From Runway to the Streets: How Hair Moves From Being a Trend to an Extension of Who You Are
Hair is the perfect way to tell people who you are before you even say anything. For hair experts Dylan Tung of Singapore and Alex Carbonell of the Philippines, changing up your hair can be the most freeing way to express yourself.
It’s often said that a fresh cut, a dramatic color change, or simply zhuzh-ing up one’s hair can completely transform a person, both in appearance and in vibe. As for me, I’ve always been conservative with my hair. I’ve had the same two barbers cut my hair for years. And after sitting in their chair for many years, both of them know exactly what haircut I want before I even open my mouth. They know I want a side-part haircut, a hairstyle I’ve worn for as long as I can remember.
So it came as a shock for my barber and, later on, for my friends when I suddenly wanted a different haircut (it was a short tapered cut with textured bangs). A flurry of reactions ensued. One friend said, “I never expected it from you,” while another remarked, “It totally changes your vibe.” It was then that I understood that hair really says so much about a person.
Today, hair trends come and go just as quickly as people change their moods. Reflecting the constant shift, professional haircare and color brand Goldwell, which forecasts hair color trends, named bellini, a cross between a peachy pink and soft apricot, as its color of the year.
At the 2026 Goldwell Philippines Hairshow, renowned Singaporean hairstylist Dylan Tung headlined the event and brought his world-class expertise to the local stage. Sharing the spotlight with him was veteran Filipino hairstylist Alex Carbonell, who interpreted the global hair trends with the Filipina in mind.
To know more about emerging hair looks, Allure Philippines sat down with Alex Carbonell and Dylan Tung for an exclusive interview where they shared about new hair dye trends, the future of hairstyling, and why hair remains to be an important part of self-expression and storytelling.
Goldwell Philippines
Within the context of seasonal color trends and hairstyles, what does freedom in hair mean to you as a professional hairstylist?
ALEX: I think it all starts from the word individualism. So when you’re free, you can just do whatever you want. Regardless of the trend, if you think that the hair suits you, then you’re free to wear it. I think when you say freedom in seasonal hairstyling, I think it’s really about your individuality. How you project yourself as a person.
DYLAN: My clients follow me as I can give them the style that suits them best, with that subtle twist from my creativity. Knowing seasonal color trends and hair styles helps me create something new and keep them looking trendy and stylish at the same time.
How can a change in hair, whether color or cut, shift someone’s sense of control, confidence or identity?
DYLAN: Well-designed hair styles and the right color placements can enhance your facial features. When it happens, it will boost your confidence!
ALEX: Definitely, it has something to do with whatever you wear is something that will add confidence to your personality. There’s also a saying that what you wear begins with your hair. So it’s not just clothes. You really have to think of how you’ll style your hair. I think it really starts from hair. It adds confidence in your personality. When you’re wearing something that people will notice, you suddenly become confident. There’s assurance of who you are as a fashionista or as a person.
How does hair color move beyond being a trend to becoming a personal language of identity?
DYLAN: Colors convey moods, and we all have a personal favorite color that is in line with our character. Some of us wear them, and they become part of our identity.
ALEX: When you wear something, and when people remember that you wear it, I guess that’s your personality. So when you say, for example, Anna Wintour, she has that bob. Or Anne Hathaway’s new fringe. Then everyone wants Anne Hathaway’s fringe. I hope this show, the Goldwell Color of the Future, they’ll pick up some trends and then they’ll wear it or do it with their clients here. It’s really about promoting individualism.
Among many hair styles and dyeing techniques today, which unique and authentic styles do clients go for?
DYLAN: My clients can range from those who want to “keep it safe” to those who want to “wear a rainbow”. I update myself with the latest styles and techniques, to help recommend something that suits them, yet feels fresh and different.
ALEX: Balayage is a statement. So that’s very unique now. Unlike before, we have this plastic and then we pull the hair and then it’s considered already as dimensional highlights. Now you can play with color. You can add placement. You can hide your highlights. And then it becomes a statement. So there’s a really big deal when it comes to hair coloring now. It’s more advanced. It’s more innovative and modern.
How do you balance creative experimentation with wearability when working with fashion-forward or colorful hair colors?
DYLAN: This is when knowing a myriad of color placements, color choices and application techniques comes into play. When you have the right combination and it’s well- adjusted to your client’s wishes, magic happens.
ALEX: So we always categorize the trends into two. Wearability, or something that you can wear. These college students can go to the salon and ask their colorist to do it on them. And then there’s avant-garde. Same as fashion, or when it’s too high fashion, couture. And there’s creativity in both.
I guess we have to promote this kind of feel in the fashion world because it should never be boring. And then people should really take the chance of wearing something that’s wearable or translate it to something avant-garde or high fashion.
Hair trends with the Filipina in mind
Goldwell Philippines
How do you translate the colors and haircuts to something that suits the Filipina in mind?
ALEX: You always go for the background. What is the base color? If our base color is chocolate brown, sometimes we say we’re morena and then we go for brown. You can always have bellini as your highlights. We translate it by giving drama on your basic classic haircut and hair color. Just give those quirks, those drama, and it will happen; and it will become you and you’ll feel free from wearing that.
Same as with our gender or with our society’s ‘in the box’ notion. Now it’s out of the box. Wear bellini. When it fades, it looks like soft gold. When it’s too dark, it looks bright but it has the freshness, the drama.
Do hair dyes need to be matched with a specific Filipina hair type?
ALEX: Wow, that’s science. But definitely, there’s one hair dye or kind of hair dye that suits one specific criteria. So, if you’re wearing curly hair, you can go for Goldwell’s Colorance which is a demi-permanent color. If you want something that’s bright, there’s Goldwell’s Elumen. And then if you want to cover your gray hair, there’s [Goldwell’s] Topchic. What I mean here is, you know, I think they’re catering to different kinds of texture, different kinds of peoples, different kinds of races and that makes it global.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Goldwell named bellini — a blend of peachy pink and soft apricot — as its hair color of the year for 2026. On morena Filipino hair, it reads as warm gold as it fades, making it a wearable, dimensional choice for a range of Filipina base colors.
Balayage is a freehand hair coloring technique that creates natural, blended highlights without foils. It’s popular for Filipino hair because colorists can adapt placement to work with deeper base colors — chocolate brown, morena tones — adding dimension and drama without full bleach commitments.
Professionals like Alex Carbonell categorize trends into two: wearable (adaptable for daily life, achievable in a salon session) and avant-garde (high-fashion, editorial). Translating a runway color means adjusting placement, saturation, and technique to suit a client’s base color, lifestyle, and maintenance capacity.
Alex Carbonell recommends Goldwell’s Colorance — a demi-permanent formula — for curly hair types. For clients wanting vivid, bright color, Goldwell’s Elumen is the preferred option. For gray coverage, Topchic is the appropriate choice, reflecting Goldwell’s formulation range across different hair textures and needs.
Hair color communicates mood, character, and individuality before a word is spoken. According to Dylan Tung and Alex Carbonell, when a color becomes consistently associated with a person — like Anna Wintour’s bob — it crosses from trend into identity, functioning as a visible, personal language others recognize and remember.
