Androgyny. Movement. Geometry. Simplicity. Words that now describe hair because of the man who changed the world with a pair of scissors. During the “Swinging London” of the 60s, Vidal Sassoon’s looks defined It girls such as Grace Coddington, Mia Farrow, Mary Quant, Peggy Moffitt and Nancy Kwan. Sassoon created and lived by the method that, “with a great haircut they could shake it, brush it, do whatever they wanted and it would fall into place.” His looks and quotes are compiled in the book Vidal Sassoon: How One Man Changed the World with a Pair of Scissors, a companion to the movie of the same name.

With the simplicity and movement of the ‘wash and wear’ cut, Vidal freed women of bi-weekly trips to the salon to perfect their bouffant, in the same way that Coco unchained women from stifling corsets in favor of jersey and the LBD. His cuts are both a reflection in hair cutting of what was happening in fashion at the time (easy silhouettes) and an integral part of women’s lib. His fearlessness in hair cutting evolved from his hero Winston Churchill, whom he admired for his courage and mastery of language that spoke to a nation. Courage and resilience were necessary characteristics for a boy who grew up in a Jewish orphanage after his single mother could no longer take care of him in WWII Britain.

Photo courtesy of David Bailey

Inspired by The Bauhaus, Sassoon saw hair cutting as an art form; his salon on Bond Street was his art gallery. Throughout the book comparing hair cutting to art, architecture, sculpture, fashion design and poetry. He drew inspiration from fashionistas of the time, chopping locks in the way that designers were cutting fabric- clean lines, architectural angles and geometric shapes. Under Sassoon’s vision, hair “became about the cut, not just the styling.” He is responsible for bringing the five point cut, the wedge, the brush, the quiff, the pixie and many incarnations of the ‘bob- including the box bob- into the lexicon.

Sassoon’s life philosophy was to be generous with yourself- both with your skills and your time. He devoted much of his life to philanthropic efforts including The International Center For Research Of Anti-Semitism, in Jerusalem, a reflection of the impact his childhood in war-wrought Europe left on him. His legacy is the hair academies, starting with the first in 1967 that carry on his techniques and aesthetic. His attitude toward hair cutting prevails: “If you don’t look good, we don’t look good.” 

Photo courtesy of Barry Lategan

Photo courtesy of Michael Gordon

Photo courtesy of Barry Lategan

Photo courtesy of Michael Gordon

Vidal Sassoon: How One Man Changed the World with a Pair of Scissors is available now through Rizzoli.

Written by Beca Corleto