The iconic hairdo

Hairstylist Adhuna Akhtar on Vidal Sassoons five-point haircut

The five-point geometric haircut by Vidal Sassoonthe most prominent hair designer of all timesis an iconic style for hairdressers across the world. The cut,developed in the early 60s,changed the way hair was styled in the UK at the time.

A short,angular style,it is a variation of the classic bob cut,which Sassoon developed before that. I first heard of the cut when I was in the UK at the start of my career in 1983. I was working as an apprentice with Worthington Hair in Northwest London then.
Initially,I couldnt understand the hype about the cut but my mentors at the salon were deeply inspired by it. And that led me to realise its uniqueness.

Sassoons geometric haircuts were severe,lacquer-free and relied on the hairs natural shine. He changed the way people approached hairdressing those days. Earlier,long hair was unmanageable,but once Sassoon teamed up with fashion designer Mary Quant in 1957,and set up his independent salon on Bond Street,it was the beginning of a hairdressing revolution.

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He became associated with top models,actresses and fashion designers. He even gave Quant a bob cut,turning her into a glam doll. I had met Sassoon during the early 90s,completely by chance,at a hairdressing event in London. The lady I was working for knew him and introduced me to him. I shook his hands and was awestruck. I met him again last year,on his 80th birthday,at a hair show in London,in the presence of big hairstyling names.

Sassoon was a perfectionist and his techniques timeless. His design philosophies are still followed at training academies globally. He was responsible for giving hairstyling a commercial direction in the early 70s and brought hairstyling in sync with fashion. He also introduced hand-held hair dryers.
I tried my own variation of the geometric cut once. I was happy with it,but I would like to learn much more from Sassoons work.