Hollywood glamour is easy to admire, but recreating its magic for the modern woman takes a particular eye for detail. With a career spanning film, television, theatre and international editorial hairstyling, Sally-Kate of Hair By Duboux brings together a love of old Hollywood, bespoke bridal styling and hand-crafted clip-in extensions. From her early days as a wig maker to the creative work she does today, let’s get to know the woman behind the artistry.
Can you tell us a little about yourself and how you got into hairstyling?
I would say that I have always been determined, even as a child. My upbringing was never limited by what I could be personally or professionally. This – Treat everyone with kindness and rise above those who don’t offer the same was drummed in as a child after being badly bullied by my own group of friends at secondary school, which maybe enhanced my motivation and determination to succeed and achieve my goals.
I distinctly remember my Dad saying to me when I was choosing my GCSE options. “ Do something that you love, if it makes you money, then you’ll never work a day in your life”. It was around this time that there was a magazine called Warpaint – makeup, beauty, hair, fantasy, editorial and everything in between- all rolled into this tiny A5 glossy print, and I wanted a piece of it.
They held an exhibition every year at Excel, mum took me out of school for the day so that I could explore the options within a career that really wasn’t considered mainstream at the time. It was here that I met Richard Mawbey and Sue Pedersen of Wig Specialities, who were one of the leading wig designers of the West End Theatre scene. I was twelve at the time and vowed I’d work with them in the future – which I did, on many musical theatre productions, spanning many years.
I remember being at college and needing work experience hours to complete part of the course, so I researched wigmakers listed on the NHS – I’m not one for chatting on the phone, but my eagerness and determination to get my foot in the door outweighed the nerves, and I rang round them all. One gentleman in fact, told me not to waste my life on a dying art, which only gave me more determination, or defiance at proving another person wrong.
A colleague from college gave me a contact number of a North London wig maker, a specialist in facial prosthetics. That person was Sarah Weatherburn of Sarah Weatherburn & Co, recently renamed The Beard Makers. Sarah offered me a week’s work experience whilst they completed two films, Troy & Alexander in 2004.
To share my thanks to Sarah and the team for having me and helping me finesse my knotting technique, I brought in cakes – I never left. Sarah asked me to stay, and I gained the nickname Sally-Cakes.
The start of my career is owed to Sarah, Sarah G, Andrew, David, Emma, Lisa & Faz.
Instagram: @hair_by_duboux
You started your career at just seventeen as a wig maker and went on to work in film, television and theatre. What were those early years like, and what did you learn from them?
I was super keen, eager to please, and happy to do any job no matter how small. Being the youngest in the studio in North London, I quickly learnt how to fit in professionally, the ability to speak on a more mature level to my colleagues but also in conducting myself around actors and designers for fittings. Realising that celebrities are just regular people, yet some required different levels of attention and care, definitely made me more empathetic to others’ needs.
It was a different time back then. Finding out a head of department’s name and writing them a letter alongside your CV and delivering to them at the relevant theatre stage doors was the only way of getting your name recognised as a newbie. The Wigs Master / Mistress as they were known then were held in high regard and there was a respect for their time and efforts in learning from them as show staff, before progressing to assistant level.
I’m also a lefty and didn’t think of this as a hindrance or an issue at school but working in a right-handed wig room, it became clear I’d have to adapt my styling techniques. For instance, a French pleat styled by one right-handed artist would be the complete opposite to what felt natural for me. In essence, I became ambidextrous, which looking at now over two decades later is a valuable skill to have in hairstyling but at the time it definitely had its challenges or moments when my finish or structure of a style were compromised.
Your career has taken you from theatre productions to international touring and, eventually bridal styling. What led you down this path, and how have these experiences shaped the artist you are today?
Dad always used to joke that I ran away with the circus which to a degree, I did. But there is something about traveling up and down the country with your life in a suitcase, staying in digs some more affluent than home but mostly less desirable, building friendships, working whilst being a tourist in your home country that so many people have never experienced.
International touring was great fun, which led me to work for Disney Cruise Line, flying into Orlando in my early 20s for park training before cruising the Caribbean, a two-week transatlantic crossing to the Mediterranean. I’ve never known hard work until I worked on a cruise ship, which gave me a deeper appreciation for customer service, respecting rules and boundaries as well as building a recognisable brand.
My varied career has most definitely made me a stronger artist in providing more than a service but an intentional experience. Learnt not solely from life experiences but from a continuity perspective of styling Disney Princesses in the Caribbean to making facial hair for Leonardo DiCaprio in Blood Diamond through to losing my hairstyling kit in Italy prior to a wedding and securing a performer’s wig to withstand back bends and pirouettes. All of these experiences have aided in creating the blueprint I work from, and I’m a better person for it.
