Christian Petek: “Treat every client like a star”

The article was first published in the magazine “Makeup&YOU Professional”.

You have been doing hairdressing for almost 30 years. How much has the beauty industry and the world of hairdressing changed during this time? Of course, the beauty industry, like the fashion show industry, has changed a lot. The technique of work has also changed significantly - it has become easier and more accessible. This business is growing at incredible speed. It is known that you are a multifunctional specialist - cutting hair, coloring, and barbershop. Your team does many things. What type of activity is closest to you? What do you like to do most? I have five salons. But for the last 20 years I have been mainly involved in teaching, conducting seminars and show programs. Therefore, I don’t manage to work in salons as often as I would like. Have you often attended master classes of other hairdressers or their show programs? Who do you remember most and why? I haven't been attending any seminars often enough in recent years. But I create my collections in the Schwarzkopf Professional team, and these are international-class professionals from different countries. They constantly exchange new products and their experiences, so there is always something to learn from their colleagues. There are many world-famous masters whom I admire and with whom I exchange experiences with great pleasure. What inspires you when you create your shows? Of course, I get my ideas from fashion shows in different countries at Fashion Week. Since the hairdresser, with his work, seems to complement the already created collections, I very closely follow the trends and new items in clothing and accessories at Fashion Week. And, of course, music provides its energy. Does your mood during a show depend on the number of spectators in the hall? Will it spoil if there is only one person in the room? It doesn't matter to me how many people attend a show or a seminar. I enjoy it no matter whether the seminar is in a salon with only 10 people or a huge show in a room with 600 spectators. For me these are completely different things, but I enjoy both. There is no need to be confused: we, hairdressers, are not singers, not show business stars. Our task is to do our work with the same quality for both a small number of people and a large one. That's why I always give 300% regardless of the audience. Surely, you have been to many major cities in the world. And fashion in London is different from fashion in Shanghai. Which city would you personally call the capital of hairdressing and why? Of course, every country has its own trends, but fashion is fashion. Each country has its own pros and cons. When I attend Fashion Week in different countries, I always try to take into account the nuances of each of them. I cannot single out one country that I like best; each of them has something of its own, individual. Fashion is multifaceted. And when we say “trend 2018”, we mean not 5 trends, but 105. What trends are you focusing on in your latest collection? What colors, shapes, lines do you choose for yourself this season? This year I wanted to combine different styles, combine some with a sexy, classic style. I get inspired with every texture, and I combine two or three completely different directions in one style. Therefore, I cannot say, for example, that this is only straight or only torn hair. I prefer a symbiosis of several directions. Many European masters are open to experimentation and love mixing styles. But still, probably, every master has some taboos. For example, some people don’t dye their dark Asian hair white so as not to ruin it. Do you have any prohibitions? For me there is no taboo in any form. My main criterion is to do no harm. It doesn’t matter if it’s working with models, clients, any ordinary salon visitor, or someone who simply trusts me with their hair. If, for example, a person dyed his hair black at home, I will not dye it blond, because this will cause severe damage to the hair. I adhere to the principle: do not harm the client under any circumstances. That is, if a client shows a picture in a glossy magazine and demands that it be done exactly that way, will you refuse and explain why? No one can convince me to do something that could cause harm. This is my law. None of the clients come with a photo of someone they know; everyone brings photos of celebrities. And here, accordingly, you need to take into account the texture of the hair, its features to create a particular image. I do not tell the client that I will categorically not do this. But I recommend that you can make it as close as possible to that photo, based on the characteristics of his hair. Of course, it is necessary that the image suits this particular person, because the client does not always understand what suits him, but brings a photo of how he wants to see himself. But you can always change the color a little, change the length of the hair, give it a different direction. Accordingly, when I slightly change the technique, color, length, it’s a completely different job. But the image must be created in such a way that the client believes that it corresponds to the photograph he brought. Do you often work with stars? Of course, many famous people from show business and cinema contact me. But if you are a good hairdresser, it does not matter to you whether it is a celebrity or an ordinary client. If you love your job, then treat every client like a star. What are your hobbies besides hairdressing? I have many hobbies - I love skiing and snowboarding. I love old cars, motorcycles, bikes. But my main hobby is being a hairdresser.