Daily Inspiration: Meet Tania Becker

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tania Becker.

Hi Tania, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I was a salon owner in Vancouver, Canada in 2003, and I was leading my hair team on the majority of the local fashion shows. That year, New York designer Heatherette (!) came to town and we were lucky enough to be asked to do the hair for their show!

After the show, the designers said, the hair was fabulous, you must come to New York next week for fashion week and do hair for us!” To this day I don’t know if they really meant it…but nonetheless, my partner and I looked up their studio address in the East Village, flew ourselves to NYC, and showed up at their door!

The next day we walked into David LaChapelle’s photo studio to start prep and the rest is history! I was invited to do more and more shows until I was working the full circuit – New York, London, London, Milan, and Paris – doing 25-30 shows twice a year.

Over the next 17 years, I was honored to have worked on the collections of Alexander McQueen, Jean Paul Gaultier, Louis Vuitton, Givenchy, Rick Owens, Hermes, Vivienne Westwood, Victoria’s Secret, and more!

I’ve since retired from the shows and have settled in LA, doing hair for fashion editorial and advertising. I absolutely love the collaboration – I’m inspired by people on the set that are equally excited about the industry and I love love love doing hair.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Travelling was hard! Sometimes our teams would finish a show in NYC, take the red-eye to London and go straight to a show from the airport. We would have a packed schedule and do the same travel to Milan and then to Paris. We were all jet-lagged, and sleep-deprived, and colds and flu would flow through models/hair/makeup teams. At those times I really missed my friends back home.

Sometimes it felt anything but glamorous. But the show must go on!

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
The thing that inspired me the most about that first season at New York Fashion Week back in 2003 was the collaboration. The amazing talent of the many people responsible for the show – there was support, encouragement, honest critique, and productive challenge.

To this day I am driven by this same element on set. I think my experience on the shows has given me the ability to effectively consult with fashion designers and creative directors – to design hair looks that are both within their set parameters, that speaks to modern style, and that lend to their target market.

And I like to bring kindness and fun to the set! I love hearing about people’s lives in or out of work and the fun things to do in LA!

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
There’s a compelling underground art scene here – the glitz and glamour of the Hollywood world make the fringe even more motivated to break away and find a creative voice. LA is a center for music, pop culture, and even new language! It’s an inspiration every day.

Also, I’m an outdoor rock climber! So I get to do that year-round now – Malibu Creek, Joshua Tree. Amazing climbing areas here! And the weather is AMAZING! I bought a cargo eBike and it takes me and my Burton kit to work without a car. It’s really upped my happiness and level of calm to be in a car less.

Dislikes? I miss family and long-term friends. But Vancouver is so close, I can pop up for a weekend.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.taniabecker.net
• Instagram: @taniabecker
• Facebook: @taniabecker

Image Credits
@inezandvinoodh, @raynefitton, @dylanperlot, @trevorbrady1, @dvourakis, @jessbrohier, and @anaisbenoudiz