Dieter Kaiser: “I like minimalism”

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

In the photo illustration for one of your interviews ten years ago, you are wearing the same bandana as you are sitting in front of us now. Is this some kind of “trick” of yours? Your mascot? Or are they just the same bandanas? It all started when I wore it for the first time on stage, and subsequently I always wear it to important events. If someone sees me without a bandana, then it’s somehow unusual. People sometimes even ask me, “Where is the bandana?” But, of course, she is not alone, I have several of them. Your parents had their own beauty salon. How did it happen that you became interested in this particular field of activity as a child? Was it somehow imposed by your parents or did you gravitate towards all this yourself? Yes, indeed, my parents had a salon. But the decision was mine personally. When I graduated from school, my father asked me: “Are you going to do this or should I rent out the salon?” I told him that I wanted to and would. That's how it all started. In principle, it was easy, because there was someone to learn from, and there were always parents nearby who were involved in this. When did you decide that you could already share your knowledge and first organized a master class or seminar? Do you remember him? It all started with my father sending me to study abroad, first to Germany, then to France and England. I realized that I really love traveling and started saving money for it. Then I realized that my profession allows me to combine this: traveling and performing. That’s how it all started... In your interviews, you said that you are inspired by people on travel and, in principle, travel. Which countries do you remember most? Surely, you have already been all over the world; are there any that struck you in the heart? I started traveling in the late 80s. I really love different countries and their cultures. It’s difficult to be specific, but Cuba probably impressed me very much. It is a combination of Spanish Colonial and Caribbean cultures. Havana really struck me... When I first visited there, I noticed that there were no bright advertisements there, the city itself was so authentic. And yes, I love Cuban cigars. A few years ago you performed in Ukraine on the stage of Stereo Plaza, a club where only world-class stars can gather a full house in our country. Masters of the beauty industry in Ukraine do not often organize their seminars at such huge venues. What do you prefer: big performances or small master classes where you can communicate with everyone and give advice to everyone personally? Of course, I love big events, I like performing for large audiences. But, on the other hand, small seminars are also interesting, because, indeed, there is an opportunity to communicate closer with people. Do you get nervous before going on stage? Do you have any secrets to calm yourself? I don’t worry anymore, it happened before. But, of course, there are small secrets. The first is preparation. If you are ready, then there is nothing to worry about. And, in general, I love being on stage, here I feel at home. So your show is more about preparation, a clear plan? Or do you sometimes improvise? Have there often been situations when something went wrong, and how did you get out of them? In fact, there are a lot of such stories. Most often they are due to the fact that models do not show up - either they simply do not show up, or they get sick on the day of the performance. At such moments you have to improvise on stage. There must be thorough preparation for events, but you also always need to have a backup plan and be able to improvise. By what principle do you choose your models? Do you look solely at the required length, color and texture of hair, or are some human qualities also important for the show to go well? On the one hand, this is, of course, hair, its type. I need to make sure that the length, color and texture are right for the hairstyle I'm creating. On the other hand, facial features are also important. I always scan models to make sure that the girl completely fits the image that I want to create, so that her entire appearance matches the hairstyle. In one of your interviews, you said that the main sign of beautiful hair is its shine. Can you share a couple of secrets on how to make your hair as shiny as possible? From a hairdresser’s point of view, first of all you need to monitor the quality of your hair during dyeing, use truly professional, high-quality products so that your hair is not damaged, and subsequently select the right care. Then your hair will look healthy and shiny. From the point of view of the consumer, the client - you need to follow the advice of the hairdresser, be sure to use hair care products, and, of course, use finishing products that give instant shine. If we draw an analogy with the face, there are cosmetics for care, and there are decorative ones for makeup. The same goes for hair. There is deep care and there is superficial care. What should ideal hair look like? In fact, it all depends on the image you want to create. If it is something simple, then the hair should be medium density, smooth, straight. If it is wavy hair, then it should be denser, thicker - then you can create voluminous hairstyles. There is no such thing as “I like” or “I don’t like.” There is fashion, trends that