Profile: Session master Eugene Souleiman

Renowned fashion hairstylist reminisces on his career

By Melissa Brazier

In 1982, Eugene Souleiman strolled into a job placement centre looking for a little guidance and direction. This meeting not only led him to become an apprentice in a salon under the tutelage of renowned stylist Trevor Sorbie, it also helped Souleiman find his passion.

After working with Sorbie for a full decade, Souleiman eventually branched out on his own. Free to experiment with techniques, he began blending the Sassoon style he had honed over the years with his own avant garde flavour, thus creating a look that would later become his trademark. “I think people like me to produce something they haven’t seen before, and that’s what keeps me inspired,” he explains.

Another source of inspiration is his work in the fast-paced world of fashion. Now a mainstay backstage at fashion weeks across the globe, Souleiman remembers his first big runway show for Louis Vuitton in 1999, where he worked with fashion legend Marc Jacobs. Today, he has worked with dozens of other notables in the fashion game—Alexander McQueen, Chanel, Ralph Lauren, Valentino, to name a few.

Not restricted to runway, in 2003 Souleiman collaborated with famous artists and brothers Dinos and Jake Chapman on an installation titled The Art of Chess at the Gilbert Collection in London and the Tatintsian Gallery in Moscow. Styling miniature wigs for individual bronzed chess pieces, he created very elaborate and unusual looks. Appointed global creative director, care and styling, for Wella Professionals in Sept. 2008, Souleiman continues jetsetting, working on the Wella Trend Vision 2010 collection in New York and is participating in the International Trend Vision Awards in Berlin this month. “I am always on the go and love to be presented with new challenges,” says Soulemain, adding that he is driven by “never knowing what I am doing from one day to the next.”

Still, this session superstar emphasizes that his favourite work destination is New York, which as of last year also became home to the stylist, his wife and daughter. “It’s so inspiring and full of diversity and energy. New York is also the best place to observe a variety of styles—there are no boundaries!”

Infamous for pushing his own, Souleiman gives credit to the amazing training he has had throughout his career. “I am proficient in all techniques of styling hair, whether it’s glamorous, textured, abstract, feminine, tribal or just beautifully cut. It’s because of this that I have a wide range as a hairstylist, which gives me the freedom to mix and create new techniques.” On that note, Souleiman states the credo on which he modelled his career: “Once you’ve learned the rules, you can break the rules. And once you’ve broken the rules, you can make the rules.”