Meet the Bright New Runway Star With a Fiery Red Hair Color to Match

Fiery crackling tresses! Hot tamale-lacquered locks! Burnished russet strands! For the past few seasons, it’s no secret that redheads have been omnipresent beacons on the runway. And leave it to the Givenchy Spring 2016 show last night to call one of the most noticeable crimson crowns of the season to our attention. In a black lace slip dress, model Varya Shutova’s straightened ember-glossed mane was a spark on the catwalk.

“After people ask my name, the questions about my hair come right after,” the Kazakhstan native admits. But her tresses weren’t always so bright. Last season, Shutova, a natural strawberry blonde, had her curly mane dyed into a cherry red by Guido Palau for the Marc Jacobs Fall 2015 campaign, eventually letting it fade into a slightly softer but still shocking vermillion for the Louis Vuitton Resort 2016 show. Though her hair has now helped the model carve a standout runway path, it wasn’t always easy having ginger locks. “The other kids would call me ‘rust’ in school,” says Shutova with a laugh. “Also, I had blonde eyebrows and eyelashes, so that was odd, especially for Russians. [They] called me a ‘demon child’!”

Shutova eventually embraced her hair color, meticulously caring for it to preserve its hue and texture, especially after the wear and tear of dyeing it for shows. Now, she uses mainly plant-based products in place of drugstore shampoos or conditioners. “My hair is usually dry, so to make it light and soft, I use natural oils,” says Shutova. “Also, I don’t want to spend a lot of money on specific brands.” Shutova’s haircare concoctions include chamomile (“It leaves it shiny!”), as well as coconut and pine tree oil to create softness, and a nettle rinse. And who does she have to thank? “My grandma taught me not to use modern shampoos,” says Shutova. “It was always best to use real, natural [ingredients] and grasses.” After all, Grandma knows best. Burn on, Varya.

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