Pat McGrath: The Creative Mind Behind Fashion’s Most Iconic Beauty Moments
British makeup artist Pat McGrath has been dubbed the Mother of Makeup in the fashion industry as the most popular and important makeup artist in the industry right now. She has done makeup for magazine shoots, editorials, campaigns, fashion shows and more. McGrath is known for her versatile makeup looks for shows working with many brands such as Prada and Armani and her use of hands over brushes when applying makeup. She has been in the industry since her popularity growth in the 90s and with a makeup brand called Pat McGrath Labs under her belt, she has grown even more in popularity internationally. Her latest creations were in the Schiaparelli couture fashion show earlier this week, where models were covered in gold and Doja Cat, who was front row covered in 30,000 red Swarovski crystals.
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Courtesy of Vogue
McGrath’s love for makeup began with her mother Jean, who introduced and taught her about makeup and beauty at a young age. Her mom would also mix the pigments of foundations to match her own skin tone due to the lack of diverse skin tones ranges in foundations at the time in Britain. Even today, this is still a problem all over the world. In an interview with The Guardian, McGrath said, “There was no makeup for women of colour. NOTHING. That’s what my mother’s search was all about. When we were out shopping we were always looking for a product that, probably by accident rather than design, worked for us,” she said. “Where there was no ashiness, no ‘white cast’ [an effect commonly caused by talc in caucasian-skewed makeup], probably from some makeup line that had either discontinued it or gone bust.”
Courtesy of Allure
After she discovered her passion for makeup, Pat McGrath was discovered by British radio star Janice Long who saw her makeup and wanted the look for herself. After doing Long’s makeup, she started working for the Face and i-D with now British Vogue Editor in Chief Edward Enninful. Enninful was a stylist at the time and partnered with McGrath for several photo shoots, which created a close work relationship between the two.
Edward Enninful and McGrath Courtesy of The Guardian
Ever since then, McGrath has been the MUA of choice for many brands campaigns, editorials and runway shows. She has always been a pioneer in diversity and inclusivity in beauty and fashion. She strives to show inclusive models in her brands campaigns in terms of race, class, size, etc. because for McGrath, makeup should be an inclusive space for everyone. McGrath stated, “It’s about pushing boundaries. I believe absolutely, the world wants something different, people want back their individuality.” She has been famous for utilizing social media for her brand and discovers a lot of her models through those means. Pat McGrath is a force that uses her influence and brand to push diverse faces to the forefront of beauty and fashion spaces. As a black woman in an industry that is still working on diversity, diversity is important to her and through her work, she highlights the features and skin tones of racially diverse models for shows and her campaigns.
Pat McGrath Labs Campaign starring Maty Fall Diba and Salomon Diaz Courtesy of Essence
Typically, McGrath has to create more than 80 looks for shows and most of them have to be different from each other. She has a passion for makeup and finds lots of inspiration for her work through other means such as movies, art, etc. She has a knack for creating distinctive makeup looks that she creates to go with any designer or magazines vision of a shoot or show. She has said that creating these looks for people gives her a sense of joy, “I always lose my voice by the end of show season,” she says, “but this is something I’m obsessed with, something I’ve always wanted to do. It brings me joy. When you’re at shows, there’s a nervous energy. You want to make everything that you do perfect because can you imagine seeing the clothing I get to see on a daily basis? It’s exquisite, so the last thing you want to do is have the makeup let that whole collection down. It’s pressure, but I love it”.
McGraths Work for the Valentino 2019 Couture Show Courtesy of Allure
People like McGrath are important to the fashion industry because beauty and fashion has always been constantly struggling with diversity of various identities. She has been working with and in the fashion industry for decades serving as a lead MUA for many brand’s shows and campaigns. With several popular and talked about makeup looks under her belt, McGrath deserves all of the flowers and praise she receives and then some. She is truly a force to be reckoned with when it comes to both the makeup and fashion industries with her amazing makeup techniques and her brand.
