In conversation with celebrity hairstylist Savio John Pereira HAIR By Tatiana Dias

In the world of hairstyling, Savio John Pereira has seen and done it all. Having made his way from the bottom to the top, this celebrity hairstylist, whose clients include Priyanka Chopra, Shilpa Shetty Kundra, and Kangana Ranaut, among

others, says he has big plans for India and the industry. From his inspirations, to where it all began, to his accidental ‘Rachel haircut’ moment, Pereira spills the beans on his affair with hair. Read all about it in this freewheeling chat with the celebrity stylist.


Why did you become a hairstylist?My mother and three sisters were fascinated with hair. My mother was very particular about how my sisters’ hairstyles looked. That’s where it all started. Back then, we lived in Panchgani and there was this one hairdresser everyone used to go to, who used to give almost everyone the same look. So my mother would drive us all the way to Pune, so that my sisters could get their haircuts. I used to hang around a lot of Chinese salons at that time since they were the most popular. They were precise and watching them cut used to captivate me. That’s where the fascination began. Later, while being around my sisters and their friends, hair was always a topic of discussion. I guess subconsciously that’s when my love for hairstyling began. 

What was the journey like?
It was difficult. I wanted to be a hairdresser ever since I was in the sixth grade — it’s funny that throughout school and college, everyone used to call me ‘hajjam’ or ‘barber’. I always thought, ‘If I want to cut hair, why do I need to study’. But I was really into sports back then, so I got admission into good schools. I have even represented Maharashtra and Uttrakhand in swimming and boxing. After the tenth grade my father had asked me to complete my twelfth and then I realised that he was just tailing me on, so I decided to leave the house.

At the time, the fastest route to becoming a hairdresser was to make money on a cruise-liner. So the plan was to go on a cruise-liner, make good money, go to London for my course and come back to India. To embark on this plan, I needed to have some kind of hotel experience, so I joined the Taj as a waiter for two years – I made a lot of money in tips. I decided to continue with my plan and go to London because I had earned enough. Unfortunately, my father passed away and I had to put everything on hold. 



I did nothing for one whole year, and then I became a DJ and compiled music for Sony BMG. I was a bartender too. Then I got lost in this zone, where I wondered if I wanted to become a hairdresser. By 1996-1997, I needed to make a decision to follow my dream of becoming a hairdresser or to keep DJ-ing. That’s when I decided that hairdressing was something I wanted to do. So I did an apprentice course with Nalini & Yasmin. I started off from ground zero.

What’s the earliest memory you have of hairstyling?
A memory that stuck was one that I had with hairstylist Michelle Tung. I was in the tenth grade when my sisters told me to grow my hair and they took me to this fancy hairstylist. I collected my pocket money to get my hair cut from this cool stylist. After all the effort of growing my hair, she buzzed it out completely. All I could think was that my barber could have done the same thing and I could have used the money for something else. 

What’s a regular day at work like for you?
Mostly, I come to work and have a brief interaction with the team to see what’s happening. I usually take my appointments in the first half of the day and keep myself free for meetings or admin work during the second half. Monday and Tuesdays I keep for travelling — for educational courses, trainings or shoots.

What do you enjoy the most about your job?
I love meeting people and I love cutting hair. I absolutely love working on the floor. I am the happiest when I am cutting, styling and colouring hair, basically when I am on the chair with the client. The admin part of it is the price you pay to be successful.

What was the transition like from hairstylist to celebrity hairstylist?
Honestly, I don’t know what a ‘celebrity hairstylist’ is. Is it a guy who is cutting celebrity hair, or is he a celebrity himself? I am still Sav on the floor. When I started working, I knew taking part and winning competitions would set me apart. Competitions gave me that edge. I always wanted to be the best. 

At one point, people claimed that I got clients because I was comfortable talking to women. I had to prove them wrong. I knew I was a good hairstylist and I was good at cutting hair. People would say that I could handle difficult women. But I didn’t really see them as difficult women, I saw them as women who were particular, just like my mother. Talking to celebrities then became easy. I’d to tell them, “You may be famous, but if you want your hair to look good, we know what we’re doing, so trust us.” I knew I was doing a good job, so I was vain about that.

I used to do interviews for magazines and suddenly, I was all over the place. I then became the brand ambassador of Schwarzkopf. It was the first time the global company had appointed an Indian as a brand ambassador. I was doing hair shows for people who were my gurus. I don’t know when it happened, but I became a ‘celebrity hairstylist’, and it stuck around. I still don’t understand where it began. 

