Every
industry has its Tom Ford. They
create trends, think it forward, and don’t just stay ahead of the game: they
help create it. James Harknett is the
Tom Ford of the tanning industry (don’t
just take our word for it!) and we are so proud he is our Global Creative Consultant. We have known James for nearly two decades now ourselves. As Fake Bake was launching in the UK, James was becoming established himself. Since then, our stars have collided
many times, but eventually we knew there was just one way forward: we had to
make him Fake Bake fam…
James is one of our industry’s good guys.
Open a glossy magazine, for self-tanning advice, and James is there. His expertise is valued everywhere in the beauty
game. And he is a real lesson in how to build a long and valuable career. It’s
achieved not just through hard work but also by being thoroughly decent, as
well as skilled. James is known for
his kindness and genuinely supports anyone who crosses his path.
This year,
we are celebrating two decades of our Mr. Harknett’s career and, as he always
points out, it’s not just A-listers and
red carpets. James still has his own roster of clients and we know he
missed them so much during lockdown. This is the man who tans 300 brides, on
average, at this time of year. So we had a Zoom sit down and had a chat to James about why he’s, well, basically
fabulous. Not that he’d ever use that word himself. He might be modest, but
we’re not!
James, looking back over your career
so far, what have been your favourite achievements?
“My proudest
achievement has been lasting 20 years in what started as a niche industry, and
has now grown into a beauty giant of its own standing. I feel my passion for fake tan started from
the moment I had my first application in 2000, and has driven me to become, and
remain, at the top of my game.
The top achievements
are as follows….
Being asked in 2010 by Sandra Vaughan to help support her
mission to have sunbeds banned for under 18-year-olds in the UK. I was so
proud to attend the Houses of Parliament and be successful in achieving our
mission. It was a real turning point in society, I feel, and really helped the
industry as a whole.
Having my own pop up tanning boutique at London Fashion Week in
2011 and then tanning the runway models for Mark Fast, Holly Fulton, Melissa Odabash and Julien Macdonald’s
ready-to-wear collections over the years.
Being the first tanner
to use my unique spray technique on models before hitting the catwalk for Amanda Wakeley, without washing the
tans off and avoiding transferral of tan to the precious, couture fabrics.
Launching my bespoke
service at W London Away Spa in 2011
and my ambition for it to be the Number 1 tanning destination in the world.
Introducing my tanning
service to W Doha within the Bliss Spa
in 2014 and it making headlines in the Middle Eastern press.
Having a limited
tanning engagement at W Downtown New
York called Winter Glow by James and making the New York Post newspaper.
Being dubbed The Tom Ford Of Tanning in 2014 by
journalist George Driver, a term which soon spread worldwide from the New York Times to Ruth and Eamonn’s way
of announcing me on This Morning -
when my family heard that, I’d really made it! I love making appearances on TV
to take-self tan to everyone - you can’t beat a bit of Lorraine!
Having my tanning
service recognised and be reviewed in over
100 publications from Tatler to Esquire. It is a real honour to see my words in
print.
Then winning a GQ award as the Best Wellness Experience
2019. I’m hugely proud that the industry has persuaded more and more men to
get into a self-tan booth. Now they are a really important part of our client
base.
Over the past decade, I
have been a judge for several prestigious beauty awards, including In Style, Look, and most recently Woman’s
Health 2018/19 & 20.
Over my 20 years I’ve
tanned so many familiar names (note from Team
Fake Bake here - if we had printed the whole list we’d need 4 Blog spaces!)
and I’m glad to say many have remained clients.
Harry Styles - I have
tanned all of the 1D boys. What can I say? Mega-stars!
Geri Halliwell -
everyone knows I love a pop princess, so Geri was a delight.
Julia Stiles - I worked
with Julia for Riviera. She’s a class act.
Roman Kemp - an
upcoming star who’s a joy to be around.
Patsy Kensit - a
natural beauty who is understated and timeless (image ℅ Hello)
Emma Willis - I work
with Emma regularly, and she’s just simply beautiful.
David Gandy -
everyone’s favourite male supermodel is the best of the best.
