Iles Formula Hair Talk: Kenna Kennor NYC

Kenna Kennor: “I started doing hair in London in 1999, right in the middle of an incredible era for fashion and print. From day one, I found myself on set, learning the rhythm of working with photographers, stylists, and friends who were all building their portfolios alongside me. Those early days—late nights, shared ideas, and the excitement of Fashion Week—taught me how powerful it is to tell stories through hair.

By 2009, leading shows and working on advertising campaigns had become my everyday life, and with the help of a wonderful agent, I was able to turn my passion into a career. But I missed having a space where clients felt like part of the journey—so Kennaland by Kenna Kennor was born. From the beginning, our clients understood the creative chaos of fashion life and supported it wholeheartedly.

In 2014, I opened Kennaland Brooklyn, which quickly became our home base in the US. Our clients and team helped shape it into a place where fashion, craft, and community all live together. When the pandemic hit in 2020, instead of closing, we expanded to keep everyone safe. Then in 2024, we added Kennaland Studio for education and photography, and in 2025 we fully renovated the salon—something I’m incredibly proud of”. 

1. What would you term as your specialty within your trade?

Listening.

2. What’s the most enjoyable part of your job?

Consultations, getting to know a clients habits, routines and abilities with their hair is so exciting, understanding their lifestyle is so fun and essential for me to do my job.

3. Why did you choose the path of hairdressing and was it easy to fall into this work?

I actually stumbled into hairdressing through an ex-partner who worked as a hair and makeup artist for a drag act. I used to visit her at work, and backstage the queens would come flying in, tossing wigs at us and telling us to reset them. It was chaotic, creative, and honestly one of the most unique environments l’d ever been in-and it clicked for me. I realized that this was exactly the kind of energy and artistry l’d been looking for.
Getting my first job as an assistant was surprisingly straightforward, but from there the real work began. Hairdressing is incredibly technical, and I threw myself into learning all the fundamentals. It took a lot of practice to understand the rules of cutting-and then even more to learn how to break them with confidence.

4. If you had not made the decision to be a hairdresser what would you have been?

If I hadn’t become a hairdresser, I think I would have opened a small thrift store, or even organized a car boot sale every Sunday morning, travelling around the country. I love the idea that one person’s castoff can be another person’s treasure. I’ve always loved treasure hunting and find so much inspiration in the craftsmanship and workmanship of times past.

5. What is your greatest strength? 

Being open minded.

6. Your favorite hairdressing tools?

I love my Dyson supersonic r, and I cant live without my ghd platinum flat iron.

7. Tell us about your relationship with Iles Formula. How you discovered us and which formula is your favorite?

Wendy used to prep for her London hair campaigns at my salon, and she always brought along this mysterious product-her own secret blend-that she would apply to the models’ hair before a blow-dry and set. She had this incredible technique of prepping the models the day before so their hair looked fresh, but with that perfect, slightly lived-in finish on the day of the shoot. I’d never seen anything like it, and I was desperate to know what was in this magic product she casually referred to as Wendy’s Formula.

A few years later, she started developing it commercially, and my London salon became one of the very first salons to stock her lles Formula products. We absolutely couldn’t wait to try it out. Later, we were also so proud to become the first salon in Brooklyn to carry lles Formula.

As for my favorite formula – Finishing Serum for life.

8.  What was the most challenging job you ever made?

During the pandemic, we did a remote shoot, as a team we guided models to do their own hair, make up, styling, lighting. It was a huge challenge, but also amazing, you can see the edge of the mousse waves we created.

9. What was your worst hair moment and why, privately or on set/stage or in the salon?

I was once cutting a fringe piece with clippers on my own forehead for a shoot because I didn’t have a mannequin head with me and was trying to be respectful to the makeup artist’s work. The issue was that the model’s forehead was bigger than my pea head, so my “template” was completely off. I walked away with perfectly symmetrical tram lines on both sides of my hairline.

10.  If you could style anyone’s hair, who would it be and why?

Patti smith, her iconic bangs have endlessly inspired me.

11. Where do you pull hair inspiration from?

I still have and continue to collect magazines, but Pinterest is so good if you can be specific with a search.

12. Your advice to young hairdressers starting out?

Never forget you are an artist.