On Saturday 19 September 2026 at 11:00 a.m., five bespoke BLB wigs appeared on the London runway for Patrick McDowell’s Spring Summer 2027 collection, Love. Designed by BLB and transformed backstage under lead hairstylist Laura Chadwick, each piece brought natural colour, precision and character to the collection’s cinematic world.
From Devon to the London runway
For BLB Luxury Lace Wigs, this collaboration began with a brief that felt both creatively exciting and deeply aligned with our own approach to hair: five individual wigs, each natural in colour and realistic in finish, but capable of becoming something distinctly editorial once placed in the hands of the hair team backstage.
From our studio in Devon, we designed and prepared five bespoke human-hair wigs for the show. On the morning of the runway, BLB founder Stephanie Barber travelled to London to fit the pieces and support the transformation of each design backstage. Only moments after the final adjustments, the wigs moved from the styling chairs onto the runway as part of Patrick McDowell’s Spring Summer 2027 world.
The world of Love
Patrick McDowell titled the collection Love, drawing its starting point from Wong Kar-wai’s 2000 film In the Mood for Love. Vogue Runway’s review of the collection notes the film’s rich visual language, including its dominant reds and greens, and the translation of one of Maggie Cheung’s cheongsam prints into the green striped silk that became a central material in the show.
The wider mood carried the polished glamour of early 1960s American socialites and the age of jet-set travel, while also looking to the emotional restraint and exquisite costume language of the film. Precise tailoring, fluid fabrics, hand-worked florals and intricate embellishment allowed clothing to communicate what remained unspoken. It was romantic, but never overly sweet; nostalgic, while still feeling fresh.
Vogue also observed that the collection retained Patrick McDowell’s recognisable signatures, including flower-shaped buttons, ribbon and freesia appliqués, while introducing new embroidered jewellery details. The final look, a cloud-like wedding dress accompanied by Etta James’s At Last, brought the story to an ethereal close.
Why natural hair colours mattered
Patrick wanted the five wigs to remain within a natural spectrum. This was a considered creative choice. The clothes already carried colour, print, surface detail and embellishment, so the hair needed to belong convincingly to each woman rather than compete with the collection. Natural shades allowed the eye to take in the complete silhouette: face, hair, garment and movement as one coherent look.
Across the five designs, the palette moved through deep brunette, warm auburn, honey blonde and lighter blonde tones. These shades created variety without breaking the visual world of the show. They also echoed the refined beauty language of the early 1960s, when hair could be sculpted, set and polished while still appearing unmistakably human.
For BLB, natural does not mean simple or anonymous. It means nuance: believable roots, tonal depth, carefully considered density and a hairline that supports the styling rather than announcing itself. Each wig needed to read as hair at close distance backstage, under photography lights and in motion on the runway. The realism of the base gave the styling team freedom to push shape, volume and finish much further.
Five designs with five identities
Although the colour direction was cohesive, the aim was never to make five versions of the same wig. Each design had to respond to a different model, garment and styling silhouette. The cap construction, hairline, density and direction of the hair all mattered because the planned looks ranged from swept-back shapes and tucked sides to controlled waves, sculpted volume and low, polished forms.
That technical foundation is where BLB’s work began. A wig intended to be swept away from the face must remain secure and convincing at the temples. A softly waved design needs movement without losing its set. A low sculpted shape needs enough hair in precisely the right areas, without unnecessary bulk elsewhere. These decisions are largely invisible in the final image, but they are what allow the artistry above the cap to work.
Created together backstage
The finished hair direction was led by hairstylist Laura Chadwick. Laura and the hair team took the five BLB foundations and transformed them into the polished, sculpted silhouettes seen on the runway. Her creative leadership connected the individual wigs to the collection as a whole, ensuring the hair held the same precision, glamour and emotional atmosphere as the clothes.
Backstage is intensely collaborative. Every adjustment has to happen quickly while remaining exact. Stephanie fitted the wigs and supported the preparation of the pieces; Laura led the styling direction; and the wider hair team worked across the models to bring each look to its final form. The result belonged to that collective exchange of design, technical skill and trust.
We are especially proud that the wigs remained recognisably BLB — realistic, refined and beautifully wearable at their foundation — while becoming something completely new in the context of the show.
A meeting of craftsmanship and conscious luxury
There is a natural connection between BLB and Patrick McDowell’s approach. Patrick McDowell’s official website describes the London-based brand through creativity, circularity and uncompromising craftsmanship, with a commitment to keeping beautifully made pieces treasured and in circulation. BLB shares a belief in thoughtful design, specialist making and the emotional value of what we wear.
A wig can be transformative, but it should never define the person wearing it. In the same way that fashion allows us to explore character, mood and identity, hair can become part of a wider creative language. For this runway, five natural-colour wigs helped five individual looks come fully to life — not by overpowering them, but by completing them.
A milestone for BLB
Watching the finished wigs move down the runway was a surreal moment. What had begun as careful design decisions in our Devon studio — colour, density, construction, realism and movement — became part of a complete fashion story in London.
For BLB, the collaboration was both a creative milestone and a reminder of what expertly made hair can do. It can support a character, shift a silhouette, echo an era and help tell a story, all while allowing the person beneath it to remain at the centre.
Five bespoke BLB wigs. Five individual looks. One unforgettable runway.
Credits
Collection and creative direction: Patrick McDowell
Lead hairstylist: Laura Chadwick
Bespoke wig design and backstage fitting: BLB Luxury Lace Wigs and Stephanie Barber
Show: Patrick McDowell Spring Summer 2027, Love
Runway: Saturday 19 September 2026 at 11:00 a.m., London
