Feature - Bruno Elorrioroz Interview

Text / Images by Jamie Harrison // Published Friday 24 December 2010
 
Bruno Elorrioroz is Aveda’s Master Technical Director in London, and has spent 22 years in hairdressing, He began with L’Oreal and Carita, before working as a session colourist. He moved to London to join Aveda and has spent the last thirteen years working closely with Antoinette Beenders, representing the company at shows and presentations around the world and contributing to Aveda’s many collections.
 
When he’s not colouring hair for editorial shoots for numerous magazines and bringing his colour vision to haircuts from some of the greatest editorial and session stylists, Bruno continues to teach at the Aveda Institute. He still likes to spend time on the salon floor, so he understands the real world challenges faced by his students.
 
Bruno joined us in the MyHairDressers.com studio for two days, where he recorded four trend-led tutorials with Bastian Casaretto.
 

From where do you draw Inspiration?

I get my inspiration from art mainly. I love artists like Francis Bacon and Jenny Saville, because the colours are so strong and vivid. But I also get inspiration from life and things around me. It’s like when you drink a glass of champagne, there’s that soft golden honey colour. In the winter there’s hazelnuts and almonds and all of those beautiful shades of brown in a bowl of nuts, I Iike to take those colours into hair. It’s seasonal; the colours of the hair reflect the colours of the food, drink - the colours all around you. For example, I was making a cup of tea and as the tea spread though the water there were two or three shades seeping and melting out and that was very inspirational!
 
When I’m working on a collection, I look at all the designer catwalk shows on the internet. This year’s winter collections have a lot of blues and purples and blacks and lots of shades of brown from caramels, to burnt cinnamon, so I’m bringing that into the hair I’m doing at the moment and the editorial work I’ve done recently.
 

Who are your influences?

I have to say, Annie Humphries is amazing, with her melting shades of colours. Angelo Seminara is really amazing and Antoinette Beenders of course has been a huge influence. Young people are always very influential. I’m always looking at all the new creative people coming from the colleges like St. Martins.

 
Who’s your style icon?

It has to be Alexander McQueen. He was amazing. Inredibly inspirational for everyone, even though he’s no longer with us. And also Matthew Williamson - the colours he’s using in his dresses are so interesting. I’m very eclectic - I like different people. I like the punky, grungy feel of people like Pixie Geldof, and the way she can take different elements and reinvent them to make her own look. But I don’t have just one icon.
 

Do you have a favourite technique?

I love the melting technique, which goes from dark to light or light to dark shades. Like a sun kissed look. I developed a technique, which I called the fluffy clouds technique - where you scrunch the hair with a lighter, sun kissed colour and darker roots. I love the current rootsy looks, when you have a dark colour to the first three inches of the roots and then one shade lighter through the middle lengths and one shade lighter to the ends to give a melting effect. It’s just so now. I’m doing it for MyHairDressers.com today.
 

What’s hot?

For the darker shades, everything’s very cool, very matt and cold colours for the winter – dark purple, aubergine, Bordeaux shades with maybe some subtle undertones of blue reflecting at the same time.
 
With the lighter shades it’s all about beautiful warm blondes, with darker shades to warmer shades - golds, reds and copper or a dark cappuccino, nutmeg blonde. The pale white, platinum shades are so over now.
 

Can you share any top tips?

The most vital thing is to listen to the guest – the consultation is so important. People are so aware of what’s going on - they read magazines, have the internet etc. People are not stupid, so you have to be more advanced than the client in what’s happening in fashion. Tell them what you’ve seen, what’s hot and they love it. Hairdressers are not just hairdressers; they have to be aware of what’s happening in fashion. Guests love it if they have colours that are new and they’re ahead of everyone else.
 

Online education

Online education is the future. Everyone has the internet at home and it’s so quick - you can learn everything online now. MyHairDresssers.com is such a good tool, even for people who have been in hairdressing for many years. People want to save money and it’s cheaper to be online and you don’t have to travel or stay in hotels to watch a workshop and pay £600. It’s great.
 
Bruno’s Fluffy Clouds tutorial will be released in early 2011 on MyHairDressers.com.
 
Watch Bruno’s first tutorial now >>