John Novotny creates fantasy hair transformations for all your faves

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Ask hair artist John Novotny how they’d design humans in their own fantastical world, and you’re suddenly swimming with mermaid-fairy hybrids, flying with scaled sirens, and brushing past forest creatures with dusty-rose hair that runs down to their knees. It’s just a glimpse into their transformative beauty world, one that has seen them apply that same imagination to hair. Swap the fairies for pop girls and the mermaids for movie stars, and you’ll land a little closer inside the reality of their world.

Take, for example, the custom-coloured hair jacket and skirt set that Novotny created for Chappell Roan’s latest music video, “The Subway”. Designed in collaboration with fashion designer Todd Thomas, the vision was woolly mammoth at the club, and was composed of 35 bundles of human hair, three lace closures and two wigs, all dyed to perfectly match her hair. Or the ’Birth of Venus’ wig they created for Julia Fox to match the Dilara Findikoglu dress she wore to the Vanity Fair Oscar Party earlier this year.

With a portfolio brimming with drama and imagination, it’s no surprise that Novotny started out as a theatre kid in Sacramento, California, captivated by the costumes, hair and looks that surrounded them. That sense of awe carried over when they moved to New York to study photography, often styling hair and glam for their own shoots. Today, Novotny has built a career transforming icons into fantastical versions of themselves. Known for their playful use of wigs, colour, and shape, the hair artist works by the mantra: “Fantasy is the truth. You can be anything you want to be.” It’s an ethos that comes alive as they let Roan’s signature red ringlets spill to the floor, sculpt Alex Consani an alien-esque updo, or turn Fox into just about anything.

Stumble deeper into the woods (read: Instagram) of Novotny’s world and you’ll find more pockets of magic: ethereally pastel wigs in dusty pinks and purples, darker canopied sides with dead-straight dyed black sheets of hair, and impish pixie cuts fit for elves. Below, we enter into that world to chat with the hair artist about wigs, the whirlwind of freelancing, and more.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and where you grew up?

John Novotny: I’m a Gemini sun and moon, Capricorn rising, I’m left-handed. I grew up with my parents and a bunch of dogs in suburban California, which is a totally different vibe from living in NYC now. I loved growing up there and exploring with my best friends. 

I mainly work with wigs and hair pieces, my speciality is hair transformations. I do it because it’s so fun. I get to work with the most amazing clients and teams, help people step into their power and make them feel and look stunning. It also feels like arts and crafts a lot of the time, always finessing some lace or blending extensions, which is very satisfying to me.

What’s been your career highlight so far?

John Novotny: Building relationships with my clients and the spark when they really see themselves through my work. I’m really proud of the looks I’ve done with my beloved Julia Fox, our creative collaboration has always felt so natural and symbiotic. We really see each other as artists and vessels for storytelling and creating. It’s never just glam with her – there is intention behind the look. We have an innate understanding of each other’s taste. It’s so liberating to work with people who are family. She encourages me to be fearless with my craft and gives me the space to be an artist first and a hairstylist second. That’s what it’s all about!

How did you get into it?

John Novotny: When I was a kid, I was very involved in local theatre and one of my mentors growing up was the design director who did all the sets, hair, make-up and costumes for the shows we did. He taught me so much about not just beauty but creating an image. He was the first outwardly queer person in my life and also the first person to show me it was safe to experiment with my look and explore my femininity and beauty.

Eventually, I got into photography and moved to New York to study. I was making photo work with really high glam and was doing the hair and make-up for most of my shoots. I really got fixated on the hair part and started experimenting with colouring wigs and learning different styles during lockdown. I started spending all my money on wigs and turning them out for all my New York girls, and got more and more into it. As the world started opening up again, I was able to actually be with clients and on set – and the rest is history!

What’s your earliest beauty-related memory? 

John Novotny: Watching The Little Mermaid and trying to replicate Ariel’s hair on my mom (they’re both redheads). 

Who is your beauty icon?

John Novotny: Lady Gaga. She taught me what it means to be fearless in your self-expression, she’s tried every look under the sun as far as glam goes – everything she and her long-time hairstylist Frederic Aspiras do together leaves me speechless.

Describe your beauty aesthetic in three words.

John Novotny: Fantasy, raw, radiant.

What does beauty mean to you?

John Novotny:  Beauty is understanding and intention. Beauty is nuanced.

When do you feel most beautiful?

John Novotny: When I feel understood. Also, when I’m hydrated and my skincare is looking juicy.

Are you optimistic about the future?

John Novotny: Of course! Being a freelancer in this industry, I’ve had to learn to surrender to the chaos and instability and pace of my work. You have to make the most of everything and not let the unknown run your life. I can wake up Monday thinking I have a week off and suddenly it’s Tuesday and I have to fly across the country for a job, it’s chaotic but never boring! All we ever really know about the future is that it’s always coming, and that it’ll happen exactly how it’s meant to. How lovely! 

You encounter a hostile alien race and sound is their only mechanism for communication. What song would you play to them to inspire them to spare you and the rest of the human race?

John Novotny: “Future Lovers” by Madonna.

What is the future of beauty?

John Novotny: Unlimited, more fearless, more honest, no shame! Shame is ugly. Release it! The future of beauty is a vibe, not a set of standards.