Translated by Bethszabee Garner
Revealed for the first time backstage at the Balmain Women's SS26 fashion show, designed to celebrate the fashion house's 80th anniversary, the Dyson Supersonic r Copper Violet almost stole the show from the outfits: proof that backstage, the real star isn't always 1.80 metres tall, but looks like miniaturised technology, ultra-manoeuvrable and perfectly calibrated for beauty treatments. Now available to all, it's not entering the beauty sphere as just another high-tech device, but as a new language of hair styling, designed for spontaneous, controlled, but never static looks. Presented alongside hairstylist Damien Boissinot, who was in charge of the show's hairstyles, it promises to be the new signature tool for routines where efficiency does not compromise emotion.
More than just a new colour, the hairdryer reflects an evolution in the approach to styling: an ultra-lightweight circular design, conceived as a natural extension of the hand. The model is also 30% smaller and 20% lighter than its predecessors — a detail that, in reality, changes everything: less strain on the wrist, greater precision, more freedom of angle, and the ability to style your hair wherever you live, not just in front of a mirror fixed to the wall.
Technically, the Supersonic r inherits the Dyson Hyperdymium™ motor, while adding a dimension of intelligent adaptability thanks to its RFID-recognised attachments, which can automatically adjust the temperature and airflow according to the style and material. The result: fewer mistakes, less unnecessary heat, and greater respect for the hair fibre. Whereas the original Supersonic focused on thermal control, the r model introduces the idea of dynamic styling, almost like a conversation between the tool and the hair.
For the Balmain show, Damien Boissinot created sunny hairstyles inspired by a chic return from the beach, a far cry from the sculpted red-carpet blow-dry: a clean parting but loose front strands, a nonchalant low ponytail, a textured short cut. The aim was to achieve a look that was constructed but not rigid.
‘The idea is to work with the material while letting it live. We don't tame it, we accompany it,’ he explains. ‘With this model, I'm not looking for perfection, I'm looking for the truth of the hair, the one that tells the story of a day, a mood, a memory.’
A hairdryer designed for real life: fast, lightweight, hybrid
Unlike many professional tools, the Supersonic r was designed to fit into real life: where you sometimes style your hair in 7 minutes before going out, or in 2 minutes at 6:42 p.m. just before leaving the office — without shampoo, without a full blow-dry, without choreography. It becomes the go-to device for in-between moments:
- after wearing a bicycle helmet
- after the rain
- after sports or the underground
- before a camera-on meeting
- right after an unplanned nap
It comes into play at the most modern point in beauty: between clean hair and wild hair, when the goal is to revive, not to start over. To enhance the effect, Boissinot recommends a light mist on dry hair, then working with your fingers to maintain texture rather than smoothing it out. Salt spray or texturising spray becomes an ally, but never a mask.
The 5 steps Dyson Supersonic r Copper Violet spotted with Damien Boissinot
- Pre-dry with your hands to feel the natural direction before imposing a shape.
- Draw a parting, then release a front strand for a ‘controlled messy chic’ effect.
- Add texture with short bursts rather than continuous airflow.
- Keep the heat moderate; the technology already does most of the work.
- Wrap a strand of hair around the elastic band to avoid a ‘gym class’ look.
The manifesto of the hairdryer of the future
Designed for all textures, lengths and identities, the Supersonic r Copper Violet is not there to redesign hair but to reveal its authenticity, even in its imperfection. It does not seek to smooth over history: it stylises it. As Boissinot sums it up: ‘Hairstyling is no longer a performance, it's an attitude.’
