James Joseph began his career in hairdressing studying under Vidal Sassoon in London, England over 30 years ago. Sassoon’s salon, unique for its time, featured sculpted haircuts and an innovative procedure called “blow drying.” James became fascinated with the art of sculpting hair and continued to develop his artistic talent working in Paris and Milan. Upon returning to the states in 1974, James opened his first salon in the Chicagoland area. The salon was one of the first that specialized in cuts and color. The salon was a huge success and James went on to consult for major companies assisting in designing new hair styling products. He also styled hair and did make-up for actresses, models, and other notable celebrities for magazine’s, television, and movies.
In 1978, James started developing the James Joseph Cosmetic line. He was the featured guest on the “Oprah Winfrey Show” to introduce the line to Chicago, which by 1984, was in all major department stores in the states. This gave James national attention for his extraordinary abilities. However, James says his philosophy is simple, “the cut always comes first, to create the shape for hair color to either follow, punctuate or enhance.” James is always pushing forward, looking for the inharmonious shapes to reshape or create. Honest, shapes, logical, inevitable, unique-to-the client shapes. He listens intently to each client as he consults in depth, then slips into his silent, intense work mode.
In a world gone “mad” with people over scheduling themselves and their families, James still believes in the art of taking time on clients. “My work reflects a new vision for each client, not a mere technique.” It is an artistic adventure in which I can create powerful shapes and color, or simply chic styles. You can give a systemized haircut but it is a haircut without a soul… therefore, I take my time.
Few people in the hair industry have survived for over 30 years but James has considered his journey as one of perpetual growth, discovering, and defining his work with artistic integrity. Studying his trade and following his heart is what is most important to him. Someone once said to him; “I just need my haircut, we’re not reinventing the wheel!” How wrong that person was… He REINVENTS!!!
