Salute to the greats!
In every line of business, there will always be a head, director, CEO or great leader. The hairdressing world is no different.
There are a few names, however, that have endured and are well known the world over. This is because their innovative creativity and service to hairdressing, stand out from others.
Vidal Sassoon is one of the best examples of this. He created the iconic bob which is still today, our most requested haircut. Born into poverty, it was his mother who encouraged him into hairdressing. Trained by Raymond Bessone, his signature geometric styles are still current.
Raymond Teasy-Weasy Bessone, as he was affectionately known, is considered to have invented the bouffant style! He was also a pioneer of experimenting with bold hair dyes, such as pink and purple. He was the first tv celebrity hairdresser, with his immaculate personal style which filtered into his hairdressing. He was flamboyant in everything that he did and his Mayfair salon reflected this, with gold chandeliers and decadent furnishings.
Toni Mascolo and Guy Mascolo, otherwise known as Toni & Guy, opened their first salon in 1963 and quickly grew their business, opening its first salon outside Europe. From there, they launched their product line followed by their world renowned training academy. They currently have salons in 48 countries. Their style works so well for fashion shows and photoshoots.
Nicky Clarke started his career at The House of Leonard and left later to form a partnership with John Frieda, where they set up a salon in Marylebone, controversially taking their clients with them! Nicky became a herion addict during the 1980’s but thankfully, it was fairly short lived and after a period in re-hab, went back to work with Joh Frieda. This didn’t last and he left after securing a loan to open his Mayfair salon. Up until the pandemic, the salon was doing well and Nicky was commanding thousands of pounds a day but he closed the door to his salon permanently only recently. This was due to rising costs and rent in prestigious Mayfair.
Trevor Sorbie started as an apprentice to his Father. He went on to work for Vidal Sassoon and became artistic director. He later worked with Toni & Guy and John Frieda. He was Torvill and Dean’s hair stylist during one of their tours and was the inventor of the wedge haircut. He also appeared on many tv programmes and has his own styling range. He still has salons in the uk to this day.