What about Bollywood?
From the year 2000, for the next seven to eight years, most movie looks were created by me. From hair colours, to cuts, to styling, I take credit for most of them. Of course, there was no social media back then to capture it all.

Is there a Bollywood movie or look that stands out in your career?
The craziest movie I worked on was Love Story 2050, with Priyanka Chopra’s red colour. I have actually worked on a lot of Priyanka’s movies. I have also done a lot of Shilpa Shetty Kundra’s hair colours. A year before Dil Chahta Hai, I had won the All India Men’s Hairdressing for Men’s Haircut for the same haircut sported by Aamir Khan in the movie — short and spiked hair. So when everyone was blow-drying and styling hair, I was using gel and styling. They all thought I had gone mad. The judges were all from Salon International London, and they said that I was ahead of my time. The following year, Aamir Khan wore it.

What are the challenges you faced during this journey?
There were quite a few challenges. In this industry, it’s all about sustaining yourself and trying to be the best. At the same time, you still want clients to come back for quality. Honestly, it gets difficult at times, but we will not compromise on quality. We will probably cut down on the pricing to break-even, but where the quality of it is concerned, we will not back down. And that poses as a big challenge because you need to sustain the business.

The other big challenge is that the attrition rate is so high. There are so many salons, so many opportunities for hairdressers to choose from. To hold on to the good guys for a long time is difficult. I am blessed because I have got a team for the past nine years and we’ve grown on a nice, honest, transparent relationship.

What changes have you witnessed in the industry?
There is lots of creativity, but nobody sticks in a job for a long time. Hairdressers train far less that how we used to train earlier; many want quick success and quick money. Ours is a skill that you need a lot of practice to hone. You need to train and practice, and that’s something I don’t see happening right now. Where products are concerned, there is a huge variety. Our country is always the second or third country to release global trends, which is great. It’s always been my thing to put India on the global map, and that’s something I am really working towards.

What are the common issues present in the industry at the moment?
There is an overdose of products and there’s too much choice. The attrition rate that is high, which is a menace right now. Let’s not forget the issue of poaching. People are poaching left right and centre, heartlessly and they just offer these ridiculous salaries and most of them just open it for that time and then they just shut shop. It’s really killing the industry right now. 

What is your best asset?
I always had a certain understanding of colour and I was aware that I had a sensibility about it. One thing I will take full credit for is layering techniques for long hair. I think nobody cuts long hair the way I do – nobody can layer long hair the Savio John Pereira does.

What are some of your favourite hair trends?
It’s not the beard and it is not the man bun, for sure. For men, I’d say it’s the side-fade. I love the bobs and their different variations. People have really gone out and experimented with the colours and lengths. I really like playing around with colours, because we are spoilt for choice now. There are lots of pastels now, and it is one of my favourite colour trends.

Is there a particular trend really needs to go?
It has got to be the beard for sure.

Is the Indian audience receptive to change?
It’s still conservative, no matter how much we say it’s changing, only a small fraction are experimenting. I not only see the obsession with long hair in Indian women, it’s anywhere in the globe you go. But the ratio for shorter hair is relatively higher in India than it is abroad. It’s just that our population is so much that it seems less.

Which celebrity would you like to style?
It has to be Madhuri Dixit Nene. There’s so much to her and while she’s getting more graceful with each passing day, she’s also got this youthful energy. 

Who do you like working with the most?
I love working with Priyanka, because she challenges my sensibilities. I also like working with Neha Dhupia a lot.

Did you ever have a ‘Rachel’ haircut moment, where an accidental haircut started trending?
I have actually had two or three such moments. What actually got me my claim to fame was when Raageshwari (the singer) wanted me to cut her hair a little bit and I suggested we go shoulder length. I completely misjudged it and knocked off to a lot. She threw a fit and it was something that would’ve destroyed my career. But, suddenly, she was photographed so much that people were wondering who cut her hair and suddenly Savio Pereira from Nalini and Yasmin became the man behind her makeover. She did give me my due credit and it worked out in the end. 

What is your advice to aspiring hairstylists?
Work hard, work dedicatedly and work passionately. Nothing is going to be easy. At the end of the day, your ultimate test is when a client sits on your chair.

Things you didn’t know about me
1) I am a hardcore biker. 
2) I am a state-level boxer and swimmer.
3) I used to be a DJ.
4) I won the All India Bartending competition in 1995.


Source: Femina