Unless you’re willing to shell out about $1500 for a new ‘do, you likely haven’t met Rossano Ferretti, perhaps the world’s most exclusive hairdresser (though a certain Royal Duchess doesn’t seem to have any issues getting on his calendar…). He’s the founder of 20 namesake salons around the world, creator of “The Method” — aka how to achieve an effortless natural face framing hair fall — and he barely sits still for a second.
During a recent quick New York fly-in to his New York Flagship in the Fuller Building (57th and Madison Avenue), Pursuitist caught up with Ferretti for a quick cut in to find out more about the man, his method, and what makes his mane-handling worth the money?
How and why did you come up with ‘The Method?’ What in your background up until that point was leading you to this epiphany?
Ferretti: I come from a family of hairdressers. My grandfather was a barber, and my mother had a two-chair beauty salon in my hometown of Parma, Italy. I myself, starting cutting hair at the age of 14 and opened my first salon at the age of 25. Despite having grown up surrounded by hairdressers, I was never fully satisfied by the work I was seeing within the industry. I created ‘The Method’ to function as an “invisible haircut” that allows the hair to fall with natural movement in a way that is particular to the individual. [It’s] a highly bespoke experience that takes into consideration not only the hair, but also the personality, and body of each woman to maximize her natural beauty.
Why is a haircut one of a person’s most important outfit accessories?
Ferretti: A haircut is woman’s most important accessory because she has to wear it everyday. Unlike earrings, or a scarf, you can’t simply change the shape of your hair to match your mood or outfit. Depending on the way a woman’s hair falls, there are certain looks that work best for her individual appearance, so versatility is not important. Many women make the mistake of changing their hair to meet certain trends, and end up with hairstyles that are completely wrong for their look. As long as your haircut allows you to look and feel beautiful naturally, and effortlessly, there is no reason to change it.
Other than how a person feels when leaving the stylist’s chair, what is it about ‘The Method’ that makes it so different from a traditional cut? Bluntly, what explains the price tag?
Ferretti: ‘The Method’ is more of a philosophy and lifestyle approach than it is mere a haircutting technique. It is about communicating with, and thoroughly understanding, women and what makes them feel beautiful as individuals. At Rossano Ferretti, we recognize that beauty cannot be standardized to meet an artificial one-size-fits-all mold.
We revolutionized the understanding of hair by going against the grain, challenging trends, and creating a sensitivity and respect for the natural image. The Method creates proportion, harmony, and elegance, allowing women to feel beautiful naturally instead of covering their uniqueness with a commercialized mask of hard colors or harsh geometric cuts. Each woman’s hair is different, and falls differently. Rather than bringing pieces of hair to them, like most hairdressers do, our stylists will actually move around the client and cut her hair at the angles from which it naturally falls. When women experience ‘The Method’, they feel free.
The quality of the experience is what makes the cost worth it. You can only charge that much if you’re worth it.
