Perfil Renner

Renner Menezes

A 37-year-old Brazilian hair stylist, whose watchwords are professionalism, dedication and perfection. He has lived and worked in London as a hairdresser and stylist for eight years. His love of hairdressing goes back to childhood, with his sister, parents and friends among his earliest happy customers.

Renner’s love of hairdressing was nurtured by his Aunt Antonia, who ran a popular salon in Jacaraípe, a suburb of Vitória.

I spent a lot of time in her salon,’ he says. She treated customers like friends and they all walked out looking and feeling fabulous. It was magical.

Renner adds: Aunt Antonia was an amazing professional. She taught me the most important thing is to listen to customers, and really understand what it is they want.

In 1998, inspired by his aunt, Renner enrolled on a 12-month hairdressing course, after which he spent a year working as a stylist in a salon that served the Legislative Assembly of Vitória. He then opened his first salon, in the city, which he ran for six years.

Ever keen to be at the cutting edge of hairdressing techniques, Renner journeyed to Sao Paulo, home to some of the most sought-after stylists in Brazil.

There, I learned advanced cutting techniques, inspired by Vidal Sassoon,’ he says. ‘I discovered that top-level hairdressing is all about delivering perfection.

He was taught the high-end techniques of feted salon owner, the Japanese-born Hideaki Iijima, whose astonishing skill has earned him the nickname,

Samurai of the scissors. In Brazil, anyone who has learned Iijima’s techniques is recognized as a technician in washing, brushing, colouring and cutting,’ explains Renner.

Back in Sao Paulo

Brazilians call Sao Paulo the City of Dreams, and this was certainly true for Renner. ‘I loved it and found it inspiring,’ he says. ‘I met so many amazing hairstylists – people I used to see on TV and read about in magazines.’
So he moved to Sao Paulo and found work in a succession of top-notch salons, including Celso Camassola, one of the city’s most prestigious.

It was during this time I discovered that knowledge is so important – that the best hairdressing professionals never stop learning.

Having learned from the best, in 2002 Renner felt confident enough to open his own salon in the city, which he ran for eight years.
But still thirsty for new knowledge and experiences, in 2010 he fulfilled a long-held ambition: to move to London.

‘I had hairdressing friends who’d gone in London, and when they came back to Sao Paulo I saw that their work was more beautiful than ever,’ Renner recalls.
In London, he worked at only the best salons, learning new techniques inspired by Vidal Sassoon and Toni&Guy, where he honed his layering and graduating skills.