Iconic hairdresser Vidal Sassoon dies

Fashion world says goodbye to the man known as the 'Chanel of hair'

The legendary hair stylist Vidal Sassoon has died at the age of 84 after battling leukaemia since 2009.

The British-born stylist was renowned in the fashion world for over 50 years with clients including Elizabeth Taylor, model Jean Shrimpton and fashion designer Mary Quant, who personally referred to him as the 'Chanel of hair.'

Sassoon revolutionised the way everybody wears their hair today, he also made British hairdressing the best in the world,' says fellow hairdresser Lee Stafford.

Sassoon rocketed to fame when he chopped Mia Farrow's hair into a pixie crop, creating the most iconic look of the 1960s, while at the same time proving that a woman could reinvent herself with something as simple as a haircut.

As well as inventing some of the most iconic looks including the bob, the five point cut and the wedge, Sassoon was also the first stylist to associate his name with products and hairdryers, which at their peak had sales of almost half a billion pounds a year.

'He was definitely the most innovative person ever to enter the industry,' says celebrity stylist, Oscar Blandi, who credits Sassoon for showing him the true art of styling.

Liberating the way women wore their hair, Sassoon approached hair as if it were fabric, cutting in shape and taking away everything that was superfluous.

'Women were going back to work, they were assuming their own power,' he said. 'They didn't have time to sit under the dryer anymore.'

His death was confirmed last night at his home in the Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles. His family were by his side including his fourth wife Rhonda.

Sassoon was awarded a CBE from the Queen in 2009 for his services to hairdressing.

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