Celebrity hair designer JOHN SAHAG died of cancer this past Wednesday (June 15). 

Share a few memories with some of John’s friends as Dwight Miller, Albie Mulcahy and Mary-Rector Gable share their thoughts.

John Sahag has been internationally recognized as a creative innovator in hair design for more than 20 years.  He prides himself in exploding the boundaries of convention and has always approached hair design with the sensitivity and creativity of a painter and a sculptor. 

Hair to him is an artistic medium.  “Cutting and shaping hair is a very personal and intimate experience for me – I try to always stay alert to the magic so I can carve out shapes that are demanding to be born.” 

World renowned for his extraordinary vision, intensity and integrity, his work has appeared in the photographs of Richard Avedon, Patrick Demarchelier, Helmut Newton, Irving Penn, Hiro and Albert Watson in fashion and beauty magazines all over the world. 

Born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon, John’s family fled to Sydney, Australia due to the war.  At age 14 his rise to stardom began when his talent was recognized in a major editorial feature in The Sydney Morning Herald.  At the young age of 18, he went off to Paris where he was in constant demand.  His first editorial credit appeared almost immediately in Italian Vogue. 

For the next 12 years, Sahag split time between Paris and New York.  And it was at this time that he invented his own method of cutting hair: dry-cutting.  He believed he could follow the natural rhythm of the hair, if he cut it dry.  The method involves cutting by vertically tapering the ends of the hair with shears, always following the natural grain of the client’s hair.  He tapers it with an esthetic that is born of his desire to reveal and accentuate the person, the individual, rather than merely providing a frame for the face.

Since 1985, John Sahag has owned one of New York City’s most unusual and extraordinary salons – The John Sahag Workshop – where he designed every element of the space himself, creating an inviting and serene environment.  “I wanted to create an oasis away from the frenetic pace of New York life, to erase the ‘edginess’ of urban living, and to revive the energy of each man and woman who enters into my space so they can leave feeling enhanced, refreshed and invigorated.” 

A typical day in The John Sahag Workshop reveals a unique mix of royalty, celebrities, film directors, fashion and beauty editors, as well as New York’s business elite.  Sahag’s clientele return not only for the unmatched cut, color and styling they receive from Sahag and his well-trained and renowned creative team of designers and colorists, but also for the tranquil harmony that is the “workshop.”  Sahag’s work frequently adorns the models in the pages of top fashion magazines, he is often quoted in beauty stories, and regularly appears on television giving advice on how to achieve the most beautiful hair possible.

In spring 1998, Sahag premiered his own line of haircare.  After years of development, John Sahag feels he has finally created a line that is precision-designed “for perfectionists only.”  Conceived, developed and formulated by John Sahag personally, each of his 22 products in the collection is made without compromise.  Handcrafted by John Sahag to bring out the “magic” that lies within the hair.