The BASIC Show

DIMITRIS GIANNETOS: Hollywood’s Image Maker | EPISODE 15

• Viktorija Pashuta • Season 3 • Episode 15

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In this episode of The BASIC Show, celebrity hairstylist and image-maker Dimitris Giannetos joins host Viktorija Pashuta to share the journey from a small village in Greece to creating iconic looks for stars like Britney Spears, Gigi Hadid, Megan Fox, and Amal Clooney.

Dimitris opens up about building a career on vision—not ego, why trust is everything, and how hair should complete—not overpower—the look. He reveals the stories behind naming trends like Tudor Waves, Almond Milk Hair, and “rich girl hair,” along with lessons from assisting Guido Palau and winning Daily Front Row Hairstylist of the Year.

You’ll hear:
 💫 Why a strong vision beats ego (and how to protect it while staying collaborative)
 🧠 The #1 skill every assistant needs: “Read the room”
🎯 How timeless hair completes fashion (sleek tuck + modern flip)
🌍 What a trip to Malawi taught him about gratitude beyond the red carpet
🧰 His career playbook: loyalty, availability, and working harder after success

This episode is a masterclass in artistry, resilience, and building legacy—perfect for creatives, stylists, and anyone chasing their vision.

🎙️ Hosted by Viktorija Pashuta, Editor-in-Chief of BASIC Magazine.
📍 Recorded at The Maybourne Beverly Hills.
🔗 Follow Dimitris on Instagram: @dimitrishair

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SPEAKER_01:

People don't know where they want to go and they don't have a strong vision. Which is so true. It has a thing that's vibe but I'm gonna make it in a more modern way like a slick that behind the ears with a little flip. You cannot bring your strong personality and I have a strong personality sometimes I have to mute myself. I'm not trying to disvalue my talent but only talent is not enough me personally i don't have ego but i have very strong vision and i know what i want i always treat all my clients like a normal human beings because yes they're celebrities but i drink water they drink water like we do the same things i've seen these kids like they have nothing they don't even have running water

SPEAKER_00:

They say luxury is a lifestyle. I say it's a mindset. And this one comes with room service. Here at the Mayborg, where European charm meets California flair, I don't just check in, I reset. Because real power isn't loud, it's knowing when to ghost the noise and draft something far more lasting behind the scenes. The Mayborn Beverly Hills. hello hello welcome to the basic show

SPEAKER_01:

hello Victoria

SPEAKER_00:

they have a very special guest I have a Dimitri Janettos who is basic magazine cover star

SPEAKER_01:

oh my gosh can you believe my first cover in America in the world

SPEAKER_00:

you know what actually was thinking about that cover and I went back to the history of fashion magazines and if you look back at the history of fashion magazines before they put models then the actresses then the influencers and now this is the time for the image makers for the people who actually create magic for people

SPEAKER_01:

to

SPEAKER_00:

create fashion and are behind the superstars and A-listers who create the image rebrand them transform them and this is what why I have Dimitri here as my very special guest

SPEAKER_01:

thank you first of all for giving me the opportunity to be in the cover to share my story because like you're so amazing you wanna bring out there like some story and inspire young people and because usually we already see a celebrity see a star and already know the story but like for someone behind the scenes share the story is very also important

SPEAKER_00:

and your story is specifically interesting because I believe some of most of the themes of basic shows the stories of resilience and for you coming from a really small village in Greece all the way across the Atlantic and to become you know a beauty royalty oh my god thank you what

SPEAKER_01:

a strong title thank you my honor yeah like the whole ride was beautiful definitely not easy but if you have a strong vision and as Oprah said on an interview they asked her why do you think people don't succeed in life and she said people don't know where they want to go and they don't have a strong vision which is so true like if you have a vision if you have a goal like no matter what it's not going to be easy but always you're going to fight to achieve to reach your goal some people get lost they start something the first like difficult moment they're going to be like maybe I'll try this and then they get lost but if you you're not strong enough to manage the difficult times, you're never gonna, I feel, succeed in life.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, no, you're absolutely right. I actually remembered a visual graphics that I saw online. It had like a one line saying, you start here and this is the point of your success. And most people reach the middle and they give up.

SPEAKER_01:

They give up, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Before reaching the success line, it was so, so close. And people like yourself, we actually tested it challenges, right? We're tested by obstacles that makes us stronger, right? Makes us

SPEAKER_01:

stronger. And again, there's going to be many mistakes on your way there, but you're going to learn through your mistakes. You have to. But you have to be open. And what I'm always saying, don't have ego. Because if you have ego, if you know you think everything, you're never going to go further in life. You just have to be open, like listen to people, what they're going to share with you, what they come to tell you. and advice they give you and take it in and use it your way. And if you're a successful person, a person like has proved themselves what they have achieved, like yes, maybe they did something smart and something right to be where they are. So like I have something to learn from them.

SPEAKER_00:

But do you think you probably should have a little bit of ego to achieve success? Because if you're so humble you may not believe in yourself and take the risks.