You have a real love for old Hollywood glamour, which shines through your work. Where did that inspiration come from, and how did the Hollywood Wave become your signature style?
The love is truly undeniable and one that I feel came from my grandparents. My grandma would take me and my cousins as children to London to see ballets and operas and I was mesmerised by the grandeur of the buildings but also transfixed by the show itself. I remember she had tickets to see Chicago at our local theatre. On reflection, I was possibly too young for the context of the show but the glamour and the empowerment of Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly stayed with me.
Again from studying period hair and makeup at college and writing assignments and re-creating full looks on my peers, it became clear I loved the cinematic sirens of the time. The elevation of a style and the high-shine, glass-like finish. The atmosphere of the silver screen to me screams timeless.
Although many styles have evolved over time the significance of them has always been about women pushing back, breaking rules and empowering change. A style became a personality all of its own and gave a message to those consuming it. This still rings true today in how we choose to wear our hair and how it makes us feel.
So it was only a matter of time before I became recognised as “The Home of the Hollywood Wave” done by Duboux, way after working across film, theatre and television varying from the 1930s to present day with a true love for the 1940s and 1950s styling. You can see some gorgeous late 30s styling by me in the supporting artists in Boys in the Boat, directed by George Clooney.
You take on a limited number of weddings each year to give every bride a more personal experience. What do you want each bride to feel when she sits in your chair and sees her finished look?
Don’t get me wrong, I used to take on 100s of weddings a year, but for me it just wasn’t sustainable. I became ill multiple times throughout the year, reaching burnout on a regular basis. Deep down, I knew I wasn’t giving the same service from the first bride of the week to the fourth, and I didn’t like how that made me feel. So something had to give – I stopped.
I wanted to be present, and I could only do that by reducing the amount of weddings I took on.
My clients come to me to become the best version of themselves from brides to bridesmaids and including the mums. Beauty looks different to each of us but it’s the process of listening and hearing your clients and translating what they have requested into the end result. Sometimes it’s not just the results but the experience itself that transforms her.
Polished, elevated, and anchored in confidence will always be the end result.
Photography by @kerryannduffyphotography
Every bride has her own style and vision for her wedding day. How do you create a hairstyle that feels true to her while bringing your own creative touch to it?
A client’s individuality should always be visible. My creative touch comes in when translating those inspiration photos into a look tailored specifically to her. I don’t just replicate a picture. I prefer to analyse why she likes it: is it the texture, the softness, or the structure?
I also look at facial features, hair type, and dress neckline to tweak a style so it perfectly enhances and flatters her. Ultimately, my goal is a balance. The bride brings the identity and the soul of the look, while I bring the technical artistry and refined details to elevate it into something completely unique, long-lasting and beautiful.
The preview appointment is a consultation to fully focus on the bride’s vision. Not solely just the hair and makeup looks but her dress, the venue, the overall theme of the wedding whilst considering how she wears her hair on a normal day. Understanding her lifestyle and comfort level gives me the foundation for who she is.
For me, creating the perfect bridal style is a collaborative journey. Every bride deserves to look like the most polished, elevated version of herself, rather than someone else’s version of a bride.
Alongside bridal styling, you also design bespoke clip-in hair extensions through By Duboux. What inspired you to explore this side of your business, and what do you enjoy most about it?
I’ve really leant back into my roots and knowledge as a wig maker, the addition of my custom-made extensions has complemented the bridal styling perfectly. I pride myself on seamlessly blending and enhancing what’s needed so the two really do go hand-in-hand.
The launch actually came about after a friend got married, who had said that she would source her own extensions ahead of the big day. My only stipulation was for my friend, the bride to buy wefted hair extensions that were real human hair.
TIP – If the hair you’re purchasing says you can use heat up to X, know that this is not real hair. It is fibre or synthetic or a blend of both. Applying heat to these products either melts the plastic (the hair) and can ruin your hot tools or behaves in peculiar ways.
I knew the hair she had bought was synthetic, and thankfully having the hair prepped prior to the wedding day meant we had no dramas, but this could have gone very differently without my experience in wig styling.
I also knew very early on that I wanted my product to feel like an extension of what I already provide with my styling. Unlike other brands where you get the closest match to a coloured box online or even with other artists who have trade accounts with these companies. I wanted to provide an in-person salon-quality service where the client gets colour, weight, and density matched, with length being tailored to the individual’s wants and needs.
They are all made by hand by myself and the blends are hand-chosen and customised to each client. Each bespoke set of clip-in hair extensions comes with a branded By Duboux® Hanger and storage bag.
