Kiwi hairdresser's 'messy ponytails' resonate with top stylist

Richard Kavanagh gets a trim during New York Fashion Week. Photo / Katherine Lowe

Kiwi hairdresser Richard Kavanagh sits in a vintage hydraulic chair at Tommy Guns on the Lower East Side, getting his hair cut by a barber with a comically large moustache. It's the first time he's paid for a trim in 10 years.

"The last time was in Egypt," he says.

"It only cost three dollars but the guy did a pretty horrible job."

This one will set him back about $95, tip included. Kavanagh is taking three days off in the city before heading to Milan and Paris for the next round of womenswear shows, where he will continue his work with Guido, the most highly regarded hair stylist in fashion.

During New York Fashion Week, the team styled 11 shows, including Marc Jacobs, Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein.

Back in New Zealand, Kavanagh is creative director of Rodney Wayne and head of the Redken creative team. A former Golden Gloves boxing champion and one-time film star (he played a character in Peter Jackson's King Kong), he stands at about 5'8", with full-sleeve tattoos and a gold front tooth not unlike a pirate.

Despite his mixed bag of achievements, Kavanagh's position working alongside Guido came quite by chance one day in February 2010.

"I was up here in New York working on some of the Redken shows, and a friend of mine told me to come down and do something on the Diesel show," he says.

"It was a messy ponytail, my kind of hair, and once I did the first model I showed the look to Guido. He said, 'It's perfect, now go and make sure every other model in the room looks like this.'

"I didn't realise at the time, but Guido never says things like that to people. As I was walking out, his booking agent said, 'I need your number I'm going to want you on all the shows we're doing this week'."

At the end of the week, Kavanagh faced a choice: work on Calvin Klein with Guido's team, or lead his own team on another show. He chose Calvin Klein.

"When we were packing up at CK, Guido said to me, 'See you in Milan.' So I went to Milan. I've done all the shows with them ever since - Prada, Louis Vuitton, Versace, all of them."

There's still a long way to go before this series of international Fashion Weeks finishes, but Kavanagh has already chosen his highlight of the autumn 2011 season: "Watching Kiwi model Emily Baker's rise to success," he says.

"I did her hair backstage at Rag and Bone, her first show of New York Fashion Week - she was so nervous she said she thought she was going to puke - then at Marc Jacobs, and again at Calvin Klein, which was the last one for all of us. While the show was in progress, I ended up cutting her dad's hair. Every time she'd run past to get changed she'd shout, 'Hi Dad!' What a sweet kid."

Cut complete, the barber pomades and sprays Kavanagh's hair, which is now faded up on the backs and sides with a neat quiff on top. He's happy.

"I never thought I'd pay 95 bucks for a haircut," he laughs.

"But it was nice to be the client."

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