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“IF YOU CAN MEET WITH TRIUMPH AND DISASTER, AND TREAT THOSE TWO IMPOSTORS JUST THE SAME”
GUY KREMER
The title of Men’s Hairdresser of the Year followed. He also had a prolific run at the L’Oréal Colour Trophy and an impressive clutch of creative, business and international awards too. Guy is pragmatic about the fact that while nominated for British Hairdresser of the Year, this was to be a title that escaped him. He refers to the Rudyard Kipling quote, “If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster, and treat those two impostors just the same,” as the way he handles disappointment in life. In any case, a greater honour - Fellowship Hairdresser of the Year was in store, a title he won twice – the second time 17 years later. Valuing the acknowledgment from his peers, this award was proof of both his talent and enduring popularity. Today, his self-titled salon in Parchment Street is one of Winchester’s biggest success stories. While others have come and gone, Guy puts his salon’s success down to an unwavering commitment to customer care. “I’m totally involved in every aspect of the salon and continually invest to keep standards high,” he says. Never shy of spending money where it’s needed, Guy admits to routinely refurbishing the salon to keep its sense of luxury. His loyal customers are made to feel welcomed and special – perhaps a lesson learnt from those early days of five-star service. Guy’s raft of well-heeled customers from Hampshire and the surrounding areas are a top priority for him and Guy also boasts a close circle of celebrity devotees. As well as a commitment to his clients, he treats his close-knit team like family; a virtue that has backfired in the past. “I’d say that the hardest part of running a salon is putting your trust into people and misjudging it,” he laments. “I’ve been disappointed by staff members and it hurts.” He describes the recent death of his longstanding PA and most trusted friend, Margery as heart-breaking. By his side in business for 38 years, she started out as a client before taking on the role as bookkeeper, receptionist and later PA. “she was my unseen hero,” Guy reflects sadly. Other abiding and loyal names in his professional life are JC Aucamp and Jonny Engstrom. JC now runs the successful Guy Kremer franchise salon in Lymington, while Jonny has been in Guy’s inner sanctum since 1997 and heads up the Winchester salon as Director and Art Director. Other top names in the hair world cite Guy as their influence and little wonder he was named by USA’s leading trade magazine, Modern Salon, as one of the Top 75 Global Educators of the Century. Famed for his skill at dressing long hair, he’s even written a book about it – a talent immortalised in print. At 68 years old, Guy shows no signs of giving up on his beloved hair career. But there are glimpses of what a life might look like beyond it. He retreats to his second home in Cordes-sur-Ciel whenever he can. From his balcony overlooking the picturesque 14th Century village below, he paints. “I’m influenced mainly by the artists Chagall, Dali and Gaugin.” It’s also a place where he indulges his passions for cooking, swimming and gardening. Pruning the roses or creating a feast for friends are how he zones out of the bustling days he leads at the salon. Despite branching out with the franchise salon in Lymington, Guy maintains he never set his sights on a vast chain of salons. Instead he’s pleased and proud of the thriving business he’s built in Winchester. 45 years since first arriving in the UK, Guy may have French roots, but is as much a part of the British hair scene as any of the other names that have made it to the top echelons. And yes, while the taste for opulence and luxury and the abundant successes of his dazzling career are plain to see, it’s clear that above all, Guy Kremer is a devoted and humble hairdresser at heart. Pleasing his clients and bringing out the best in them, he admits, offers the greatest riches of all.
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Hair Biz Year 15 Issue 4
