Polish without perfection. The three hair trends defining spring/summer 2027.
At London Fashion Week SS27, Authentic Beauty Concept partnered with Global Creative Advocate and Hair Lead Anna Cofone across Harris Reed, Susan Fang and Roksanda, creating three distinctive runway hair stories that together signal a move away from overly perfected, one-size-fits-all styling.
Across the shows, polish remained important, but perfection did not. At Harris Reed, the low ponytail returned with a sleek, graphic crown and soft, airy lengths. At Susan Fang, romantic braiding was deliberately deconstructed, with flyaways, loose pieces and organic texture. At Roksanda, the individual became the beauty reference, with each model's natural texture, movement and features elevated rather than transformed.
Together, the looks point to three key themes for the season ahead: Polish Without Perfection, The New Romantic and Individual Beauty - hair that feels considered and directional, but still instinctive, touchable and personal.
Alongside its hair partnership, Authentic Beauty Concept supported Anna Cofone's Hair & Care project, Making Fashion Accessible, ensuring accessibility for blind and low-vision guests across all three sponsored SS27 shows.
Trend 1: Polish Without Perfection at Harris Reed
Forget the slick-back bun. For SS27, the low ponytail is loosening up. At Harris Reed's Spring/Summer 2027 London Fashion Week show, Anna Cofone created a low ponytail combining a sleek, high-shine crown with soft, airy and deliberately undone lengths.
From the front, hair was tight, graphic and almost futuristic; from behind, natural texture and movement took over. The contrast mirrored the collection's duality of hardness and softness, severity and delicacy. Two variations appeared: Sleek to Airy, with diffused loose lengths, and Twisted Ponytail, adding a sculptural knot at the base while retaining natural texture.
Anna Cofone explains: "There's a real duality to the hair this season. From the front it's very controlled, sleek and almost futuristic, but then you turn and the lengths have this beautiful softness and airiness to them. We wanted that contrast between something sculpted and something much more natural and instinctive. It mirrors Harris's collection - the hardness and structure against these incredibly fluid, delicate elements. It feels strong and feminine, but never too perfect."
Get the look…
Prep
Start by enhancing the hair’s natural texture through the mid-lengths and ends using Authentic Beauty Concept Amplify Root-Lift Spray Conditioner and Nymph Salt Spray. Twist and scrunch sections with the fingers and leave to dry naturally. The aim is to encourage softness and movement rather than creating a uniform or overly styled wave.
Style
Create a small 1cm x 1cm square section just below the occipital bone. Apply Authentic Beauty Concept Nude Powder Spray at the roots for grip and lightly surface backcomb. This becomes the anchor for the finished ponytail. Sculpt the shape by taking a deep central triangular section from recession to recession, with the point finishing at the occipital bone. Working in clean sections, apply Authentic Beauty Concept Cosmic Blow-Dry Jelly and use a fine-tooth comb to smooth and direct the hair back. Secure the section into the anchor with a black elastic. On the left side, direct the hair back and down towards the nape, keeping it tight and close to the head. On the right, direct the hair slightly upwards and over so that it connects seamlessly with the middle panel. Smooth and blend the sections into the anchor to create the sleek, compact silhouette, before setting the hair in place.
Look 1 – Sleek to Airy
- Leave the ponytail lengths loose, allowing their enhanced natural texture to contrast with the sleek surface of the head.
- Finish with Authentic Beauty Concept Airy Texture Spray to amplify the light, diffused texture through the lengths, then add accents of shine with Authentic Beauty Concept Indulging Fluid Oil Spray.
Look 2 – Twisted Ponytail
- For the second variation, split the remaining ponytail into two sections.
- Create an anchor point at the nape using Authentic Beauty Concept Nude Powder Spray and light surface backcombing. Twist the left section before wrapping it over and underneath the right section to create a knot.
- Secure the knot into the anchor point with a pin and refine the shape, while deliberately retaining texture through the lengths so the finish remains intentional but not overly perfect.
- Finish with Authentic Beauty Concept Airy Texture Spray.
Hero Products
Prep:
- Authentic Beauty Concept Amplify Root-Lift Spray Conditioner £39.00
- Authentic Beauty Concept Nymph Salt Spray £33.00
Styling:
- Authentic Beauty Concept Cosmic Blow-Dry Jelly £33.00
- Authentic Beauty Concept Nude Powder Spray £33.00
Finish:
- Authentic Beauty Concept Airy Texture Spray £34.00
- Authentic Beauty Concept Working Hairspray £33.00
- Authentic Beauty Concept Indulging Fluid Oil £43.00
Trend 2: The New Romantic at Susan Fang
For Susan Fang’s SS27 London Fashion Week show, Hair Lead Anna Cofone explored a softer, more ethereal approach to braiding, supported by premium vegan haircare brand Authentic Beauty Concept.