The biggest compliment is when the bridal party question the extensions because they simply can not see them. Job done!
Instagram: @by_duboux
Your collaboration with designer Charlotte of Wilden London at London Fashion Week brought bridal couture and editorial hair together. How did the collaboration come about, and what was it like seeing your work on the catwalk?
Producing a Catwalk show where the hair was as integral as the couture had been an idea of mine for years, and it was through working with Charlotte across weddings and editorials that I instantly knew the collaboration would be so much more impactful without diluting either of us.
Blending Charlotte’s world of intricate handiwork, texture and mother of pearl with my ‘Home of the Hollywood Wave’ aesthetic, blending silver-screen glamour, sculpted silhouettes, and cinematic high shine. Instead of trying to force our styles to match perfectly, we focused on how two different creative worlds could powerfully stand right beside one another to tell a single, cohesive story.
I wasn’t prepared to see it all come to life on the catwalk. A truly unforgettable moment. One that will live rent-free in my mind for a while, I’m sure.
Watching the couture gowns, the movement of the hair, and Freya Rose London mother of pearl accessories move down the runway felt less like a traditional fashion show and more like a living work of art. Proud moment!
Every career has its challenges, especially in a creative industry. What has been on of the biggest challenges you’ve faced, and what helped you move forward?
I’d say COVID-19 has been the biggest challenge. An unnerving start to my business with little to no income, enquiries or structure to the working week. However, I’m a firm believer that nothing will motivate you more in making a success of your venture than not having an income.
I’m privileged that my husband was able to support us short-term, which gave me the space to truly focus on building up my business from the ground up – website, social media presence. I have even kept the COVID tradition of my daily tasks on my stories every day, which to this day keeps me accountable.
I also joined the Kristina Gasperas Academy which had moved completely online, it was and still is an incredible community of hair and makeup artists, which at the time gave me motivation for practising styles and levelling up my content.
It was also during this time that I started working in film and television, joining Netflix for season two of Bridgerton in 2020, Spencer, a film directed by Pablo Larraín and Matilda, the musical filmed in 2022, which really opened up my filming career working for crowd supervisor Laura Blount on both Wicked and Wicked: For Good – resulting in my first film credit.
Bridal beauty trends are always changing, but some styles remain timeless. How do you balance new trends with your own creative vision, and what do you think makes a hairstyle truly timeless?
My personal opinion is that if you’re into chasing trends, your wedding style dates quickly. The more you steer away from who you are the more dated it becomes. You’re already onto the next top thing, which creates distance from where you were at that time. Leading into, if I were to get married again, I’d do X differently.
That being said, we see styles that evolve over time with subtle variations or tweaks but ultimately they’re classics that stand the test of time. No new style is ever really new, fashion repeats and with that as an artist, I adapt whether it’s the techniques, products or foundations of a particular style.
Timeless styling is where my clients feel truly comfortable in their own skin, hair and makeup, confirming what they already know to be true, a smile that reaches the eyes and shoulders that are relaxed. I believe that’s what makes a bride truly timeless.
My finish is timeless in itself. Elevated, polished and refined and to me that will never date.
Photography by @katie_julia
Away from weddings and creative projects, what do you enjoy in your free time? Is there anything that helps you find inspiration outside work?
I love to travel, to see a country and experience new cultures, traditions and food. The travel list seems to get bigger with every passing year despite the efforts at ticking them off. Next on the list is New Zealand in a camper van, a South African Safari, Hawaii and Disney with family, amongst the mini city breaks and European trips.
My husband and I are big foodies, so we love a date night that involves a lovely restaurant. We are very fortunate to have family and a large friendship group nearby, so plenty of socialising, music festivals, wine and cheese evenings, family dinners, cinema visits and country walks ending with a pub roast.
Inspiration can be literally in everything you see and everything you do, but ultimately the places I’ve been, the experiences I’ve had and the conversations I have with others. An idea can flourish quickly into something entirely its own.
Photography by @nicoladrummondbranding
What advice would you give to women who want to turn their creative passion into a career, and what would you love to explore next?
Do it!! Without hesitation, the universe knows when you’re fully committed, and your attention will make it work. Do the work, educate yourself on the areas of business you’re unfamiliar with or outsource it where possible, this saves you time and headspace. To put it simply, we can’t be everything all at once and we can’t be everything all of the time, it just simply isn’t sustainable, so look after yourself first. It’s not selfish but essential in the running of a business.
Hair by Duboux has a studio being built in 2027. Exciting as the business is growing with demand. I have hand-selected new artists to join the company so that we can be in a position to support more brides on their wedding days.
