Stylist-Editor Alexander-Julian Gibbson on His ‘Free-Spirited’ Hair Journey and Embracing the Gray Beard
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Texture Diaries is a space for Black people across industries to reflect on their journeys to self-love, and how accepting their hair, in all its glory, played a pivotal role in this process. Each week, they share their favorite hair rituals, products, and the biggest lessons they’ve learned when it comes to affirming their beauty and owning their unique hair texture.
Before the pandemic, you could find stylist and editor Alexander-Julian Gibbson all over the world, jet-setting from New Zealand and Nigeria to Colombia and France. But being grounded hasn’t stopped his creative flow. Recent work has included styling singer Lucky Daye for a Flaunt magazine spread, actor Ashton Sanders for Highsnobiety, and Laverne Cox for her Paper magazine cover. “Having freedom is one of my favorite parts about what I do,” Gibbson tells Vogue over FaceTime. “It feels good to wake up one day and try something new. There are no limitations.”
That free-spirited nature has also been a huge part of Gibbson’s hair journey, though it took some time for him to begin experimenting. “Growing up, my mother wasn’t trying to get me the nicest haircut; she was trying to get me the cheapest one,” he remembers of his childhood in Houston. “Being Nigerian as well, it wasn’t until later in life that I learned about the cultural significance of going to a Black barbershop in America. My mother was a single mother who would work long hours and I remember my second grade teacher, Mrs. Green, letting me stay after school with her and her daughter. They took me to get my first edge-up at the barber shop and my life forever changed.”
In high school, his style rotation included flattops, mohawks, twists, and dye jobs. “I was really inspired by retro styles from the ’80s and ’70s. I always loved fashion but I couldn’t really afford to buy nice clothes,” he says. His hair became the best way to express himself.
These days, he’s learning to welcome the grays. “I’ve always wanted grays,” he says. “My favorite X-Men growing up was Rogue. I just loved her white streaks.” But the stress of the past years has meant the arrival of grays at a “rapid pace,” not just on his head but also in his beard, which Gibbson says he wasn’t exactly prepared for. “I’m definitely embracing it more and more and loving it,” he says. “I just wasn’t ready for them to come in this way. I’m figuring out how I want them to look and how to style them.”