There’s a long history of Hollywood hairstylists parlaying their proximity to celebrity into something bigger. (Barbara Streisand’s former hairdresser Jon Peters, for one, became a major film producer, shepherding blockbusters like Caddyshack and the Tim Burton Batman movies—and providing inspiration for Bradley Cooper’s character in Licorice Pizza.) But Appleton’s precipitous rise to real-deal stardom feels especially instructive about the way fame works in 2023.
Appleton grew up in a sleepy Northern England town where “not a lot happens,” and began doing hair at the age of nine, first practicing on his mom at home before formally starting his career at a local salon at 13. “People don’t realize this, but I’ve done every aspect [of hairstyling],” he says. “I did color to a degree. I did every type of hair. I did everything I could and I learned so much from a very young age.” In 2016, he moved to London to take on magazine gigs and picked up his first celebrity client, a then-rising Rita Ora. Appleton began documenting the pop star’s bold and experimental hair transformations on Instagram, which eventually caught the eye of Jennifer Lopez, who hired him to work on her Vegas residency. Suddenly, at 30, Appleton found himself living on a brand-new continent and staring down a totally new level of career opportunities.
He seized the opportunity. Following his time with Lopez, Appleton found himself hotly in-demand in A-list dressing rooms all over Los Angeles. He styled Christina Aguilera’s hair for The Voice, which led to work with Katy Perry, Ariana Grande, and his now signature client—and close friend—Kim Kardashian. In April, Kardashian and her daughter North West awarded Appleton the Daily Front Row Award for Celebrity Hair Stylist of the Year. Beyond his styling work, he’s picked up high-profile roles as creative director for the haircare brand Color Wow and as a lifestyle contributor on The Drew Barrymore Show, all while millions of followers flock to his social accounts for hacks and how-tos.
Appleton is gifted at his craft, to be sure, but it’s his facility with social media and comfort in front of the camera that’s helped him build his outrageous roster of regulars and massive digital reach. In an era when every part of a star’s life is documented and curated for public consumption, Appleton was always going to find himself at least partially in the spotlight—and when his clients’ fans briefly shifted their gaze to him, he was ready and waiting to capture their attention with his big personality and snappy advice.
Now, Appleton’s relationship with Gage has turned all that attention squarely on him. But he’s managed to keep his feet on the ground, mainly by focusing on his family—he shares two children with a former partner—and staying rigorously committed to never taking his fame too seriously. “It’s really important to not believe in the hype too much,” he says.
Appleton isn’t shy when it comes to speaking openly about the experiences that molded him. Those 360 moments, as he calls them, include coming out later in life at 26 and becoming a gay dad. The advice he most frequently doles out, he tells me, is to take big risks and never settle for a “no.” “If someone says no, I’m like, ‘Why no? Why shouldn’t I be the first hairdresser that’s on the cover of a magazine? Or why shouldn’t I be a gay dad with two kids and proud?’ I like to push the boundaries and I like to explore respectfully.”
At the moment, Appleton says his next big venture is still taking shape—but he’s looking to soon expand his footprint beyond haircare. In the meantime, he’s taken a liking to the softer side of life. He’s been going on more hikes, cooking, playing the piano, meditating, taking a beat to appreciate the ride. And, having spent so much time around the most famous people in the world, he’s learning how to keep some things just for himself. “I got married,” he says. “I didn’t want it to be a secret. It’s who I am and people have an interest in that, but I don’t need everyone to know every detail.”
