As the year draws to a
close, we would like to call attention to the passing of two very important
hairdressers. Whether they know it or not, every hairdresser has been
influenced by Aldo Coppola and Kenneth Battelle.
Aldo started his career
in the salon at age 12, and by 16, was styling for the runway shows in Italy.
He later established the first Italian hair and make-up agency. Over the years
he worked on many campaigns with Armani, Missoni, Valentino and Versace;
monumentally impacting the way people wore their hair. His hairstyles
graced the pages of Vogue magazine and he had a long-standing business
relationship with L’Oreal.
In 1965, he opened his
first salon in Milan. Many more were to follow in Rome, Monte Carlo, Tokyo and
Moscow. He passed on November 20th.
Kenneth Battelle, known
simply as “Kenneth” or “Mr. Kenneth” joined the navy at 17, and after 18 months
of service, decided that hairdressing was to be his future.
In 1950, he moved to New
York to work at Helena Rubenstein on 52nd and Fifth. This is where
he first saw Jacqueline Kennedy as a client, and was responsible for creating
her iconic hairstyle. After this, Kenneth became a hairdresser to society women
and celebrities. His clients included Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn and
Lucille Ball. By 1961, he was writing ‘how-to’ articles for Glamour Magazine.
This made his knowledge accessible to many women in America.
Kenneth’s namesake salon
opened in 1963 on East 54th Street, and flourished for many
years. Sadly, in 1990, a fire destroyed the salon. It was never to be
rebuilt, and he relocated to Waldorf-Astoria hotel.
The iconic hairdresser
was taking clients until the late 2000’s.
Kenneth passed on May
12th.
