# Sam McKnight

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{{Short description|British hairstylist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2012}}
{{Infobox person
| name          = Sam McKnight
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|MBE}}
| image         = Fendi store opening - Sam McKnight (13907676177) (cropped).jpg
| alt           = 
| caption       = McKnight in a [Fendi](/source/Fendi) store opening in 2014
| birth_name    = 
| birth_date    =  {{birth date and age|1955|05|13|df=yes}}<!-- {{birth date and age|YYYY|MM|DD}} for living people. For people who have died, use {{Birth date|YYYY|MM|DD}}. -->
| birth_place   = [New Cumnock](/source/New_Cumnock), Scotland
| death_date    =  <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} (death date then birth date) -->
| death_place   = 
| other_names   = 
| occupation    = Hairstylist
| years_active  = 
| known_for     = 
| notable_works = 
}}
'''Samuel McKnight''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|MBE}} (born 13 May 1955) is a hairstylist known for his work with celebrities including [Princess Diana](/source/Princess_Diana), [Kate Moss](/source/Kate_Moss) and [Lady Gaga](/source/Lady_Gaga), and for his collaborations with fashion houses like [Chanel](/source/Chanel), [Fendi](/source/Fendi), [Balmain](/source/Balmain_(fashion_house)) and [Burberry](/source/Burberry).

==Personal life==
McKnight was born in [New Cumnock](/source/New_Cumnock), [Ayrshire](/source/Ayrshire), Scotland, into a working-class family. His father was a miner and his mother was employed by the local [Co-op shop](/source/Co-op_Food). He initially worked as a window cleaner, van driver and trainee teacher before becoming an assistant at a local hairdressers.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sam McKnight Biography|url=https://www.businessoffashion.com/community/people/sam-mcknight|website=Business of Fashion|accessdate=2 January 2017}}</ref> He moved to London in the early 1970s.

==Career==
On his move to London, McKnight was employed at the upmarket hair salon [Molton Brown](/source/Molton_Brown). He had his first editorial shoot with ''[Vogue](/source/Vogue_(British_magazine))'' in 1977, and went on to become an independent "session stylist", specialising in high-profile editorial shoots.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Paton|first1=Elizabeth|title='Hair by Sam McKnight,' the Story of an Image Maker|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/02/fashion/fashion-sam-mcknight-hair-stylist.html|accessdate=2 January 2017|work=The New York Times|date=2 November 2016}}</ref> He moved to New York in the early 1980s.

McKnight created [Princess Diana](/source/Princess_Diana)'s iconic short, slicked-back hairstyle for a 1990 ''Vogue'' magazine shoot and was her personal hair stylist for seven years.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Baggott|first1=Nadine|title=Hair stylist Sam McKnight reveals his favourite A-list moments|url=http://www.hellomagazine.com/healthandbeauty/hair/2016103134343/sam-mcknight-reveals-favourite-a-list-moments/|website=Hello! |date=31 October 2016 |accessdate=2 January 2017}}</ref> He also worked extensively with the supermodels [Linda Evangelista](/source/Linda_Evangelista), [Christy Turlington](/source/Christy_Turlington), [Kate Moss](/source/Kate_Moss) and [Naomi Campbell](/source/Naomi_Campbell) throughout the 1990s. McKnight has contributed to more than 190 cover shoots for the various international versions of ''[Vogue](/source/Vogue_(magazine))'' magazine alone. He styled [Madonna](/source/Madonna_(entertainer)) for the cover of her album ''[Bedtime Stories](/source/Bedtime_Stories_(Madonna_album))'' (1994) and [Lady Gaga](/source/Lady_Gaga) for her album ''[Born This Way](/source/Born_This_Way_(album))'' (2011).

==Honours and recognition==
McKnight is the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award at both the Scottish Fashion Awards and Creative Head Awards. In November 2016, [Somerset House](/source/Somerset_House) hosted a retrospective showcasing four decades of McKnight's work.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Mower|first1=Sarah|title=Inside the New "Hair by Sam McKnight" Show in London|url=http://www.vogue.com/13499293/sam-mcknight-hair-london-exhibit/|website=Vogue|date=2 November 2016 |accessdate=2 January 2017}}</ref>

McKnight was appointed [Member of the Order of the British Empire](/source/Member_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire) (MBE) in the [2023 New Year Honours](/source/2023_New_Year_Honours) for services to the fashion and beauty industries.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=63918|supp=y|page=N22|date=31 December 2022}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Twitter|sammcknight1}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:McKnight, Sam}}
Category:British hairdressers
Category:1955 births
Category:Living people
Category:People from New Cumnock
Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Sam McKnight](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_McKnight) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_McKnight?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.