Franco Vallelonga Kicking up Quite a Storm

Franco Vallelonga, Session Hairstylist, Groomer, Hair olourist and Educator, all rolled into one, is an inspiration for many. In Mumbai since 2016, he ecently made waves by creating Bollywood’s A-lister, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s hair looks. With alon India, he shares his journey, personal annecdotes and more

- Shivpriya Bajpai

Getting started

I never planned a career in hairdressing. In Australia, from high school we go to work at the age of 15. I wanted to be an interior designer and hence, went to a high school that specialised in Art. Being one of those art students, hairdressing sounded more artistic, so I decided to gain work experience at a salon in Perth. I enjoyed it and was offered a job by the end of the week; and that was just the beginning!

Educational background

I apprenticed for four years in Australia. Later, I trained as a colour technician with L’Oréal and moved to London to take up courses in Afro hair, hair extensions and wigs, and long hair styling. I also did a teacher training course and taught level-1 hairdressing for a year. Besides hair, I also trained in men’s grooming and massage therapy. I was part of the Fellowship for British Hairdressing F.A.M.E Team in 2004. We travelled and educated for a year and it was an amazing experience.

Mentors

Through my career, I have had many mentors namely, Sam McKnight, Neil Moodie, Malcom Edwards, Luigi Murenu, Antoinette Beeders and Errol Douglas. I assisted as many hair artists as I could and worked on fashion weeks in New York, London, Milan and Paris for years. I became a first assistant to Tyler Johnston, who was the global ambassador with Schwarzkopf, and I would travel to Hamburg with him to work on the Essential Looks Collections.

Challenges faced