Swiss born Olivier Schawalder is a well accomplished hair stylist based in Paris, his work has been seen assisting Luigi Murenu on top fashion runway shows like Armani, Giorgio Armani, Givenchy, Gucci and Paco Rabanne.
\nOlivier spent years living in Tokyo, Japan working as an innovative stylist with major magazines such as Elle-Japan, Figaro-Japan, Harpers Bazaar-Japan, Hi Fashion -Japan, Marie Claire-Japan, Vogue-Nippon, Vogue-Japan and continues to do so with international publishings like Harpers Bazaar-china, GQ-UK, Vogue-Italia, Harpers Bazaar- Germany, Harpers Bazaar-US to name a few.
\nHis passion and imagination take hair to an art form creating as a stylist to sculptor.<\/p>\n
Can you tell me a bit more about your art\/hair sculptures?<\/strong> Olivier, how did living in Japan influence your style?<\/strong> What are your favorite styling products at the moment?<\/strong>
\nHow did you originally get into hairstyling?<\/strong>
\nI got into hairstyling by chance…My cousin started an internship and it looked like she had so much fun,so I started a year later in the same salon…I never thought I would become so passionate about hair!<\/em><\/p>\n
\nThis is actually where I feel the most comfortable, is being a sculptor, you don’t work on a model, you work on an art piece, the Hair Hands Sculptures I made took a year to be perfectly like I wanted them to be, that was an order from a Swiss Museum, it’s a luxury to have that kind of time these days…. I also work a lot with a Still Life photographer who uses hair as a prop. I love that too because it’s completely controlled and I can really get into details which I love, I am not into the so called “accident”! I actually hate that word…!<\/em>
\n Again when I work with these photographers, the hair becomes something else, it becomes part of the image and I can transform the hair into something else using different products, not necessarily hair products, I love to use for example varnish for the wooden floors…<\/em><\/p>\n
\nLiving in Japan for so long did not only influence me, it completely changed me! I was already a perfectionist before but living in Japan made me obsessed with perfection and simplicity… I totally connect with their aesthetics, it’s something I understand, it’s like Math, you understand it or you don’t…<\/em><\/p>\n
\nI’m currently obsessed with Redken Touch Control 05 ,a mousse made only to lift up the roots, SUPER precise with the pointy nozzle and great texture!<\/em><\/p>\n