Mr. PIN UP

Michael Davids grew up in Perth Western Australia, having always gravitated towards the hair industry with a fascination of glamorous wigs and hairstyles of Hollywood’s’ golden era. Now based in Melbourne, from his signature ‘Vintage’ style to dressing the locks of some of Melbourne’s TV Housewives, a youtube star with his channel ‘Bouffant Delacroix’, not to mention his product range and wig company, he certainly has his hands in a lot of pies.

We spoke to Michael about his diverse career and what excites this ‘Hollywoodesque hairstylist and entrepreneur.

How did you first get started in the industry?

I absolutely hated school. Not because I was lazy, but in the 80s and 90s, the education system wasn’t evolved enough to cater for people with strong creative sides. One of my sisters’ friends suggested that I go for a hairdressing apprenticeship at the age of 16. I went for 3 jobs and didn’t pass the probationary period. I was a very high energy eccentric kid. So, I went back to school. It was there when I met a friend who knew of a salon, I would be perfect for. That salon was called Dale James Hair and Beauty. I fitted in like a glove and finally found my people

Who has inspired you along your journey in the industry?

Mostly work colleagues. However, over the years I have lived with various performers, and you tend to learn little tricks off each other. Often some styles that seem impossible have very simple tricks behind them and come from those other than hairdressers!

You are very well-known for your Vintage Hair Styling; how did this niche develop and what drives the passion for this era?

I have always loved vintage hair. Perhaps in a past life I was alive during this era. I remember as a kid seeing the famous cartoon character Jessica Rabbit (who was based in the 1940s) and thinking “Wow. Why don’t women nowadays dress glamorously like this. I was also quite drawn to the Dick Tracy movies and the performances by Madonna. One of my biggest influences was a book that I bought from a shop next door to a salon I was working at in Melbourne. It was a coffee table book of photographs of Dita Von Teese, the famous burlesque dancer. It was so intriguing to me and how beautiful the hairstyles were. I was living in a world of straight hair and flat irons. I could not understand how this beautiful glamour of sculpted curls and waves had been forgotten. Thankfully I was taught all of these fundamentals at training school, and I started to practice them again.

You have created your own range of Poison Apple branded products, what inspired you to do this?

To this day I have been heavily involved in the burlesque, vintage and Pin-up circles and have a lot of clients. They all used different products and over time some of the popular ones were discontinued. Even I was looking for the perfect setting spray; a spray that had very strong hold without being crunchy and with a soft bounce and shine. Seemed like the impossible combination, but with the right developers and of course branding. I managed to pull it off. With my loyal clientele being avid social media bloggers. My Poison apple setting spray became a success. Since its release about4 years ago, the range now has its signature setting spray, pomade, called “toffee apple” shampoo, called “shampotion”, conditioner called “the wicked crème” and treatment “once upon a week.”

Can you tell us about your earlier competition work and what is it about that, that you enjoyed?

I loved competition work early on in my career. I found it very exciting and also it gives you a chance to do work a little more elaborate than what you might ordinarily do in the salon. In my early years I won a few competitions over in WA. My favourite competition was an education presentation where you had to present your work to an audience and panel of judges and I chose avant-garde hair; the more outrageous, the better! I won the Western Australian title for that one. It was a lot of fun and filled with showmanship. I think competitions are a great way for hairdressers and salons to come together as a community and celebrate their craft.

You have worked with a celebrity clientele; can you tell us more about this?

I’m blushing as I answer this question. How do you answer this without sounding like a show-off. I can’t kiss and tell, but how about I drop some categories. I recently worked on the Real Housewives of Melbourne. Stars from neighbours, I have done the Logies. I have even been flown interstate to do hair for celebrity weddings as well. Its funny how this sort of clientele snowballs. It is such a tight knit community, and everyone knows each other and recommendations for stylists, makeup artists and hairdressers, are taken very seriously. If you are good at what you do and have the right attitude, you will do very well.

You do the most amazing wig work, what inspired you to step into this field?

I love, love, love wigs. I have an unhealthy amorous relationship with wigs. Nearly like a fetish. I love that a prosthetic can be made and fitted so well that it can pass as real hair. A lot of people say they don’t like wigs and they can always tell when someone is wearing one…….. they fail to realise that they can only tell the bad ones. I had my own salon for ten years and I worked next door to a wig shop, and I would cut all of their wigs for them. The workload was huge, and at times inconvenient. However, I am so appreciative that I had that opportunity to have such an invaluable experience. Now that I am confident with wigs, I am opening up another branch to my business cutting wigs for medical patients.

You have the most fabulous YouTube channel, ‘Bouffant Delacroix’ with 12.2k subscribers! Can you tell us about what inspired you to create this, and how it has influenced your business?

I think I am a frustrated film maker or presenter haha! In the early years of my salon, I was still building up clientele. So, during the quiet times, my apprentice and I would pull out the camera and film tutorials on how to do various styles. Even though they would take hours, they were a lot of fun. I cover techniques such as roller placement and vintage styling. I gained a lot of followers and people would email me from other countries asking for advice on various techniques. It was very flattering. And of course, the YouTube channel attracted a clientele as well. It was so easy when new clients came in because they felt they already knew you, so there was no need for ice breakers.

You still create a lot of content; how do you balance the time being on the floor working in your business and the creative side of making content?

This is a hard one to juggle. If you are spinning too many plates in the air, you run the risk of dropping all of them. I try to evaluate my life on a weekly basis and find areas of time that are misused and then change my mind setting in order to make that spare time constructive time. However, the biggest secrets are always the simple ones. Look after yourself. Eat good food. And get lots of sleep! that way, if you have a healthy mind the rest will fall into place.

When you are not doing hair or creating content, where would we find you? How do you like to spend your spare time?

When I am not working, you can always find me at the gym…… that’s a lie haha! You will find me at my favourite Yum Cha Chinese restaurant having dumplings with my kids. Or you can find me cooking for my friends. Or you can find me staying back after work and having a glass of wine with my clients. I also bought a virtual reality system, so sometimes you can find me defending the city and fighting zombies. Having some time with the ones you love…. even if they are zombies, is very important to me.

Can you share with us some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the journey and how you overcame these?

I think challenges in this industry can present themselves from very different angles. Developing heathy relationships between yourself, staff and clients is paramount and sometimes you encounter prickly personalities. I think a very important skill to learn is to be able to set boundaries and stick to them. It is important to show people what behaviour you can accommodate and what behaviour is unacceptable. Because when you are in a service industry and people are paying you, it is very easy for the lines between instructions and being demanding to get blurred.

What achievement are you most proud of in your life or career?

The achievement that I am most proud of is not a singular, but sometimes I will catch myself out on an average day at work and think to myself, “You broke the mould! You may not be a doctor or a builder or a famous actor. However, you are your own boss and you make people happy and it is entirely up to you how basic or how successful you are in your career.” You can earn $50k a year or $200k a year. It all comes down to how much work you put in.

What is on the agenda for the future?

In the future I am focusing on my wig company. There is something so rewarding about giving someone back their confidence. And of course, also expanding my Poison Apple range. That’s if I can find time in between clients. But most of all, having goals is very healthy. But always take time out to enjoy the current moment. We often look back at our lives and have fond memories of people and places. These times that we remember are when we have been truly present, and they are invaluable. They build character and make you appreciate the small things in life.