The whole world admires the brilliant craftsmanship and style of French hairstyling. Beyond our borders, some of our hairstylists have become stars.
Frédéric, Laurent, Martial and others
Their names mean nothing to you, yet in the United States, French nationals, Frédéric Fekkai, Laurent Dufourg, and Martial Vivot, are the darlings of VIPs. In New York, Madonna, Julia Roberts, and Cindy Crawford, swear by Frédéric Fekkai, who transformed Hillary Clinton in the nineties with a super short haircut without frills. In the trendy salon facing MoMA, the famous modern art museum, Martial Vivot, twice elected as best hairstylist in Manhattan, uses his scissors on George Clooney, Sting, and Harrison Ford.
In Los Angeles, where he started his first salon, “Privé” in the eighties, Laurent Dufourg is the favorite of Sharon Stone, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Johnny Depp, who tells him straight out to come to his home. They started from scratch, or almost, these little Frenchmen attracted by the adventure. When he flew to New York after four years in a salon in Audincourt, a small town of Doubs, Martial Vivot did not speak a word of English. Becoming a master hairstylist after his CAP (vocational qualification) and professional certificate, he put himself back to square one at Pierre, one of the luxury hotels in town, as an apprentice in charge of shampooing clients. In this shrine of luxury, he worked hard until his talent stood out, and from the point of his solo flight, Frédéric Fekkai knew what perseverance meant. Discovered by Dessange, he accepted the challenge of launching the first branded salon on Madison Avenue in 1983.
The beginnings were so difficult, that he considered throwing the towel in several times, until the day his modern cuts drew the attention of the famous Bergdof Goodman store that offered him a space on the 7th floor. The posh clientele would always come in large numbers. Ten years later, the native of Aix en Provence opened his first salon on 57th Street, and at present he has a dozen establishments. The same success story as Laurent Dufourg, originally from Biarritz, whose high-end salons in Los Angeles, Malibu, Orlando, and New York, are flourishing.
French Touch
The “French touch” is very popular. “There is, without a doubt, a craze for French glamor,” says Francis L. Rhod, president of Haute Coiffure Française, a worldwide organization that promotes our artistic talent in 45 countries. “We have a particular sensitivity, infused with femininity and harmony, which is perfect for hair beauty.” Far from the eccentricity of the British style, and the affected sophistication of the American blow-dry, the French style seduces through its elegance. And then there is the technical know-how.
In France, a certificate is required to open a salon, whereas any amateur can become a hairstylist across the Atlantic. How brilliantly French people succeed abroad and on all continents! One example is Christophe Courtois, who has been styling the hair of Indonesians, and well-to-do tourists, in Bali for seven years. Clients receive their Kerastase treatment, which is considered a must-have. From his side of the world, Christophe Courtois is sought out to work on prestigious advertising shoots, such as the Orchidée Impériale campaign by Guerlain. In Santiago, Chile, the name Alexander Crosnier, is starting to spread. Just one shampoo chair and a single seat in the rear of a spa, set up by a fellow Frenchman, are enough for this French nationa, trained at Zouari, to create a buzz. In Brazil, one no longer needs to introduce Jacques and Janine. Working as a duo, the hairstylist and the beautician, who met each other in the late fifties at a picnic in Sao Paulo, are at the helm of more than 60 beauty salons in the country. Our franchisees are often emulated, as demonstrated by Eric Pfalzgraf’s, Coiffirst, which recently expanded into Japan and Korea.
Cocorico!
Christine Halary / Translated by One Hour Translation
Crédit photo © and ©Alexis Raimbault
