Laetitia Genau: “My driving force was passion”

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

— Letitia, it’s so early in the morning, and you’re already full of strength and energy. How often do you have to get up early and what helps you wake up? — I always wake up very, very early. There is a French proverb: “The early riser earns the most.” I try to go to bed early, stick to a regular sleep schedule, and don’t eat at night - all this helps me get up earlier. — In one of your interviews, you said that you spend a maximum of forty days a year in Paris - due to constant travel and master classes. How do you manage to stick to the regime under such conditions? - You're right. When traveling, you don't always get the sleep you want. Especially on long flights. I don't sleep well on planes, even when I fly business class. The Japanese have one great trick that I always use: if I have at least ten minutes, I take a nap. But most importantly, I have very strict life hygiene. I don't drink, I don't smoke. I don't go out into the city while I'm working. When I fly to new countries, they constantly try to organize tours, city excursions, parties, and outings for me. I ask you to do this on the last day at best. I try to save as much energy as possible for work. — You often visit other countries, where there is a different culture, different types, different trends than in Paris. Does this leave an imprint on your personal image and work style? - Of course! I have changed a lot. We must change - it is our duty in life. The culture of others always touches you, influences you, and you can't do anything about it. I always say that I am a resident of the world, not of Paris. And this is great wealth! — Among this diversity, are there any favorite countries where you feel at home? - In Brazil. I like their fun and cheerfulness. Brazilians are happy with the little they have. I also love Japan - for their clarity and correctness. They are very hardworking people. I'm a vegetarian myself, so it's easy for me to live there. To be honest, I don’t have any unfavorite countries. I was always and everywhere received very well. — In one of your interviews, which is about four years old, we read that at that time you had schools in Brazil, Paris, and Poland. Has their geography expanded since then? After all, these are very different countries with their own culture, different types. Does this influence your teaching methods in specific schools? — My school in Brazil serves all of Latin America. People from both Western and Eastern Europe can come to the school, which is located in Poland. There is a unique technique, and it is only one - basic. And then, of course, it all depends on who you apply it to - a Latin American woman, a European woman or an Asian woman. Asian women hate volume, Latin women love volume. It's not so much the haircut that changes, but the styling method. —Who would you call your teachers? And the works of which masters do you consider worthy examples to follow? — I never had any mentors or teachers. Just a teacher - like everyone else. I finished my studies and immediately went to work in different salons. Perhaps this is fortunate. After all, it was thanks to this that I was able to find my own style and discover it in myself. I think if I had a personal teacher who inspired me, I would be more him than myself. I'm very lucky. Incredible things often happened to me; many things came to me on their own. I wanted to work in cinema - and now I work in cinema. I wanted to work with artists and singers - I worked with them. I met the L'Oréal brand - and now we have been together for twenty-three years. Every time I receive gifts from life. Since I didn't have a mentor, I had to grow up very quickly. And the driving force in the profession for me was my own passion, and not someone else’s external help. — Which of the celebrities with whom you worked was most memorable and why? - Gerard Depardieu, whom I love very much. Singer Cher. These are people who are essentially very simple. They treat everyone they work with as a team with respect. They are passionate about their profession. There are some artists who are capricious. But these people are wonderful. I have the best memories of them! — Does your education as a psychologist help you in working with complex, capricious clients? — I always say at internships: to be a good hairdresser, you need to be an excellent psychologist. Our profession is a profession of relationships. You constantly communicate with makeup specialists, with artists, with colleagues. Psychology helps us understand how to respond to different behavior of people, including destabilized ones - nervous, capricious. When you understand by what “mechanism” a person works, you have all the tools in your hands to remain calm and self-possessed even in front of the most difficult people. My role is not to add fuel to the fire, but rather to calm it down. I rather feel sorry for such choleric, capricious people, because they themselves suffer from it. — One of the French make-up artists, in an