Beauty Ideas» Interviews with Hairstylists

Interview: Alain Divert

Rino Jasper — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 05:29:46 +0000

What brought you into the world of hairdressing?
Passion, perseverance and people. My first real connection was with Claude Maxime, who was a famous hairdresser and styled Brigitte Bardot’s hair—she invented the “Bardot bun”. I worked with her for five years. The second person was Norwegian fashion designer Per Spook. I styled the models for all of his collections and when he moved to Louis Féraud, I styled those collections as well.

What inspires your work?
I’m inspired by what goes on in the street and through my travels. My favorite regions are the Middle East and Asia.

What is your definition of beauty?
Beauty can be ugliness; beauty doesn’t really exist. What is beautiful to you might not be to me, and vice versa. I believe beauty comes from the guts and the heart. Real beauty is someone that expresses all the love that exists on this earth.

What makes a great hairstylist?
In my opinion there are three kinds of stylists: the first is a good sales person, he does what his clients ask him to do and closes up shop in the evening like clockwork; the second is a businessman who will open a chain of salons but doesn’t give a thought to the beauty or quality of the work that goes on there and the third kind of hairdresser is passionate about beautiful hair, making the woman beautiful and determining what cut and style will suit her best.

What is the golden rule for maintaining beautiful hair?
You must take good care of your hair on a regular basis. Using low-quality products really takes its toll—in addition to pollution, over time these items will make your hair dull and breakable. Another important rule is to have a balanced diet. And last but not least, find a good hairstylist!
At my salon I use natural treatments on my clients’ hair. I call them Les Smoothies by Alain Divert –a home-made combination of ingredients including fresh ginger, shea butter, essential oils, black olives, bananas, nasturtium seeds, corn and avocado. I then do an Ayurvedic scalp massage. I’d like to launch a line of treatments so that my clients could take home a jar of a Smoothie that suits her hair type.
I’m also going to sell a new line of French nutritional supplements, Grow Up, which are very efficient in boosting hair growth, and will be available at my salons.

What makes the perfect bun?
A bun doesn’t look great on everyone, as it can age the person who wears it. So the perfect bun depends on the client’s face—it can be the banana-style Audrey Hepburn wore in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Brigitte Bardot’s messy-look or a more high-tech look.

You have a salon in Paris; are there other projects in the works?
I have a project that will see the light of day in three months—I’m opening a beauty space, Alain Divert Paris, on the avenue Franklin Roosevelt. It will be around 200m2, and will feature skincare and bodycare treatments, teeth whitening and of course hairdressing. On the ground floor there will be the hairstyling space, reception and boutique, and the treatment rooms will be in the cellar.

Can you tell us a few celebrities you’ve styled?
Celebrities are notoriously fickle, and have been styled by many different hairdressers, but I’ve styled Pierce Brosnan, Leonardo Di Caprio, Judith Godreche and Charlotte Gainsbourg to name a few.
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Interview: Alexandre Zouari

Rino Jasper — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 00:00:54 +0000

Where did you get your start in hairdressing?
The Alexandre Zouari ‘brand’ got its start with a company called Lorca, which was the firm that launched the concept of “brushing” (French term for styling hair with a brush and blow-dryer). I started there in 1969, and later took a few years off to do some modelling and acting. I then was an associate in a salon on the Avenue Marceau [in Paris’ chic 8th arrondissement]. When I started there were 10 employees and I grew the business so that after just three months there were about 40 of us, and we had a very glamorous international clientele.
In 1984 I returned to the world of couture where I stayed for five years working with an Italian designer, and I was then contacted by Shiseido to work with them as a stylist.
In 1987 I opened my salon on the avenue du President Wilson, with a famous decorator who did the interior design—the first time a stylist imposed his own personal style on a salon. Since 2003 I have been 100% owner of my business.

What are your current projects?
I just signed a license with a Chinese company, Shiamas Ltd, to sell my own line of hair jewellery and accessories in more than 65 boutiques in Asia. I’m also working on a new line of hair-care products and I would like to launch my own fragrance.

What inspires you?
I get my inspirations from the street—I’m lucky enough to travel a lot around the world and I have a pretty exceptional clientele. I’m also very interested in culture and art.
I draw on my past ideas as nothing I’ve ever done has gone out of style. Women have evolved in the sense that they don’t spend as much time on their hair and they have simpler hairstyles, which is a shame. When I travel to the Emirates, for example, women of a certain class still wear couture and have elegant hairstyles and make-up. But times change and you have to stay modern.

What should women never do to their hair?
Never let it get oily! You should always have clean hair, a good cut, color and light make-up. You mustn’t get lazy about your appearance!

What are your basic hair-care tips?
Find a high-quality shampoo that is suited to your hair type. It’s also important to get regular treatments, such as hair masks. The most essential thing is to take care of your hair on a regular basis.

What is the ideal method for getting perfect curls?
The old-fashioned way is best—just wrap a bit of Kleenex around each strand of hair and roll it up and tie—the result will be beautiful bouncy curls.

What is your vision of beauty?
Beauty comes from the heart! Apart from that, I think beauty is found in flowers and vegetation.

What do you believe makes a good stylist?
A good hairstylist knows how to do everything—from the shampoo to the total look. He needs to be creative and have a vivid imagination, and not go for a stereotypical look. All the hairdressers in my salon are trained here, from the bottom up.

What are some of your favorite things to do in Paris?
I love to go to galleries every so often and see the latest shows in museums. I also have my favorite bistros, such as L’Ami Louis and Tang, a Chinese restaurant.

Who are some of your celebrity clients?
To name a few: French president Nicolas Sarkozy, model Karen Mulder, actress Marisa Berenson and Queen Noor of Jordan.