D
oña Pilar de Borbón, Mercedes McMicking, Miranda Zóbel, Fiona Williams, Carmen MartínezBordiú, Pipita Ridruejo, the Marquesa de las Cañas, Isabel Montojo, Blanca Villacieros, Silvia de Fuentes Bescós, Señora Benjumea, the Marquesa de Urquijo. The Garrigues Walkers, the Vallejo-Nágeras. Jaime Ortiz Patiño, Luis Miguel Dominguín...All belonging to illustrious families, in possession of great fortunes who ended up in this privileged spot which Joseph Rafael McMicking created in San Roque: Sotogrande. In addition to their all belonging to the most elite in the world of aristocracy, finance, poli-
tics and commerce, they also all placed their trust in a young woman from Algeciras named Felisa Navarro. She was their hairdresser and, in most cases, their friend. Felisa Navarro was born in Algeciras and studied hairdressing in Madrid, at a time when machismo reigned and women came second. Something which she wouldn’t stand for. A true entrepreneur, at just 17 she started her own business: a hair salon in Sotogrande, where the cream of not only Spanish but also international society passed through. It was the 1970s, and she would remain open for over thirty years. The hair salon was in Sotogrande hotel, and when this closed she
was forced to find a new location, though she kept her clientele - when it comes to beauty it’s important to gain confidence, and Felisa (Feli to her friends) won their confidence the first day she got to work. Luck was on her side in her business venture. She did the hair of a hotel worker from the luxury resort and this hairstyle caught the attention of the hotel manager herself, who was at the time looking for a replacement for the current hairdressers, the famous Blanco brothers. She made Feli an offer, and the clientele liked her so much that the young woman ran the service for over three decades. Carmen Zóbel was one of the people who supported her and al-
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HISTORIA /LA REVISTA DE SOTOGRANDE/
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