SPEAKER_01:

Me personally, I don't have ego, but I have very strong vision and I know what I want, which, yeah, sometimes this can make you seem difficult, but to me it's not difficult. It's like I just know what I want from silly stuff. Like, for example, like, yes, like we had an idea. Maybe I wore today's silk. shirt. I'm happily open to try. I came with my silica shirt, but I felt this gonna look better on camera. Very dapper.

SPEAKER_00:

I love that.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, and I was like, how about this? I feel it looks better. Like, some people can translate us, ah, he's been difficult, but no, like people, I feel the most successful people in the world, in any field, they just know what they want. And this can make them look like unapproachable makes them look difficult makes them look demanding but it cannot everything be like oh this is great this is great this is great like no in life and when you want to achieve something things are like

SPEAKER_00:

so when you work with celebrities speaking of that how much of your own say you have let's say you do have your vision right you know which look you're going for and let's say the celebrity they're A-listers and you know personalities in their own right how much confrontation do you have to go with them to prove and protect your vision or you are a team player and saying okay if that's what you want I'll do it but you might not necessarily agree with it

SPEAKER_01:

yeah like at the beginning it's more delicate when you start working with a person because you have to earn the trust and you have to follow their lead. It always depends on the person, but most of the celebrities and people have reached a point in their career, as I said before, they know what they're doing. They're doing something right to be where they are in their career. I feel the mistake some people from my industry, from hair, makeup, or styling, always when they have a new collection to work with someone, always they want to change them. Oh, let's do something different. But no, you have like a celebrity which they have their brand. They do something right to be where they are. So you start with that and then when you build a relationship of trust, you can start adding stuff from your own perspective and your own taste. So usually how I work with my people when I start working with a person like I want to make them feel comfortable being their comfort zone and when we work together for a while like obviously I understand better their face their hair what looks better on

SPEAKER_02:

them

SPEAKER_01:

because let's say the trend now is the mid part but there are people like when you go for first time I'm gonna do the trend I'm gonna do the middle part but there are people look better on the side part like when I'm working with Cindy Crawford she's stunning she looks good with everything but for some reason if you flip her hair on the side she's iconic Cindy Crawford looks amazing so that was an example everybody has their thing that looks better but if you start working with someone and you just want to bring the new, some people are not comfortable with.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, you brought me thinking about an interesting topic. Taste, you're not born with good taste, right? Taste develops. You obviously have a very good taste and judgment of the face shapes, right, of the personality. How did you develop your taste? How did you grow up with, you know, observing, you know, observing the taste that you have right now? and creating your own vision and knowing what looks good and what's not in your opinion I

SPEAKER_01:

truly build my taste because growing up in a small village in Greece I didn't grow up with TikTok with Instagram with like we couldn't afford as a family to buy a magazine a Vogue magazine so my inspiration at the time I didn't have internet in the 90s and was like the people I see at school and like whatever I would see was on the Greek TV so grew up with not really having taste and but it's something you can build when I started working at the first fashion editorials and I was like oh my gosh this is amazing this looks great and I started understand my style I started like feeling what's fashion what's like looks good, understand patterns, understand where something monochromatics, shapes or like come close to designers, see their vision, the new collections. And I'm very visual person. So for some reason, I don't know, when I see something, it's the same with the hair because the hair is not just to see the hair. the hair is just to complete the look. So if I have to do like a regular hair, like if my, let's say my aunt is going to ask me to give you a blowout, I don't know how to do it. Or yeah, technically I know how to do it. It needs to be extra Dimitri touch. Exactly, exactly. But because I create a look and not a look for the hair, I always want to see like I'm... visionary like I want to see like oh what's the clothes what's the occasion what's like so the hair has to complete the whole look so if I have to do someone's hair just because to have a blowout for the week like I'll do it but I'm not going to be as inspired if I can

SPEAKER_00:

say that so you see the full you're not egoistic about the look being about yourself or the hair right you see the full picture yeah must fit the person, fit the face shape and the overall fashion look that they're wearing, right?

SPEAKER_01:

Exactly, exactly. Because especially when you work with celebrities, it's about them. It's not about me. It's not about the hair I create. Of course, the hair I'm going to create, I want the hair to look incredible, but it's the hair going to complete the look. When this person is going to walk on a red carpet, the whole look has to be amazing. It's not about the hair to steal the show.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, let me ask you this. We, I feel like, live in two different worlds, the celebrity world, the glam, the red carpet. And then we have the world of regular women, regular people who go to work and, you know, try to be fabulous. And nowadays the celebrities set such high standard and the bar to look incredible and to be so photogenic. But people sometimes don't know that it's huge teams behind this look. How do you feel about your input in culture in seeing you creating this incredible looks that regular women may never be able to achieve on a regular day basis? And they will feel kind of down because they will never look like Cindy Crawford, right? They will never look like Demi Moore.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, we live in a little superficial era in the world. I'm not disagree at all with what you said, but I feel... We live in a more open era and people can try different things, what makes them feel good. And we live in this era like things are more chill. It's not that overdone. It has to do with hair, with clothes, with makeup. It's good we have all this access to social media and we can see so many tutorials, so many makeup and hair, like beauty industry are so like out there so you can get inspired and you can have freedom, do whatever makes you happy, makes you feel confident and be creative. And I feel it's not that complicated the looks in our era. If you think back in the 50s, back in the 60s, in the 40s.

