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Hands of Angel on 1st Street
Interview with Angel Natera Interview by Najmia Pack
Najmia Pack: How old were you when you started doing hair? And started meeting people on the same creative page as you?
Angel Natera: I went to beauty school right after high school, so I was like 17. I was probably like 19, 20-ish when I graduated. At 21 and 22, I started meeting people with similar styles to mine and just had more fun with people around that age. Now, I'm 27.
My friend Valence and I grew up together. We always relied on each other to bounce ideas off one another and daydream about what we're gonna do when we're older. It somehow always came down here in downtown. I always just wanted to be down here. It's so exciting that I'm actually working here now.
NP: When you started actually putting your work out there, did you feel like you had obstacles in your way? Were you ever the obstacle?
AN: Honestly, I think the obstacle was just the environment I was in. I was stuck in West Phoenix. There wasn't really much out there, and I grew up really just kind of sheltered because I was really Christian, so there wasn't really room to be creative at all anywhere. That's what I think was the hardest thing, and it wasn't until I started coming out here for more events and stuff that I finally got to meet these people.
NP: You mentioned growing up in a sheltered, Christian environment. What are the things that you took from your childhood that inspire your work now?
AN: When I was younger, during Easter time, they always put on the play of the resurrection. And there have been multiple times where they ask me to do the special effects makeup for that, which was all the bloody core. I will always remember thinking, “Whoa, this is so cool that I get to do these things.”
NP: What did you listen to, read, or watch growing up? What is it right now?
AN:
I'm so obsessed with things like The Fifth Element. I'm obsessed with the colors of the hair. Anything that was bright and colorful. Another thing that kind of really inspired me that wasn't really hair-related at all was A Fantastic Planet, a French animated movie. I got started thinking of ways to get more outside of the box when it comes to fashion and accessorizing. I think that's what really got to me.NP: Who was your main inspiration?
AN:
I guess my inspiration was always just high fashion for photography and the runway. It was really huge on me. Now I feel like I'm really more into individual artists. I don't know who does it, but the Hispanic braid accessories. It's just a form of expression. All the braids and the bows and all the little trinkets and the hair, I'm obsessed.NP: When did your work wander from hair styling into “fabulist storytelling”?
AN:
We really tried to do something more artistic. My friend was a photographer and wanted to do editorial looks, so I feel like we always kind of collabed on that and started with that, and then I really got into taking in these kinds of clients and personalizing in that way.NP: Where do you think that comes from? Is it your need to experiment, or is it your need to provide?
AN:
Honestly, I think both. I feel like, in me, there's always been something that I want to take out, and I need to express it. With my last hair show that I did, I did mostly alien-based hair pieces. It was funny because a lot of my friends that I grew up with at church came; they obviously don't understand, but they wanted to come and support. They're like, this is so weird. That's kind of what I wanted to do.NP: Whether it was the appointment you made weeks in advance or the impulsive bleaching of your eyebrows, changing your appearance is normally linked to creating a pivotal change in your life. Tell me a story of how a change in hair has helped you create a pivotal change in your life.
AN:
I used to do my own hair all the time when I was younger. A lot of my friends also really wanted that change, whether it was their hair, their eyebrows, a style, or a color, and I would always kind of help with that. I think that was so fun to get to be a part of, like being younger, doing quinceañera hair, or for dances like prom. That was always so special for me to hold that memory in their lives. Just changing my hair all the time, I would do it myself. I think it was just always so fun. I changed my appearance all the time. If I look at my camera roll, it's like this is not the same person. I feel like there are so many different versions of me. That's the fun in being somebody who likes to change; it's so interesting to see how we change.NP: On your page, we see many returning clients, including Mayra Sofia, Valence Heartlock, and Aislinn Ritchie. How has your style adapted alongside them?
AN:
So with these people, particularly my friends, I've known them forever. When I first started doing hair, after I left a salon that was pretty toxic, I started working in a house full of love that was full of more creative people. Aislinn and Mayra were there at the time, and they had their own band practice, and Val and I had our clothing line there.It was really fun because we still had that high energy of trying to create stuff. So having people come in, my friends tell their friends, and having any work on their hair there in that room was really special, and I always think about it. We all kind of grew up together, so I've been doing their hair since. A lot of my clients that I've taken, we just over time have become really close.
NP: Jorge Ignacio Torres said: “You as home and us the light. Light needed to represent the unknown. Giving opportunity to those seeking but not finding. Palabra instills confidence and strength to believe in yourself.” How does Palabra advance and complement your style of hair?
AN: We can talk to each other about anything, whether it comes to experiences with clients or if I have a question about color… I'm so proud to say that we're not in competition.
I am forever grateful to God for Palabra and the team because I was stuck in a place where I was still not sure if I wanted to be here or not. When I was at the house, I was finally finding that spark again. It wasn't until one of the owners reached out to me and asked to be a part of the team. And we met up here, and it was just such a beautiful experience to talk to her and meet her. I feel we connected right away, and I feel like they really nurtured and helped me feel comfortable with pulling more out of me than just what I've been doing.
NP: The installation didn’t just have ‘mannequins’; they had decorated extraterrestrial creatures lit by deep sea blue lights, wigs dangling like jellyfish, creating another dimension on Roosevelt. How did you come up with the name of your collection, “Strands of Exodus”?
AN:
The title is the hardest part. Exodus felt like such a beautiful word because it means the journey to something. The whole theme of it was very extraterrestrial, high fashion vibes, an alien world with high fashion existing. What would their fashion look like? And I think that's kind of how I came up with that, where I wanted it to be, this is the hair of that journey to that place.NP: In a world where the phrase ‘self-care’ is the main selling point of many brands, between skin and hair, how do you feel it applies to your philosophy?
AN:
I think everything we do when it comes to dressing ourselves and styling ourselves is what self-care is to me. It's like, I want to feel good, so I'm gonna get ready and then get dressed up. Even if it's no makeup, but my hair is done, or I have a slick ponytail or something, that's gonna make me feel like myself.NP: What color do you think you are?
AN:
Silver. I love anything silver. Maybe like neons and silver together. I just think I'm obsessed with silver and crust. Yeah. That would probably be my color.
NP: Who would be your dream person to assist, or style, celebrity or not?
AN:
Louis Souvestre, FKA Twigs hair artist. Also Tony Konoig. He's a Japanese artist. He focuses more on hair pieces and just making more art-based accessories.NP: In an Instagram post about Strand of Exodus opening in July 2025, you explained,
“Hair always has a story to tell”...”Hair can signify culture, communicate politics, tell time, map a lineage, give joy, illustrate grief”... “hair always has a story to tell.” -(@handsofangel)
What would you say are the current hair trends?
AN:
Very light, spiky layers. Things that are, like, wisping away, messy hairs, things that don't look so uniform, I feel like that's what I'm mostly getting right now. A lot of people want to get messy triple layers or something that's gonna look good when you don't style it. You'll just wake up and do this, and then your hair just looks cool and fluffy and crazy.NP: Advice for other young alternative hairstylists?