Christine Lampard - a
gorgeous bride in every way, I am proud of my work here.
Denise Van Outen -
exactly as you’d expect: great fun, energetic and stunning.
Jayne Torvill &
Christopher Dean - a pair of legends, and both so humble and generous.
Tell us more about your time with Fake Bake…
“My role as Global Creative Consultant commenced in
2016 when I collaborated with the brand on a 3D Contouring Kit. I’ve since
been at the forefront of trialing products for the brand and being a
spokesperson to the press.
I have many editors,
beauty writers, celebs and influencers visiting me at the W London Spa where
they receive my bespoke Fake Bake
treatment. I have also created a master class for other Fake Bake therapists and have held seminars and created how to tan
videos/ tutorials for the brand’s social
channels. I love reaching out to other therapists when I work solo so much.
Back in the day, I was
hugely impressed when Fake Bake Original
was launched and I have always known that the brand is about quality and
performance in terms of its product ranges. I always trust in everything they
launch and that’s important when you work with the products on a daily basis. I
love seeing the ranges when I am out and about and, of course, always proud
when there are prizes involved. But the best prize is great customer feedback -
when you have made a difference to a client’s day or evening, especially a
special occasion, that’s dipped in gold for me, and Fake Bake formulas play their part in that.
Lastly, I’m super proud
of being a part of the Fake Bake team
backstage at Dancing On Ice. It is really, really tough work at times as we
have to tan so many pro skaters and celebs, and the conditions can be
challenging, but every season has been enjoyable and we learn every year. All I
can say is, I hope the 2021 series is our best ever!”
What do you love most about the industry?
“I adore that the
tanning industry is forever growing and evolving. I feel self-tan helps promote
a positive self image. For instance, during this pandemic self-tan has
flourished as a boost to our mental health and wellbeing. I also feel
personally excited at the prospect of tanning any of my 250/300 clients per
month. It’s such a social job and I get to be creative and make people feel
just a happier version of themselves. I can’t wait to get back to it now - it’s
really important for people to feel good about themselves. I’ve kept myself
busy during lockdown and have been hosting lots of ‘lives’ which has been great
fun, including some for ELLE, which
I have really enjoyed. But my tanning-gun is ready to rock out again, now.”
Any advice for anyone new to the industry, especially as we
come out of lockdown?
“I have just spoken to Get The Gloss about being prepared
about coming out of this situation and that advice stands for newbies or
established pros. As professional tanners, we already have a very strong ethic
in terms of hygiene but the ‘new normal’ means extra measures. I also know I’ll
personally be using 60 Minutes more
than ever!
My advice to anyone new
to tanning is think outside the box and offer your service to local gyms, yoga
studios and local press, as well as building up your profile on socials.
Instagram is a brilliant store front for newbies and experts, alike! A tan may be just the tonic for a quick fix
and it only takes one small mention in the relevant local paper or on someone
else’s Insta for your reputation to grow organically. And word-of-mouth matters more than ever: when you do great work,
others notice, and ask about it.That’s what I did all those years back along
with blood, sweat and tears! My last piece of advice is create and be proud of
your own style of tanning - it doesn’t matter how small you start off, you are
your own brand right from the off. Make it count, and use the best pro products
you can - of course, I would recommend Fake
Bake, because they really do know how to formulate brilliant formulas that
adapt, are natural, and are long-lasting.”
We can’t wait to see James in person and celebrate properly.
As a team, we can’t really tell you what he means to us. He brings a touch of
class to everything he does, and is just as happy patiently applying self-tan
as he is to talk about it. That’s his lesson to us as a team, really: have
passion for what you do, keep on learning, and never be afraid to go back to
basics with hard work.
We are a bit sad that
circumstances this year have meant our celebrations with James have been put on hold, but Fake Bake celebrates its launch in the UK next year - it’s twenty
years for us, then, too.
Let’s just say we will
be happy to teach James our partying
skills to make up for this year.
Trip to the W, London, anyone?
Follow James on Insta
@jamesharknettofficial
No comments
Post a Comment