Rossano Ferretti

Freshly cut hair is never a compliment especially for Rossano Ferretti - the hair maestro who is behind the concept of the invisible haircut. When he first came into the scenario, hair was graphic and architectural, like blunt fringes and geometrical bobs. Rossano changed the hair landscape by working with the way it naturally flowed. He didn't give it a particular shape but worked with it in such a way that it looked the best it could in a way that was most flattering for the woman. His roster of clients include women such as the Duchess of Cambridge, Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek - but he is very tightlipped about the famous faces he styles. He is loved by women because he never tries to change or force you into being something you’re not. The result? A head of great hair, which is individualised to every women, never fake, never done up…its almost like #youwokeuplikethis. We got a chance catch up with Rossano and find out what beauty means to him:

Define beauty. 
Harmony - if you what you design is not harmonious with how you live, you cannot talk about beauty. The key words are respect and harmony - for yourself, for other people and for the environment.

What do you think about makeovers?
I don’t like to speak about other people’s concept but I for one have been working all my life to enhance beauty. I don't think you can change nature - if you go against it you will destroy your hair. I don’t see the hair individually, but as the whole package, which includes the body, the face to bring see how it can be enhanced instead of drastically changed. I’m not hair focused - I’m people focussed.

How did you come up with the concept of the invisible haircut?
I wanted to give freedom to the haircut, because then the hairstylist can customise beauty for a person. I didn’t allow myself to be trained in the geometrical style of haircut because it was a discipline I didn't really believe in. So I basically travelled around the world studying people and their cultures — Barcelona, London, Tokyo, San Paulo, India, North Africa, Russia…this helped me develop my method. Because only when you're in touch with every kind of hair can you can develop a technique to enhance it. I was making little money and using it up to travel, I was a very curious boy.

How do you take care of yourself?
With love and passion…it's the best recipe in the world. If you love yourself you know what your body and mind need, you surround yourself with what feeds you well. My diet is Mediterranean - I don't know if I'm a better chef or hairstylist. I cook with beautiful ingredients, all organic, with beautiful olive oil - you are what you eat. I travel so much that it is very important to take care of every ingredient I put into my body. I never go to the gym. I’m a work addict and this is my passion so I have this phenomenal love for my work and my clients around the world. 

Every January I go to the Four Seasons Landaa Giravaaru in the Maldives and spend 15 days there. I swim, do stretching exercises in the morning. I try to do that all year but I’m not very good at it because I open my eyes and then my email. So I focus on my food and diet, my work, and try to do some stretching exercises for my shoulder, which is a little tight.

Can you share a recipe? 
Take some pasta (shell, rigatoni or mezzemaniche) with tomatoes, capers from Sicily, Taggiasche olives, a little garlic, little chilli pepper, some parmesan. Cook tomatoes for 15 -20 minutes with some garlic and red chilli pepper, then add olives and capers. Don’t cook more than 15 minutes and don’t bung everything in together at one time. When you serve,  add parmesan cheese and some extra-virgin olive oil on the pasta. Top this with some cold burrata and a few basil leaves. It's like the Italian flag. This is the flavour of my Italy in a plate. 

What is your beauty advice to women and men?
The diet is the base of life so you cannot complain if you skin is bad and you smoke a lot of cigarettes and drink a lot of alcohol. Take care of your body - don’t aim to be skinny but healthy. Have a hair regime just like you have a skincare and makeup regime. You can’t just have one hair product in your wardrobe. Shampoo, mask, oil, serum…understand your hair regime with a consultation with your hair dresser.

What is the biggest beauty mistake that women make?
To try to change what you have natural in a very deep way. You cannot have black hair, be Indian and transform that into Scandinavian blonde hair. Go for some highlights, a bit of balayage is also good. You can play with your hair, enjoy it but don’t dramatically, drastically bleach it. 

How do you deal with fear and insecurity?
I don’t spend a minute in anything that I’m not interested in, so the question of fear and insecurity does not arise. I have a term called ‘The Nowhere Zone’ - so any love, friendship, work that takes you no where should not be indulged in for even one second. 

Rossano Ferretti has opened at Zehen, New Delhi, and also has salons in Gurgaon, Bengaluru and Mumbai.