interview for our magazine, complained that very small budgets were allocated for make-up. He had a dream to go to Hollywood. What would you, as a hairdresser, say about cinema in Paris? — I started working in cinema back in 1989 and worked on films for ten years. I was very lucky because the budgets were good at that time. And there was an opportunity to do my job well. I specialized in historical films. Of course, the hairstyle of another century required a certain amount of time to create, and it was respected. After all, you need to remember that in cinema it is time that costs a lot of money. Now producers, of course, want everything to be done as quickly as possible. — Do you feel more like a male master or a female one? — I feel comfortable with both men and women, but I prefer to create women's hairstyles because there are more opportunities for creativity. — What hair do you like to work with most and why? — First of all, I love it when women have style. This is not to say that my preferences are based on hair length or volume. There must be harmony between what a person wears and the kind of person he is. Hairdressers are image creators. For a woman who suits short hair, I will give short haircuts and vice versa. I like to create a consistent and cohesive style rather than a specific length or shape. — How do you feel which style suits your client? — There are many factors. When a person enters a room, you immediately feel his personality and charisma. Next, I look at the silhouette, clothing style and overall ensemble. I take into account human behavior. All this adds up to a single picture, and I can already imagine what would suit this person best. — You said that style and individuality are important to you. Are there any taboos for you regarding any hairstyles? — There is one thing I would never do. I saw how once on a show a French hairdresser took a clipper and shaved the head of a girl with luxurious hair. I love women too much, I love hair too much, to shock them in this way to please myself and the public. I would also never dye dark hair like Asian hair platinum blonde, especially on long hair. Because I understand: I’ll ruin my hair. Anything that can bring suffering to hair and a person is taboo for me. — Do you have a makeup artist with whom you like to work in tandem? Is it easy to get on the same page with a makeup artist you’re seeing for the first time? — My fellow makeup artist is Damien Dufresne. He understands instantly what I want. We always exchange ideas and thoughts, as if there is a special connection between us. I would really like to work with him everywhere I go, but, unfortunately, this is not possible. So in other countries I work with others. Sometimes I’m disappointed, because these are more likely just people who know how to do makeup, and not makeup artists. When I talk about makeup artists, I mean people who are in a creative search for images. Makeup artists do their job competently, but this is different - You have a multifaceted creativity: working with brands, television, singers, actors. Surely, you have crossed paths with designers at Paris fashion weeks. Tell us about this work. — Yes, I worked at fashion weeks, which became a good school for me, but I didn’t stay in it for long. Designers draw a hairstyle in sketches and tell you what needs to be done. And I like to be the source of creativity, not the implementer. I did this work, but it constrained me. In most cases, couturiers understand that hair distracts attention from the clothing, so they try to hide it. When you visually remove your hair, the focus goes to your clothes. If a woman goes on stage with an elegant hairstyle, the focus will shift. I didn’t want to do ponytails or comb-overs. — What would you say is your main source of inspiration? — My inspiration most often comes from travel, the intersection of different cultures. I can find it in everything - in sculptures, buildings, streets. Everything that surrounds me inspires me. I'm not inspired by the work of other hairdressers - I'm afraid it will influence my own creative religion. Therefore, when I am in search mode, I cut off all communications from the hairdressing world so that the work of others does not lead me astray. Inspiration requires resources, time, and calm. I don’t know where it comes from. But often it seems to fall from the sky. I can't calculate it or predict it. By the way, this often happens at night. — This is probably not your first time in Ukraine. What can you say about the level of training of Ukrainian masters, about their ideas? And what would you wish for them? — We discussed this issue with the L'Oréal brand after my master class. And I said that I was pleasantly surprised by the evolution of hairdressers in Ukraine. I like their mindful approach to learning. They really want to learn and absorb everything like sponges. I would like to wish that Ukrainian masters get out of their comfort zone, believe in themselves and continue to strive and learn. The desire to grow depends only on you! Becoming one of the best is happiness!