GUILLAUME GUGLIELMI

1903 – 1989

Intercoiffure Mondial established the Foundation Guillaume in 1982 to honour Guillaume Guglielmi, one of the greatest creators of hairstyles of the 20th century and an early proponent of developing and supporting young talent in the hairdressing industry.

Guillaume’s burgeoning talent was recognised in 1932, when he was engaged by Elizabeth Arden to open salons in the United States for the company. In 1936, Guillaume opened his own salon at 5 Avenue Matignon, which quickly became the meeting point for the most beautiful and famous women in Paris.

The cuts and hairstyles of Guillaume transcended into art themselves, as his creations reflected the very spirit of fashion. He created the “Page” cut in 1936, he developed the hairstyles for Christian Dior’s “New Look” in 1947, and he designed the “Syncopée” line in 1949, a brilliant blend of short and long hair in a harmony of colour.

With the “F” line, Guillaume invented the geometrical cut, ahead of all the other creators. By this time, he was styling the hair of the models for most of the Haute Couture Collections. Guillaume made history again in 1963, creating the world-renowned “Lioness” style for the painter Léonor Fini. His final hair innovation came in 1972 with the “Vivante” line. The following year, he closed his legendary salon.

In addition to his immense talent as a creator of hairstyles, Guillaume was also a highly skilled sculptor, an avant-garde artist, a writer and a patron of the arts.

Guillaume sculpted his first piece, Angel, in 1932, and he incorporated his sculpting avocation into his hairdressing career. Guillaume would first create his hairstyles in clay and shape them until he found the perfect lines and harmonies. Only then would he put them into practice.

During his extraordinary career, Guillaume befriended a number of famous figures in the arts including Jean Cocteau, a poet, playwright, artist and filmmaker; Christian Bérard and Gruau, both painters; Louise de Vilmorin, a writer; Yvette Chauviré, a dancer; and the couturier of Christian Dior.

Guillaume bequeathed his personal artwork collection to Intercoiffure Mondial, and—together his marvellous bronze sculptures—the organisation displays them at the House of Nations in Paris to preserve his work and vision for future generations.