions there. In general, I have missed Covent Garden as it’s the beauty hot-spot with amazing Chanel, Dior, NARS, M.A.C and Kiko stores.
VERO is an authentic social network — no ads, no algorithms, just great content. Go to vero.co to sign up and follow @hungermagazine for more exclusive content and to catch Andrew Gallimore’s beauty takeover, which runs until 17 July.
