Neutral Ground by Kerrie DiMattia at Dimattia & Co Australia is gorgeous. The collection won her an 2023 AHIA Creative NSW/ACT Hairdresser of the Year finalist role, helping share an important message.
Kerrie created the Neutral Ground collection with the concept that we limit ourselves and our work when we genderise hair. This collection supports her belief that all hair services should be gender-neutral. Read on to hear what Kerrie says about her collection and the topic of gender-neutral pricing.
Behind Neutral Ground with Kerrie DiMattia
Kerrie: Neutral Ground is inspired by a realisation that we place limits on ourselves, our creativity and more importantly, limits on our clients when we see gender attached to hair. Last year we adopted Gender Neutral pricing in our salons and it was with this change our LBGTQI clientele grew tenfold. Sadly, along with that growth it became evident that within our rural regional town there was a definite lack of understanding and tolerance surrounding our local queer community.
That’s what it is, it’s gender neutral. We’re catering to everyone, and also we want people to be comfortable asking for any type of haircut, whether it’s feminine, masculine, or androgynous.
I wanted to bring awareness to and provoke conversation around hair and gender with a collection of simply styled, uncomplicated images focusing purely on beautiful hair on beautiful people who choose to just be themselves.
Hair isn’t masculine or feminine, it’s wearable art, a suit of armour and a form of expression that gives you the freedom to lead with and look the way you feel.
Each model belongs to our local community, some LBGTQI and some not, but all completely on board with what I have created. The room was quite simply full of such a calm and loving energy, which I hope I captured in the images.
There was freedom and cohesion in their complete acceptance of one another. The hair was complemented by seamless glowing skin, the styling directive was to keep the fabrics and tones neutral, understated and organic in order for the earthy natural hair colours of each of the images to shine.
Styling
I wanted the styling to feel neither masculine or feminine, choosing colours that were simply as the name states – neutral. We chose to keep the fabrics natural and organic using pieces in linen, calico and hemp in simple designs with clean uncomplicated lines.
Makeup
My brief for makeup was clean, simple, understated and neutral in tone, showing equal parts strength and softness in the placement of light and shade. As individually striking as the models are, the idea was to have the eye drawn immediately to and appreciate the beauty in the hair, then to take in the beauty of the person underneath.
Photography
The decision was made to have a simple yet textured backdrop with a diffused light. It was important that the background and lighting took a backseat to the strength and tones in the hair first and then the model drew the eye. Each image was cropped to where I felt the hair had the most impact.
Neutral Ground credits
Hair: Kerrie DiMattia • Assisted by: Lauren Di Mattia, Meg Lamrock,
Ava Kroehnert, Sandi Skennar, DiMattia & Co Team • MUA: Bill Fitzpatrick • Styling: Candice Battersby • Photography: Amber Toms • Post Production: Peter Orlik
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