Wright met the former First Lady two weeks after President Barack Obama announced his candidacy at a photo shoot for Essence magazine, and then — as it goes — again for O Magazine a month later, and for an Ellen appearance a few months after that. He continued to style her throughout the campaign, but it wasn't until the night of her speech at the 2008 Democratic National Convention that he became a more permanent member on her team.
"It was the first time I touched her hair when it was wet, and fully blew-dry it, and put my little spank on it, so to speak," said Wright. "The next day, the first thing everybody was talking about was her speech, of course, but the second was her hair. People noticed it; they saw the difference."
Three weeks later, the Obamas won the election, and — as he was styling her for the cover of Vogue shortly thereafter — she asked him to move to DC. The rest, as they say, was history — only this time, quite literally.
Working in the White House For the First Black First Lady
"I had no idea going in what it's like to work in politics," said Wright. "I had to do some research on my own on past women in that position like Hillary Clinton and Barbara Bush and how they did their hair, but it was hard because there has never been another Black first lady to pattern her after."
He continued, "Coming from the celebrity world, where hair is all about trends and wearing the cool new style, I realised politics were very different. In politics you want a recognisable silhouette — a look that people remember where you're like, 'Oh, that's Barack' or 'That's Michelle.' It's just the conservative nature of the political world. I remember reading an article about Hillary and they had deemed her to be indecisive because she changed her haircut so much, and I was like, 'Oh my God, I don't want to do that.'"