Trevor Sorbie, the hairstylist identified for creating the wedge and chop hairstyles and for founding his namesake salon and product companies, has died at age 75.
Sorbie’s demise was revealed on his firm’s Instagram web page on Friday, which famous his latest terminal analysis of bowel most cancers.
Sorbie began his profession as an apprentice in a barbershop owned by his father when he was 14, and went on to open his first salon in London in 1979. Per the salons’ web site, there at the moment are seven areas.
Veteran make-up artist Mary Greenwell remembered Sorbie as a behemoth on the hair scene.
“He was one of many first hairdressers together with Vidal Sassoon and John Freida to be a pressure the place ladies selected a star hairdresser to chop their hair,” she stated over WhatsApp. “He was cherished and admired by everybody and had a following of all of the celebrities of England. He’ll go down as one of many unique greats in salon hairdressing,” she added.
“I used to do Trevor’s PR within the early ‘90s. He actually was very effectively established at this level, and he took an opportunity on me, I had no monitor document again them. I had simply began my company. He was distinctive in figuring out younger individuals and their abilities early on of their profession,” stated Millie Kendall, chief govt officer of the British Magnificence Council.
“I met Eugene Souleiman and Antoinette Beenders by way of their work with Trevor. He was the finder of nice expertise in addition to being the founder of recent hairdressing in my view.”
In 2006, Sorbie’s sister-in-law’s most cancers analysis led to him founding My New Hair, a charity that offered wig styling to most cancers sufferers.
To concentrate on his My New Hair charity, Sorbie appointed Giuseppe Stelitano artistic director two years in the past — passing on the baton.
“Trevor’s passing has left an actual hole in my coronary heart. Working with him was greater than a profession expertise; it was a journey of development, discovery and inspiration. He had a unprecedented means to see potential in individuals, generally even earlier than they noticed it in themselves,” Stelitano stated.
He added Sorbie was at all times an trustworthy boss and by no means shied away from expressing his opinion.
“If he thought one thing wasn’t adequate, he’d problem you to push your self additional. In his personal phrases: ‘Be daring, be totally different, however at all times do every thing in good style,’” Stelitano stated.
Sorbie’s administration type was at all times unconventional, similar to his hairstyles. He was a personality that was very large on household and teamwork.
“Trevor had a method of constructing us all really feel like we had been a part of one thing larger, a household united by shared ardour and real assist. He was by no means one to simply sit within the workplace and act like ‘the boss.’ As an alternative, he’d be with the group, sitting within the employees room, listening to our on a regular basis tales and sharing in our experiences,” Stelitano stated.
Plainly anybody who met Sorbie rapidly become a buddy.
For hairdresser and hairstylist Johanna Cree Brown, she was launched to the hairdressing large by way of her mentor, Alan Stewart on the British Hairdressing Awards in November 1996, the place she was nominated for Scottish Hairdresser of The 12 months.
“Trevor generously chatted to me about creativity and his hair journey up to now that began a curiosity that led me to London and to Trevor’s Covent Backyard salon the next 12 months,” stated Brown, who’s artistic director of particular tasks at Trevor Sorbie.
She remembers one in all his one-man-show in Europe going all fallacious, however Sorbie rose as much as the event with grace.
“The entire group’s baggage arrived, however all of Trevor’s hair present package, gear, and every thing he wanted to placed on the present acquired misplaced en route. Trevor needed to borrow and discover and make options inside 24 hours – there was no Amazon Prime again then. He pulled off the present with a standing ovation and I learnt one thing invaluable in these 24 hours – the present should and at all times come first,” stated Brown.
Per an Instagram publish from the corporate, there will likely be no memorial companies, with as a substitute an invite to donate to both My New Hair, Rowans Hospice, Most cancers Analysis U.Okay. and Marie Curie.