need to be followed. When you see a person, you need to understand what is fashionable now will suit him the most. Do you prefer to work with short hair or long hair? Which color do you like best? The answer here is simple. Of course, I like short hair better. Because they can show more technical haircuts, complex ones. I have no preference in hair color. It all depends on the type of person, this color should suit him. If I see a person with hair color that doesn’t suit him, it really hurts my eyes. Which color schemes are closer to you: natural ones or some bold experiments, maybe a combination of several colors in one hairstyle? When you need to present an image on stage, then, of course, you will be more impressed by working with bright shades and crazy color combinations. Many novice hairdressers, showing their creativity, can outright ruin a client’s hair. What advice could you give to avoid this? I have already visited more than sixty countries, and in all of them the situation is the same: novice hairdressers immediately want to experiment, try to create complex images, and in the process, of course, damage their hair. My advice is to learn to work well with the basics, do basic coloring, haircuts, and then continue to move forward and experiment with this practice. What is taboo about hairstyles for you? Speaking of haircuts, I would never take on a look that clearly doesn’t suit the person. And when it comes to coloring: I have to make sure that I can create a specific look and still maintain the quality of the hair. If this is not feasible, the quality of the hair does not allow it, I will not undertake such coloring. Is there a performance or just working with a client, the result of which you could call the most striking experiment in your life? Some bold image that you didn’t expect from yourself. I can’t remember anything like that, because I’m ready for anything. Therefore, it is difficult to surprise me with such experiments. The biggest performance I had was in Barcelona a few years ago, where there was an audience of about three and a half thousand people. After that, it’s hard to surprise me with anything. On any stage I feel at ease. Have you worked with many celebrities? Are they simpler than ordinary people, or vice versa? How do you approach difficult clients? I worked on fashion shows for Versace, Ferre and many others. It’s really difficult there, because there is a clear image that needs to be adhered to, and there is no room for creativity. And often these looks need to be done on wigs. This makes the work process very difficult. A few years ago I worked at the Vienna Ball, which was hosted by Elton John. It was a charity event for AIDS patients. There I had to work with Austrian celebrities, and this was exactly the case when the celebrities were very simple and unpretentious in their work. They trusted me with their hair. It was very easy and pleasant to work with them. Do you work in tandem with the same makeup artists or with different ones? How do you find a common language with them so that the image looks holistic and harmonious? And in general, how deeply do you think makeup and hairstyle are connected? Do you follow makeup trends yourself? Upon arrival in the country, I usually work with those provided by the organizers. I don't have any special requirements. But, of course, at performances, the complete look is always important - hairstyle, makeup, and costume, so I follow all the trends in makeup and clothing. When there is a show coming up, I always discuss the entire look with the makeup artist or costume director. In the coming season, among the large number of hairdressing trends, which is closest to you? What did you highlight for yourself? And also in clothes and makeup? In hairdressing trends, this is probably the direction of the 60s; by the way, I presented one of the trends in Ukraine at my master class. In general, it is still difficult to determine any clear directions, because now we are only selecting all the trends, we are monitoring all the major fashion shows to understand what the trends will be next season. I'm guessing the trend for unfinished, unfinished looks we're seeing this season will continue. In fact, such looks are difficult to create because they have to look casual but still be perfect. Will there be men's looks in the collection? What's trending for men now? And what can you say about such beloved beards? Are they really already going out of fashion? Most men like to shave their heads short, under the nozzle, but in the future there will be a fashion for looks with longer hair. There will be a contrast between the long and short elements of the hairstyle, but these short elements will look like regrown hair. Unfortunately, the beard trend is already fading. But I think it will take some time until people gradually get used to it and understand that beards are no longer in trend. Now many stars prefer minimalism in clothing, switching to jeans and T-shirts. How do you feel about this? I support this trend. I like it, this style of minimalism. What brands do you like? What do you prefer in clothes and accessories? I love Replay jeans, Boss clothes, and the general direction is casual. What I like about the watch is the metal straps and black dial. I have about five watches and they all look the same even though they are from different brands. I love silver accessories.