Lisa Farrall on Working with Kendrick Lamar and a real Black Panther


Award-winning celebrity hairstylist, Lisa Farrall is used to working on big projects with high-profile clients and one recent collaboration must rate up there with the best. Lisa jetted off to LA to work as head stylist and hair creative on set for Kendrick Lamar’s All the Stars video. As if that wasn’t exciting enough, the track is also the official soundtrack for Marvel’s hugely successful Black Panther movie – which comes out on DVD on 15 May.

Lisa found time to chat with us about the incredible experience and how KeraStraight helped her create some of the stunning hair looks that feature in the video.

So how did the opportunity to work on such a high-profile project come about? Explains Lisa: “The team behind the video contacted me directly having seen my work and hearing about me and my last collection Armour which went viral and 'broke the internet'. I guess everything you put out there can turn into an opportunity.”

"Ultimate Oil's one of my favourite products."

Even with all her experience on shoots and sets, Lisa was pretty awestruck by the experience. “It was amazing,” she says. “It was a massive production and I was treated very well. I’ve worked with some major names but this was definitely one of the biggest productions I’ve seen. The scale and amount of set changes were insane – and the panther in the video was a real panther!”

Lisa’s brief for the hair was to create looks that were very tribal, a tribute to African culture and the part hair plays in that. Says Lisa: “I wanted to embrace Afro hair in all its glory and showcase that beauty to the world.”

To achieve her vision for the hair looks, Lisa used a number of techniques, including African threading, braiding, knotting and twisting. “All the looks are exciting to create and I love every challenge that comes,” says Lisa. “I don't actually find Afro hair any more challenging than European hair. I’ve been doing this for some time, but it’s never registered with me why you would ever do just one hair type. This is why I launched Wig London - we are an academy that teaches people one step at a time to do all hair types and this has even expanded now to an agency where we send hair and make-up artists out who can do all hair and skin types, which is very exciting.”

One of Lisa’s hero products on set was KeraStraight Ultimate Oil, which helped her ensure hair was in great condition and shining with health before creating some of the amazing looks. “It’s one of my favourite products,” says Lisa. “The hair loves it.”

Keep up with Lisa’s adventures and check out her latest work over on Instagram and you can always find her at her salon and academy,