Inspired by the Chinese play M. Butterfly, the collection explored a love story shaped by identity, femininity, illusion and ultimately disillusion. The hair played with this same tension – what initially appeared soft, romantic and delicate revealed something more complex on closer inspection. Sculpted, head-hugging forms sat alongside fluid tendrils and deliberately imperfect braids, while 3-D flowers and butterflies with delicate, porcelain-like textures blurred the line between the real and the imagined. The story’s 1960s setting also provided a backdrop to the collection, presented at London’s Barbican.
Intricate plaits were deliberately deconstructed rather than perfected, with soft flyaways, loose lengths and airy texture creating an organic, almost instinctive finish. Elsewhere, high-shine polished hair was disrupted by unexpected panels of texture and braids wrapped horizontally across the head, creating a contrast between sleek and soft, precision and imperfection.
Across the looks, this sense of illusion and disillusion came through in contrasts: polished against undone, structure against softness, and intricate braiding that appeared almost organic and instinctive rather than perfectly constructed. Three variations appeared across the show.
- Look 1: Airy Braids celebrated intricate, deconstructed braiding, with plaits sitting close to the head alongside loose lengths and delicate flyaways. The result was organic and romantic, but intentionally undone.
- Look 2: Textured Wrapped Braid played with contrast. A sleek, high-shine finish was juxtaposed with an airy, textured braid wrapped horizontally across the back of the head. A central panel of soft texture through the lengths broke up the otherwise polished finish.
- Look 3: Sculptural Braids & Clips took the romanticism further, sweeping textural, airy braiding into an imperfect sculptural updo. Statement porcelain-style clips framed the hairline, introducing a graphic, decorative element against the softness and flyaways of the hair.
Together, the looks offered a modern interpretation of romantic hair: less polished, more individual and deliberately imperfect, where braiding became part of the texture rather than a perfectly constructed hairstyle.
Anna Cofone, Global Creative Advocate for Authentic Beauty Concept and Hair Lead for the show, explains: “There’s something incredibly romantic about the hair at Susan Fang this season, but there’s also this idea of illusion and disillusion running through the collection. We wanted the hair to have that same sense of contrast – at first it feels very soft, delicate and feminine, but there’s something more sculptural and unexpected when you look closer. The braids are organic and instinctive, hugging the head with pieces deliberately left loose, so nothing feels too perfect or traditional.”
Get the look…
Look 1 – Airy Braids
- Bring the hair forward and assess its natural texture. Where additional grip and hold are needed, prep with Authentic Beauty Concept Nymph Salt Spray.
- Create the first Dutch plait along the front hairline, working all the way across. Create a second Dutch plait behind the first, starting from the back of the ear and working in the opposite direction.
- Rather than creating precise sections, pick up the hair naturally as you work. From the crown through to the nape, leave small pieces loose from the main braids and create two to three additional smaller braids around them, keeping the placement organic and abstract rather than overly structured.
- Apply Authentic Beauty Concept Nude Powder Spray to the plaits for additional grip and texture, then gently pull the braids apart with your thumbs to flatten and widen them.
- Place and pin the plaits into the gaps and sections of the hair, ensuring they sit flat against the head and hug its shape while retaining the organic, textured finish.
- Finish with Authentic Beauty Concept Airy Texture Spray to enhance the light, airy texture.
Look 2 – Textured Wrapped Braid
- Prep the hair with Authentic Beauty Concept Glow Spray Serum, before smoothing and straightening the hair. Adapt the parting to suit the individual.
- Take a small section of hair tucked behind the ear and plait tightly through to the ends.
- On the opposite side of the head, create an anchor point at the nape. Use Authentic Beauty Concept Nude Powder Spray for grip and add a small amount of backcombing at the root to reinforce the anchor.
- Bring the plait horizontally across the back of the head towards the anchor point and secure firmly into place, tucking the excess length underneath the surrounding hair so the attachment remains clean and concealed.
- Add a subtle accent of texture through the centre of the mid-lengths, while keeping the rest of the hair smooth and polished.
- Finish with Authentic Beauty Concept Glow Spray Serum for high shine and Airy Texture Spray to enhance the contrasting, whimsical texture.
