10 MINUTES WITH
PETER DORIO
By Louise May
In 1987 Peter Dorio opened Sochi with one main motivation - to do great hair with a ‘keep It real’ attitude. 34 years later nothing has changed. In the past 20 years Peter’s expertise has been sought after by numerous international companies having him feature heavily for both national and global hair shows and packedout advance cutting workshops. Hair Biz Editor Louise May spent 10 minutes with Peter Dorio to hear first-hand about his journey throughout his hairdressing career, what he has been up to during lockdown, and his love for food and fast cars.
TELL US WHAT YOU DO IN THE INDUSTRY TODAY.
Unfortunately, at the moment and including the last 18 months due to Covid lockdowns there really hasn’t been a lot for me to do both in the salon and external education. However, I have had to take my own and one of my greatest mantras “when there’s nothing to do, there’s plenty to do.” I have literally filled three books of notes, ideas and anecdotes. I have used these lockdowns to seriously reflect on our industry and its ever changing personality. I have also used this time away from the salon to plan and prepare educational classes of advance cutting motivation and rebooting hairdressers’ careers and lives. Helping them to peel away the layers to expose the hairdresser they were when they were originally obsessed with our craft.
PLEASE SHARE A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR UPBRINGING.
I grew up in a working-class suburb with working class parents having migrated from Italy in the 50’s. My father worked six days a week and up to twelve hours per day in plastic
factories. He absolutely loved his job right up to his retirement at 70, and never once in all my years did I ever hear him complain about work. My mother worked mostly in retail. She also loved her work and it seemed she went to work for a catch up with friends. Mum with her gift of the gab loved a good old chat and I can see where I got that from, being the eldest I had two younger siblings. We literally had nothing superficial, a lot of hand me downs from older cousins, even our bikes were a mish mash of old bikes painted with house paint by Dad. There was no way in our lives that we were ever bored, especially being surrounded by up to twenty cousins. Sunday nights we were at our grandparent’s house with all cousins attending, and a big weekly feast. In our lives we were completely surrounded by loving family, lots of laughs, great food and never felt that we didn’t have much. Family was everything!
got an apprenticeship set up and I’m going to earn more than you ever have in your lifetime”. ANOTHER BIG MISTAKE! In 1981 Australia went into recession and my guaranteed apprenticeship disappeared with it. “Go out and get a job,” my parents said, so we asked friends and family for any type of job I could get. My cousin’s hot fiancée said they needed a helper at the salon she worked in, and I was not at all interested. Well I’ll be buggered. I thought I’d give it a try for a couple of weeks, an easy job wearing funky clothes (it was the 80’s). Making coffees, sweeping hair, washing hair, earning tips and the best of all surrounded by twelve hot female staff members and for a sixteen-year-old kid in the 80’s life couldn’t get any better. I half-heartedly signed on as an apprentice, it was definitely just a plan B for my career. However, my obsession with our amazing industry didn’t really start until my second year as an apprentice.
HOW DID YOU FIRST GET INVOLVED IN THE INDUSTRY?
WHAT ACHIEVEMENT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF IN YOUR LIFE OR CAREER?
So, my whole young life, I was obsessed with wood and becoming a carpenter. My uncle Bill was an amazing “old school” builder and there was nothing he couldn’t do and in turn he promised me an apprenticeship as soon as I finished school. BIG MISTAKE! I mucked up at school and never really did any good at the academic subjects, ironically only wood work and art got me A’s. Teachers were constantly telling me that I would get nowhere in this world without an education. I used to brag to them “I don’t need to pass; I’ve already
Wow, where do I start? I have been blessed with so many different achievements both personally and professionally which I am extremely proud of. Nothing has ever come easy and I have worked my arse off with everything I have achieved. Personally the thing I am most proud of is my family. My best friend and sparring partner, my wife of nearly thirty years, Lorraine. She has always supported me with everything I have ever wanted to do, and also has reigned me back in on times I needed to be slowed down or stopped for my own good. Two absolutely amazing kids who are killing it in their own chosen professions. Apart from teaching them manners, respect, humility, being honest and team players, I brain washed them to choose a career that they love and are obsessed with, no matter how hard
