Alessio Martelli: “When you work with a client, you give your soul”

The article was first published in the magazine “Makeup&YOU Professional” and is intended for professional hairdressers. Alessio, what is your impression of Kyiv? Did you manage to get to know the city a little in your free time? Yes. The capital really impressed me, the city is very beautiful. Although I didn’t see much, I was impressed by the architecture. Especially the historical squares of Kyiv - your central Independence Square, for example. There are many very beautiful parks and greenery. Everything is great! I was really surprised by the snow in spring! What do you think about the people who came to listen to you? Do they feel interested? Most people came for information about work techniques. They asked a lot of practical questions, for example, how to properly shape a hairstyle so that it matches the style and correctly emphasizes facial features. I have studied in many professional international academies and gained different experiences. And I think, in order to improve the level of haircut technology and methods, we need to conduct more master classes abroad. Do you often attend master classes yourself? Maybe you fly to other countries not only to teach, but also to learn something from your colleagues? Yes, I love listening and teaching equally. I am very interested in learning something new for myself, so that I can then share my experience with others. The last courses I attended were courses from our Academy in Italy, where I am a member of the Selective Group Professional team. Several times a year, our team gathers at a conference where we discuss techniques, methods, come up with something new, and experiment. And those experiments that were successful are already being practiced in a wider circle. Back in the fifties and sixties, stylists introduced geometry into hairdressing, by which everything can be calculated, adapting to facial features. We, as representatives of this profession, must not only apply classical methods, but also constantly develop, look for ourselves in something new - in styles, in forms. Can you share the important rules with which you start choosing a hairstyle? First, you must definitely see the morphology of a person. First I do a complete review: not only the nose, eyes, cheeks and chin, hair structure, but also the physique itself. Yes, yes, the hairstyle should suit the body type, and not just highlight the face. We cannot create an image only up to the chest or only up to the neck. You need to look at how and with what a person will wear this hairstyle, how he will present it. What else do you consider? Occupation, clothing style? At first, even the moment is enough when you look at a person and see how he moves, how he dresses, how he talks. With all this, a person sends us his specific messages. And this makes the work easier, I already know approximately what I will create, what image. Correct distribution into zones is important. Hairdressers usually divide it simply - occipital, facial, side. For myself, I distributed it like this: the front - solar part, the back of the head - lunar, and all the rest - orbital. Our most controlled lunar zone is because it is behind us. Even when you simply touch the orbital zone with your hands, you can already feel where and what needs to be cut and trimmed. First you need to carefully examine the hair structure and consider the shape of your face, and only then do something. The approach to each person must be individual. Amateurs think they know everything. Professionals understand that they do not know a lot and often make discoveries for themselves. What has been your most striking discovery lately, something that has changed your views? I've been in this business for about 33 years. Many eras have passed - the eighties, nineties, two thousand. I noticed that everything is changing, and changing very much. We are no longer what we were before. Those who take their business seriously constantly learn new things, do not stand still, change their approach and views. When I first started, I worked for a famous hairdresser who lived near me in Italy. He is a very great professional, only at that time he managed to make people completely different, he was very talented. I admired and followed his example. But I can’t work now the way that master worked then. It is very dangerous to radically change a person in our time, since not everyone is ready for this. Now, first of all, I try to properly advise clients: what will suit him, what haircut, what shape. And only if a person is ready for changes and trusts me personally, then I take full responsibility and create. The main thing is to have talent and imagination. And thanks to the fact that we have the Internet, constant access to it with the help of gadgets, people have the opportunity to choose styles and shapes for themselves... Very often clients come with their ready-made pictures and say: “Here, I want this!” But I have to make sure for myself that this hairstyle suits this person. The client is not a professional. He wants it like in the magazine, but he doesn’t think at all that he has different facial features, and this hairstyle may not suit him. How are you trying to convince him? And will you refuse the client if he persists? If a client comes and begins to insist on his own, first of all I look at the hair structure. If the structure of the hair does not allow such a haircut or the desired coloring, if I am sure that it can cause harm, I will refuse. I won't take any risks. Why do I need a bald client or a client with skin inflammation? I have had cases of refusals, but very rarely, because I am trying to convey the correct information to the client, to show what style and shape will really suit him. I know how to convince people and don’t give up. There are times when a client leaves, but I have no regrets. Many more will come who want to consult, and will do as I say, because my advice is dear and good. Each client’s wishes must be taken into account, but not blindly fulfilled. In articles about you it is written that in your works you embody the Italian style. What is Italian style? The first is the very atmosphere of the country where we live. Our Italian spirit. The second is, of course, culture. Italy is a famous manufacturer of clothing and shoes; it has the most fashionable brands - Roberto Cavalli, Gucci and many others. What do I mean by culture? Everything is here: history, architecture, sea, nature, climate, transitions in colors from blue to green, earrings, long hair... And all this is interconnected. Even the relationships themselves - warmth, openness... This all affects work. When you work with a client, you give your soul. Everything passes through your soul. Let's try to compare an Italian and a German. Italians are smoother people. But the Germans, let’s say, have a square shape. Italians are more emotional, they like to fantasize and look for something new. They smile and give people their warmth. We are constantly searching and changing. We fantasize, we create, we do not stand still. Of course, we are not perfect, and we have our shortcomings.