John Frieda, the London hairdresser who cut hair for some of the most photographed people of the past half-century and later put an anti-frizz serum on bathroom shelves around the world, has died at the age of 75. His salon shared the news on Instagram, saying he passed away peacefully with his family around him and describing him as a mentor and a true icon of the hair industry. The cause of death has not been made public.
From his father’s salon to the Purdey cut
Born in London in 1951, Frieda grew up in the trade. He was a third-generation hairdresser and worked in his father’s salon as a teenager before opening a place of his own in his early twenties, with his father’s financial backing. His client list soon read like a who’s who of the era, with names such as Twiggy and Mick Jagger reported among them.
The moment that fixed him in pop-culture memory came in 1976, when he created the sleek, rounded bowl cut worn by Joanna Lumley as Purdey in The New Avengers. The “Purdey” became one of the most requested haircuts in Britain, and it still turns up on mood boards today. Vanity Fair Italia also recalls his marriage to the Scottish singer Lulu, which began in 1977 and with whom he had a son, and his later marriage in 2019 to Avery Agnelli.
Frizz Ease and a global hair-care brand
Frieda’s second act was arguably even bigger. With his American business partner Gail Federici, he developed a range of styling products bearing his name. Its breakout hit was Frizz Ease, a smoothing serum first sold in the UK and launched on the US mass market in 1990. Before it, people tamed unruly hair with oils, waxes and brilliantine; Frizz Ease helped create a whole new product category. Sheer Blonde followed in 1998. In 2002 the business was sold to the Japanese group Kao for a reported 450 million dollars, while Frieda continued to oversee his salons in London, New York and Los Angeles.
A legacy of effortless polish
What links the Purdey cut and a bottle of serum is an idea of grooming that looks polished without looking fussy, and that is a lesson worth borrowing beyond the hairdresser’s chair. A sleek bob or smooth blow-dry is the perfect frame for statement earrings, from sapphire drops to simple studs, or a fine pendant necklace. Pair it with a structured shoulder bag and the look is complete, with the same quiet confidence he brought to every cut.
Sources: Vanity Fair Italia, BBC News, The Guardian, WWD.
