The Story Of Hairdressing King
by Luis Llongueras
From his childhood, Llongueras_junior adored to sit in his fathers fashion salon, watching how ladies choose their outfits. To reach perfection these women were missing only a little — a nice hairdo and a few successful strokes of make_up. And once, Luis simply took a hairbrush into his hands, at all not suspecting, how his impulsive experiment will turn out. And the first clients of a still teenage Luis Llongueras would become the clients of his father's studio. «In the beginning I cut hair of women who lived nearby or my father's clients. Those who liked my work would pass my name on to their friends. Then I started working at clients homes and tried to equip.
For opening of his first salon, naturally, it was necessary to take credit from a bank. It also became necessary to do that every time before opening of
each new salon. «But we gradually — street by street — won
ever occurred — all problems were solved in a dialogue mode. Secondly, I scrupulously approached the question of personnel selection— my worker would have to be very attentive, polite and hard working. Well and I, certainly, would have to make sure that my employees were paid adequately», — recollects Luis. Besides, he managed to attract major attention by creating his own collections. Up till then, no one in
The Maestro had in stock one other reliable tool of business promotion — the bright unforgettable shows which have become popular owing to his eccentric acts. Llongueras personally participated in all stages of their preparation — beginning from choreography and selection of models to search of costumes for them. And defending the concept of a «home hairstyle», in 1977 he amazed the public who filled the
«They wanted to me to transform a usual show into a performance — and I have succeeded. While other hairdressers showed collections, I started to cut my own hair — alone on a huge stage and even without a mirror behind my back». It instantly became a sensation! Luis upturned all traditional views of the salon business. The intense pace of modern life dictated the rules — including the rules of beauty. The express wave with the
help of seven rollers, development of the first diffuser for drying curly hair, «casual» painted strands, «styling with fingers»… All revolutionary Llongueras' techniques have been developed for the women of the new generation, who didn't want to spend hours in front of the mirror with a blow drier as their mothers did. «Having spent an hour and a half at the salon, we want to get as many services as we can— from coloring to treatment as well as cut and style— and not have to think about it, at least, until some roots grow out. Today the woman wants to come out of the shower — and have her hair already look super», — says Luis. And he did just that for his clients. In 1972 he had opened the first «unisex» salon — a thing inconceivable for strict catholic
hour a day salon, and finally, youth salon-studio, a place of leisure and taking care of yourself simultaneously, called — Fashion By.
Soon, there was not enough room for the network of Llongueras salons behind the
«Most of all I would simply like to continue working — to accept all those calls which the trade still continues to throw me», — the Master says, — every year our salons serve more then half a million people — but my team and my brother Enrique are engaged in routine work. Though I can give
advice to a casual client absolutely spontaneously. Or sometimes, I allow to persuade myself and serve a few of them».
It is not surprising, that the master of such level rarely works with regular clients. All of
