Quirky, stylish and extremely talented, Gerald Solomons has been plying his trade as a hair stylist for over five decades in many destinations around the world. Now settled in Sri Lanka, Gerald has just opened his new salon Chagall at the Parklands Building in the heart of Colombo.
Words: Tina Edward Gunawardhana
Photographs: Manoj Ratnayake
You are one of the island’s most trusted hairdressers. How did it all start for you?
I started hairdressing at the age of 15 soon after leaving school and joined Moira Muthukrishna. I guess that was the start of my career in hairdressing! I moved to Sydney, Australia and then got my big break which was to tour New Zealand with the hit musical ‘Hair’.
This was in the 70s and ‘Hair’ was one of the most significant theatre experiences ever to hit the boards. Hair broke new ground in musical theatre by defining the genre of the "rock musical". Hair was extremely significant because it set the pace for “the big change” in hair and the freedom of expression which started what you could call a different movement!
I also worked with the ‘Age of Aquarius’, living a bohemian life and fighting against conscription into the Vietnam War. It was a 6 month performance run and resulted in my falling in love with Auckland.
Where did you learn your trade?
I cut my teeth at Moira’s in Sri Lanka and then with Vidal Sassoon in London and Carita of Paris at their Sydney salon. The French have a completely different way of doing hair and that training has helped me a lot in my career.
The French are not precision cutters like the English are, but are more creative and there is that unmistakable elegance in whatever they do that’s hard to beat. The Italians too have an unmistakable flair; are very creative, colourful and different in their approach to hair and beauty. I was very fortunate to be working during the era of change- from roller sets to the more natural blow dried looks of Farrah Fawcett and Bo Derek.
Tell us about your experience overseas?
When you work overseas you learn so much. You grow and mature not just in your trade or career but as a person. You expand your horizons and look at life in a different way. People overseas are much more ready to change and experiment with the way they look and
I really enjoyed that.
You can give full rein to your creativity when you work overseas. I’m afraid that here in Sri Lanka people are not really fond of experimenting with their overall look and tend to stick to the style they have adopted over the years.
Overseas, ordinary people, celebrities and even politicians have a makeover, and I found that so enjoyable and challenging. Though sometimes when you work with celebrities it has to be kept quite hush hush!
You've worked with some amazing people - who has been the most exciting?
There are so many phenomenally talented people I have worked with. The ones who spring to mind are Brent Lola who worked for me in New Zealand. He was so talented. I could see his potential way back then. He is now in New York. Nathan Kaki was another.
He was one of my juniors doing both make-up and hair and extremely talented. Jana was yet another of my juniors who now has his own make up school in Dubai and London. He does all the major fashion weeks – Milan, London and has even published a book on make-up techniques. He also has his own brand of make-up and to achieve in an international market is truly amazing.
Who has been your favourite model to work with?
Angela Taylor, a New Zealand model who now has her own modeling agency. She was always very very glamorous, never OTT but consistently well groomed and impeccably dressed. She was also very enterprising and is a head turner even today. Rachel Hunter who was married to Rod Steward was another. She was very beautiful, very fresh and natural.
What have been the most exciting moments of your career?
I had the chance to work with two Miss Worlds and that’s quite an achievement. One was Lorraine Downes, Miss New Zealand in 1983 and she went on to become Miss Universe. She was just 19 and very lovely. She had long blonde hair and was a very natural beauty.
The other was Jennifer Hawkins who was Miss Australia in 2004 and went on to win the title of Miss Universe. Both of them were lovely girls and I enjoyed working with them. It was a very rewarding experience and great to know that
I had a hand in their success.
What’s the craziest request you’ve ever had?
To bleach, dye and shape pubic hair! Believe it or not this was a big deal overseas at one time.
Who is your ultimate hair icon and why?
Vidal Sassoon. He changed the whole concept of hair styling. His ‘wash and wear’ cuts of the 1960s allowed women to spend less time on their appearance and adopt a more casual yet chic look. He is definitely the founder of modern hairdressing, and his hair philosophy changed the way women thought about their hair.
Whose locks would you love to give a makeover to?
Well , I do hope they won’t get offended as
I mean it well. Of the men, I would love to work on Lasith Malinga. He is such a talented young man but needs to change his curly blonde locks to something more trendy and in keeping with the times. There are lots of pretty ladies in Colombo who should change their look and the colour of their hair and style. Many have hair that is too orange and too long and are trying to look too young.
Debunk the biggest hair myth you’ve heard.
The Sri Lankan habit of shaving a baby’s head to ensure a thick growth when they are adults! Such nonsense. Also blondes DON’T have more fun.
What’s life like now? How often do you go to the salon?
I go to the salon daily. I am a workaholic.
I am never happier than when I am cutting and styling hair. Life is good. The pandemic has of course made life very challenging for everybody and the hair and beauty industry in particular has been hard hit.
However, we faced the challenge, observed the protocols, continued to operate and even moved to a brand new location – so yes, I am working full time with no thought of retiring and determined to overcome every challenge. I am also determined to open my own hair and beauty school and establish a total ‘Image Consultation’ unit to the existing salon or maybe even as a separate unit. Sri Lanka badly needs one.
What do you predict will be huge in the world of hair in the next year?
I predict the return of the pixie cut, a modernized version; shorter hair styles which are fuller and bouncy, but more stylised. The grey / ash blonde tint which was so popular will I think definitely be passé, what’s more it ruins your hair! Women should rule their hair, not let their hair rule them!
