From Salt Lake City to New York Fashion Week: A Day of Runway Hair Education

From Salt Lake City to New York Fashion Week

This September, the entire Satellite Salon team is heading to New York City to work backstage at New York Fashion Week.

In preparation, we recently set aside a full salon education day to practice two foundational skills used in editorial and runway hairstyling: wig wraps and elastic tying.

Preparing Hair for Wigs

A successful wig application begins with what happens underneath it. During our education day, we practiced wrapping and securing the natural hair as smoothly and comfortably as possible, creating a strong foundation for the wig without adding unnecessary bulk.

Every head of hair presents a different puzzle. Length, density, texture and head shape all affect how the hair needs to be wrapped. Learning to work thoughtfully with those differences is part of what makes this technique so valuable—not only backstage, but also in editorial work, photo shoots and other creative settings.

Learning Elastic Tying Techniques

We also practiced elastic tying, a versatile technique used to secure and construct hairstyles without relying entirely on traditional hair ties or pins.

Elastic can create tension, shape and structure while remaining adaptable to the needs of a particular look. It may be used as an invisible foundation or intentionally incorporated into the finished design. Like many backstage techniques, it requires speed—but it also requires control, awareness and a clear understanding of how the hair responds.

Education Is Part of Our Salon Culture

At Satellite, education is an ongoing part of how we work. Trends and techniques continue to change, but our approach remains rooted in curiosity, intention and a willingness to keep learning.

Working at New York Fashion Week will place our team in a fast-paced, collaborative environment alongside artists from many different backgrounds. Preparing together gives us the opportunity to strengthen our technical skills, learn how to communicate under pressure and become more confident working as a team.

It also allows us to bring new ideas home.

Although runway hair can feel far removed from an everyday salon appointment, the experience translates in meaningful ways. It teaches us to see shape more clearly, work with greater efficiency and approach familiar materials from a new perspective. Those lessons ultimately influence the work we create behind the chair at our Salt Lake City salon.

Salt Lake City to NYFW

We’re incredibly excited that every stylist at Satellite will have the opportunity to participate in New York Fashion Week this season. It feels meaningful to represent our small, independent SLC salon together—and to experience something this creatively demanding as a full team.

Our wig-wrap and elastic-tying education day was one step in that preparation. We’ll continue practicing, learning and sharing more from the process as we get closer to New York.

Follow Satellite Salon on Instagram for behind-the-scenes updates from our preparation, travel and time working backstage at NYFW.

Satellite is an independent hair salon in Salt Lake City offering intentional, gender-free hair services in the Lower Avenues.