Industry authorities give us their answers on beauty, style, and more.

Real Genius
With scores of celebrity styles and more than 1,000 magazine covers to his credit, Garren knows a thing or two about creating gorgeous tresses. Here, he discusses his rise to fame, this fall’s beauty trends, and his “real hair” philosophy.
By Marissa Kristal

When did you first decide to pursue a career in beauty?
I realized that I had a passion and talent for hairstyling when I was 12 years old. I was always interested in the way my mother looked. Although she was young, she had a head full of gray hair, and the hairdressers didn’t know what to do with it. She’d come home from the salon with these old-lady styles, so I’d pick her hair apart, restyle it, and make it look like the styles I saw in magazines. After I did my mom’s hair, all her friends started complimenting her and asking her who her stylist was. She’d laugh and say, “My 12-year-old son!” Pretty soon I was spending my weekends going from house to house and styling everyone’s hair, and by the time I was 13, I had a pretty big client base. When I was 16, I went to beauty school, and by 17, I’d graduated.

How did you make the leap from beauty-school graduate to world-class hair guru?
My first job was with the Glemby hair salons, which used be a major chain at finer department stores. I worked there for three or four years in my hometown, Niagara Falls, and then I decided to make the leap to New York City. Once I got to Manhattan, I started working for Bergdorf Goodman, and that’s when things really picked up. Within six months, I was doing fashions shows and editorial work with some of the industry’s most renowned photographers. The top beauty editors started paying attention, my editorial career took off, and I did my first Vogue cover in 1977 with Rene Russo. I missed working with clients, though, so in the early ’80s, with the support of Glemby, I opened Garren at the Plaza. Nine years later, I moved to the Henri Bendel salon and opened Garren at the Garren New York salon. And this year, I began construction on the Garren New York salon in the Sherry-Netherland Hotel.

When is the new location scheduled to open?
We’re almost finished with the moving and construction, and we should be ready to open by November 1. But the construction must be finished before we bring clients in. I would never want to compromise their privacy or ruin what should be a relaxing and intimate salon experience.

You’re famous for creating looks that are both innovative and wearable. What inspires you, and how would you describe your design philosophy?
I find inspiration everywhere, on the street, at the airport, in the parks. College kids are a particularly big source of inspiration; I love to see the styles they’re wearing. As far as my approach, I always aim to create styles that are fresh and new but also real—there has to be something natural about the look. Fortunately, hair trends are relaxed and easy right now, and we’ve moved beyond the stage of overstyling. We’ve used the pressing iron to death, so now it’s all about embellishing the hair’s natural texture.

Would you say that you have a signature style?
Really, it’s whatever style works best on that client, and it’s not necessarily about following trends. I would never cut the wrong style on a client simply because the look is in; it’s more important to find a look that works with the client’s features, hair shape, and texture. Of course, we can draw on current trends—for instance, right now hair is long, shiny, and fluid—as long as the goal is still to create something beautiful, natural, and flattering.

You mentioned hair trends. What specific styles will we be seeing this fall and winter?
Soft, luxurious waves and chin-length styles are both going to be huge, as well as the ponytail, which should be sleek in the front and loose and wavy in the back. Overall, it will be a season of natural, touchable hair with a slight wave and no harsh edges

How much of an influence do celebrities have on the hairstyles real women wear?
Celebrities dictate what fashion is all about, so they have an enormous influence. It used to be the models that determined fashion, but now—aside from Kate Moss, who’s really a celebrity in her own right—models aren’t even used as spokespeople anymore. Instead, we look to the stars to show us what’s in.

What’s it like having so many celebrity clients?
In the beginning, working with celebrities definitely gave me that unbelievable, “Oh, wow,” feeling. But at the same time, I always understood the importance of respecting their privacy. I wanted to create a trusting, comfortable dynamic between us, so I never revealed which stars I was working with. That changed, however, after I cut the angel wings out of Farrah Fawcett’s hair and made her style short and straight. Because she’d worn her signature Charlie’s Angels feathered hair for so long, the cut got a lot of media attention, and that was when the weight of what I was doing truly hit me. These days, I’m more comfortable mentioning the celebrities I’ve worked with. And over the years, the list has included Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Sandra Bullock, Linda Evangelista, and the late Audrey Hepburn.  

Can you tell us about the staff at your salon? Do you train them personally?
My staff is really top notch, and it goes beyond styling skills—they have personality, character, and a real commitment to our clients’ privacy. At the moment, I have about nine hairstylists, as well as a couple of great colorists. And yes, I do train my staff. They all start as floor assistants and then move up to become my assistants. I work with them for a year to a year and a half, depending on how much training they require, and they come to fashion shoots and work with me on everything to learn the nitty-gritty. After that, they usually wind up getting chairs and becoming hairdressers.

What do you look for in a potential hire?
I look for dedication—people who are obsessed with style, who understand that they’re in the fashion Mecca of New York City, and who are open to embracing new techniques and looks. A great personality is equally important. They have to be able to work with our other stylists as part of a team, and our clients need to be able to trust them, so they can’t be intimidating, gossipy, or temperamental.

You also have your own line of shampoos, conditioners, styling products, and fragrances.
Yes, my goal was to make a collection of universal products that truly work on all types of hair. The line was inspired by the photo-shoot atmosphere, where you’re working on one to ten models at a time and you can’t carry different products for each one of them. And along those lines, the products are versatile and offer something for everyone. Plus, the collection is infused with vitamins, proteins, botanical extracts, and a natural UV inhibitor to protect hair from UV rays. One of my favorite products in the collection is our Designing Spray Tonic—an alcohol-free spritz that delivers natural, lightweight, and long-lasting hold. In addition, it adds shines, volumizes limp hair, and helps curly strands maintain body.

You also helped develop the L’Oreal Vive Pro line.
Correct. I’ve been working with L’Oreal for a while now, and I just started my second year as a spokesperson and consulting stylist. The new Vive Pro collection is a great line because no matter what the consumer’s hair texture or style—thick or thin, long or short, coarse or fine—there’s a product designed to them achieve their desired look.

What styles can we expect to see from you next?
Good question! I’m going to be playing a lot with the weight of hair and pushing fringe. At the moment, I’m deciding whether I want to create more sideswept looks or go a blunter route. Color will be exciting, too; brunettes will get deeper with more chestnut tones, while blondes will go a little cooler as opposed to being so bright.

Celebrity hair guru and salon owner Garren.

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