NEWBURYPORT – A chance encounter at a New York restaurant with an acquaintance of professional tennis player Leylah Fernandez allowed local barber shop owner Kelyn Harrell to see her flair for hair at the Met Gala, the one of the most prestigious social events of the year.
Harrell, who opened Adore Salon on Water Street last month, said he was asked to style Fernandez for the charity gala held each year to raise funds for the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Gala attendees also raised eyebrows with their extravagant and sometimes controversial costumes and outfits.
Days before the Met Gala on Monday, Fernandez, 19, was in contention for the US Open championship, but lost in the final to Emma Raducanu.
As Fernandez fought for the final, Harrell was in New York City to attend the annual Fashion Week.
“Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that I would be asked to do Leylah’s hair for the Met Gala on Monday, but that’s exactly what happened,” Harrell wrote in an email to Daily News.
“Leylah, her family and friends couldn’t have been more amazing,†she added. “Leylah missed her tennis prom, but I think the Met Gala made up for it. As soon as I was done, I rushed to my hotel room to watch the red carpet live at TV Leylah rocked it alongside some of the world’s biggest superstars.
Asked in her living room on Thursday afternoon, Harrell said scoring such a prestigious gig could pay her career dividends as word of mouth spreads.
“It was awesome,†said Harrell, moments after finishing with a client in his four-chair living room.
Harrell said the first five minutes in the aspiring tennis superstar’s hotel room was nerve-racking, but it didn’t take long for the nervousness to dissipate.
The tour lasted around two hours and included a chat with Fernandez’s dress designer about what hairstyle best matched the outfit and a chat with her family.
“She’s just a normal 19-year-old girl who rose to fame last month,†Harrell said.
The Salisbury resident grew up in Ipswich and graduated from Triton Regional High School. She learned her craft at the Portsmouth Beauty School of Hair Design in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in 2006.
“Opening a business has been the hardest thing I have ever done in my life,†Harrell said in an email.
“Some days it seemed impossible. The day I opened, with the feeling I had, I knew that every second of hard work in my career was worth it and that great things were coming my way.
Dave Rogers is a reporter for the Daily News in Newburyport. Email him at: [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @ drogers41008.
Dave Rogers is a reporter for the Daily News in Newburyport. Email him at: [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @ drogers41008.
