THE AGE OF SASSOON
By: Hope Wilkos, Writer/Blogger Photographer: George Whylie Videographer: Maxine NolanAnother great ‘Master of his Trade’ has passed away. Vidal Sassoon, the stylist behind the geometric cut and the wash and wear hair style, died of natural causes on May 9th at the age of 84 in his California home.
Born in London, he began his career at a very young age. Thanks to his mother, his talents began to blossom as he took an apprenticeship at a hairdresser in London. Creativity is difficult to stifle and it was inevitable that Sassoon would one day open his own salon. He did just that in 1954 and became an overnight sensation with easy care styles such as the bob. You just washed, brushed and went. He styled the likes of Mary Quant and Mia Farrow. In 1968, Mia Farrow’s ‘pixie cut’ in “Rosemary’s Baby” was the work of Vidal Sassoon.
He contributed to the women’s liberation movement by giving women back time to empower themselves in the work force rather than sit under a hair dryer for hours.
Sassoon Salons began to pop up in the United States in addition to London. Sassoon cuts shaped the styling world. He ended up moving to Los Angeles in the 70’s and in 1973, he launched his haircare product line. We all knew it was a Vidal Sassoon commercial when we heard the famous slogan, “If you don’t look good, we don’t look good”. The next step was the establishment of Vidal Sassoon Academies where young ‘want-to-be’ stylists came to learn the tricks of the trade from none other than the master himself.
Sassoon’s philanthropic efforts were highly recognized and appreciated when he founded the Vidal Sassoon Foundation and supported The Boys Club of America and The Performing Arts Council of the Music Center of Los Angeles. He wrote 3 books as well as wrote and starred in a 2010 documentary all about his life called “Vidal Sassoon: The Movie”.
In his personal life, he experienced tragedy when his eldest daughter, Catya, who was an actress and model, died in 2002 of an accidental overdose. He was married 4 times and is survived by his three children and fourth wife.
His revolutionary influence will remain with us for years to come.
PHOTO CREDITS: Associated Press, Vic Singh and Chris Barham/Rex Features
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