Hero products
Prep:
- Authentic Beauty Concept Nymph Salt Spray £33.00
- Authentic Beauty Concept Glow Spray Serum £47.00
Styling:
- Authentic Beauty Concept Airy Texture Spray £34.00
- Authentic Beauty Concept Nude Powder Spray £34.00
Finish:
- Authentic Beauty Concept Working Hairspray £33.00
Trend 3: Individual Beauty at Roksanda
Natural hair, but elevated. For Roksanda SS27, Anna Cofone created a series of highly individual looks that worked with each model's natural hair texture, movement and features rather than imposing one uniform runway style.
Inspired by Swiss artist François Gross and his exploration of textiles, texture and repetition, the collection explored individualism, identity and personality. That same sense of individuality informed the hair. Straighter textures were kept clean, fresh and minimal; natural movement remained visible; curls were hydrated and defined without losing softness; and more textured hair was shaped into clean, considered silhouettes while retaining its natural character.
Anna Cofone, Authentic Beauty Concept Global Creative Advocate says: “The starting point for the hair at Roksanda was the individual. We didn’t want every model to have the same hairstyle or finish; it was about looking at their natural texture, movement, features and face shape and asking how we could elevate what was already there.
“There’s a beautiful sense of texture and individuality within the collection, and we wanted the hair to reflect that. Some looks are very clean and minimal, while others have more movement, softness or definition, but they all feel authentic to the person wearing them. It’s about celebrating your natural hair rather than trying to make it something else.”
Get the look…
The individual approach
The key to recreating the Roksanda SS27 hair isn't to copy one particular hairstyle. Instead, start with your own natural texture and work with it, rather than against it.
Anna treated each model individually, choosing products according to their natural hair type and using styling to enhance rather than change the hair.
Type 1: Clean and minimal
- For naturally straight hair, keep the finish clean, fresh and minimal. Enhance the natural fall of the hair rather than adding unnecessary texture or volume.
Type 2: Natural movement
- Work with the hair's existing movement, controlling fly-aways while allowing its natural texture to remain visible. The finish should feel polished but not overly perfected.
Type 3: Soft, defined curls
- Prioritise hydration and definition, allowing curls to retain their softness and natural movement rather than creating a rigid or overly styled finish.
Type 4: Texture with structure
- Create a clean, considered silhouette while allowing the hair's natural texture to remain an integral part of the finished look.
Hero products
Rather than following a single product prescription, Anna selected products according to each model’s individual hair texture and what it needed – whether that was hydration, definition, control, shine or lightweight conditioning.
- Authentic Beauty Concept Hydrate Spray Conditioner £39.00 - A lightweight conditioning spray used where hair needed additional hydration and softness.
- Authentic Beauty Concept Amplify Root-Lift Spray Conditioner £39.00 - Used to condition and prepare the hair while maintaining a lightweight, natural feel.
- Authentic Beauty Concept Hand & Hair Light Cream £20.00 - A versatile lightweight cream to help soften and refine the hair.
- Authentic Beauty Concept Indulging Fluid Oil £43.00 - Used to nourish and smooth the hair while enhancing its natural finish.
- Authentic Beauty Concept Glow Spray Serum £47.00 - Used to create a polished, luminous finish where required.
Making Fashion Accessible
Alongside its backstage hair partnership, Authentic Beauty Concept supported Anna Cofone's Hair & Care project, Making Fashion Accessible, across all three sponsored SS27 shows - Harris Reed, Susan Fang and Roksanda.
The initiative gave blind and low vision guests access to the shows and backstage, alongside tactile experiences of the collections' textiles and fabrics with the designers. By enabling guests to engage with the creativity and craftsmanship beyond the purely visual, Making Fashion Accessible aims to create a more inclusive Fashion Week experience.
The partnership forms part of Authentic Beauty Concept's wider support of Hair & Care, the charity founded by Anna Cofone to make the hair, beauty and fashion industries more accessible for blind and low vision women and girls. Since 2019, Hair & Care has supported more than 500 participants through free, accessible workshops and initiatives centred around tactile learning, practical haircare skills, confidence and self-care.
Its programmes include Accessible Workshops, Making Fashion Accessible at London Fashion Week and The Art of Session Hairstyling. Authentic Beauty Concept is a proud supporter of Hair & Care, sharing its belief that beauty should be accessible and experienced by everyone.
Photography: Joss Wild for Authentic Beauty Concept