MASTER OF THE CRAFT
DARIO CHICCO By Louise May
Sydney-based hairdresser, Dario Chicco has been mastering his craft since the 60s. He began when cutting hair was an art, it was the Sartorialist “tailored” individual period of hair cutting. At that time the great hair cutters like Jacques Dessange, Jean Louis David, Bruno Pittini and Vidal Sassoon re-invented the hair industry by wash and wear – “Pret-a-porter” cuts. From the 60’s to now, Dario still continue to cut hair into shape. His cuts are 100% organic – no chemicals, brushes or irons are used in the process. Operating several successful salons, including the famous ECRU in Melbourne’s South Yarra, VOI Haircuts in Sydney and now Dario is self-titled in Paddington and is one of Australia’s leading experts on ‘dry cutting’. After decades of working with women, Dario knows how to enhance their natural beauty with hair. By analysing their potential, he can make women of all ages look their best. It’s not a matter of what is fashionable, it’s what suits you! It was great to catch up with Dario recently and get an insight into his journey throughout the years and his ‘genius zone’ of dry cutting.
Where did you grow up?
I was born in Trieste Italy and came to Canberra Australia at the age of 5... did my schooling in Canberra and left at age 14.
Where did you start hairdressing and what inspired you to do hairdressing?
I left school; I didn’t know what to do but my father’s barber asked if I wanted to become a Hairdresser, so I started my apprenticeship in a unisex salon in 1964 in Canberra. It was at the time when women didn’t want to have rollers and sit under a dryer for hours ... they just wanted a haircut ... no fuss. This was a good grounding for me at I learnt the art of haircutting . which has stayed with me all through my career.
Tell us a little about your career prior to opening your salon?
After finishing my apprenticeship, I moved to Sydney and worked for Denise of Paris in Potts Point. At that time, I met John Sahag who was working in the Eastern suburbs. He was dry haircutting as well, so professionally we got on, as our styles were similar. John moved to Paris and then New York where he became famous for his haircutting skills. I then moved to Melbourne and worked for Edward Beale where I exposed to Vidal Sassoon precision style haircutting.
