Raphaël Perrier All Set to Bring French Hairdressing to India
An artistic journey of over two decades has honoured French hairdresser Raphaël Perrier with several accolades including the ‘Champion du Monde’ title. His talent has led him through prestigious Haute Couture shows, successful musicals, and styling for international celebrities. Taking over the presidency of the French Hairdressing Team in 2011, Raphaël also began training the young generation and has created several platforms to further his educational endeavours. In 2012, he opened his first hair salon in the chic 8th arrondissement of Paris – thus, continuing his family business. Today, there are over 100 international salons in the Raphaël Perrier Club.
The brand’s next voyage is being charted to India with its MD, Hedwige Sluss alongside Raphaël himself, recently visiting the country to discuss the launch. Speaking to Beauty Launchpad India, they elaborated on the new vision and goals in the Indian market.
What was your inspiration behind pursuing hairdressing?
My family — both my father and grandfather — ran a small salon in France and I wanted to do the same.
What were your goals when you started?
I wanted to run a lot of beautiful hair salons and also work for movies, photo-shoots, catalogues, and professional shows. And, I did it all for 15 years!
What are your goals for the industry?
The industry is booming in many countries and I believe, we can fuse the best of each one together – that is my agenda now. Now, when I work with the Indian market, I will try to find that fusion in my job.
What do you look for in hairdressers to work with?
I just want people who have patience in this job – to me, that’s the most important quality. Other than that, with the right education, you can be the best.
What could be your contribution to the Indian industry?
A new perspective in education with 3D technology and videos to upgrade hairdressers’ skills. My idea is to help all hairstylists to rise higher in society.
Says Hedwige Sluss –
The Brand: As a brand, we will be called ‘360 degrees by Raphaël Perrier’. My role as the managing director is to oversee its worldwide development. We study each country in-depth, as it is important for us to keep up with the promise of 360 degrees in servicing and education, and for that, we have to systematically adapt to the country we are launching in.
Education Goals: Education is the Key. We have been in this business for over a decade and education was our focus all this time. In the last four years, we have created a lot of collections — specifically for our brand as well as for other brands to be able to train their hairstylists.