SPEAKER_00:

True.

SPEAKER_01:

you have this beautiful we were just talking about finger waves it's so difficult to achieve like a professional hair stylist gonna hustle to do that we did this look when I was assisting Guido Palau in Fashion Week it was the Marc Jacobs show and we have to go through like so many days to prepare ourselves and learn to nail this look so we don't live in the air of that complicated and overdone. It's more simple, the looks now. You have a cool haircut, a bob, and you can let it air dry if the texture is like the right texture for the bob. Or you have a snatched bun or a ponytail. It's more easy to achieve for a person who is not in the...

SPEAKER_00:

Right. So we have a lot of tools available, a lot of information. You can experiment and find what works for you. Yeah. We

SPEAKER_01:

have access to many tools, extensions. There is like, there is help there.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. So speaking of extensions, I know you call yourself the wig queen. All

SPEAKER_01:

right.

SPEAKER_00:

Do you have emotional attachment to hair? Can you imagine like a wig cemetery? Oh my

SPEAKER_01:

gosh.

SPEAKER_00:

No. Where do the hair go in

SPEAKER_01:

the afterlife? I imagine a wig exhibition because every wig, every look I have done has sat That's it. such a big meaning to me because I was like oh my gosh is this pink wig when I did Megan Fox for the premiere she went with Masinga Kelly like every wig I have used in my career like it's so special for me like I have all these memories so

SPEAKER_00:

and you know when you came to the basic cover shoot you came with all this amazing hair and then the inside of the wigs I even saw the signature and the names of very specific celebrities. So they have names. Yes,

SPEAKER_01:

from the people I work with. And it's very special for me. So one day, yes, I want to have my wig museum.

SPEAKER_00:

Hey, I'm going to be the first in line. I'd love to see it. So speaking of the inspiration, you've been in the hair business for many, many years, even before the social media. And some of the hairstylists that I talked to, they wanted me to ask you, what was your inspiration before social media? Who did you look up to? Did you have any hair icons or hair stylists or any, you know, resources that you went to and looked up to, you know, to get inspired before, you know, social media? Yeah, of

SPEAKER_01:

course. Like before would be all the movie stars, the supermodels. Like, again, growing up in the 90s, like Cindy Crawford was the ultimate hair queen. How many people trying to recreate this iconic 90s silly Crawford hair or growing up like with Demi Moore another ultimate hair inspiration and now I have the honor to work with these people I'm so inspired I feel like every time so humble and so flattered they give me the opportunity to work with them

SPEAKER_00:

Do you believe you are as good as your client are as a professional

SPEAKER_01:

oh my gosh they're the best like that's why they are who they are me like I believe just you have to be loyal you have to be humble and appreciate it and don't take it so serious like what we do I'm always saying we live the dream like it's not that hard like people take it so serious like And like always living a drama in like, oh, things going wrong. Yes, it can be very stressful. This job is very, very demanding and very like it can be exhausting, like traveling every day, being a different country. Yeah. To do your clients, it can be exhausting, but same time, like, we're so blessed. Like, we live the dream. Like, we travel. We're in nice hotels. We are surrounded by beautiful people, like, inside and out. So, yes, like, there are people out there really suffering life. And we live a little in a bubble in the entertainment industry. So, it's all about, like, oh, my God. gosh my hair got frizzy and like oh

SPEAKER_00:

the end of the world

SPEAKER_01:

poor you the end of the world I know it's like someone's image is everything but if you go outside of this bubble like that's why I love working with such different people like I'm working with Amal Clooney so when we went to Malawi in Africa it was such a big lesson for me because it made me see like what's outside of our bubble seeing these kids like they have nothing they don't even have running water and they see a vehicle cross the street and they are so happy smiling, applauding and they see someone outside of their neighborhood and you're like oh look at how happy they are with something so simple because they don't have anything to compare and then we're like ah oh my gosh this and that happened and it's the end of the world and yeah like that was a really good lesson for me and realize what's real what really is outside our industry

SPEAKER_00:

yeah because our world is so close and so such a small world everybody knows everybody there's certain rules you have to abide and of course you work with such big names in the industry you know we just dropped a few really big names you know from Amal Clooney and you know Gigi Hadid and Megan Fox so it must be something that you have as a person that they value besides your skill right when we work let's say with celebrities they wouldn't even work with the different hairstyles just because the hairstyle is as good or great they just feel comfortable so I guess you maybe do you develop something more than professional relationship with your clients that they trust you that much of course because

SPEAKER_01:

you spend so much time with your clients like it becomes a family for you so you have to earn their trust first and respect them so they feel confident around you and I always treat all my clients like normal human beings because yes they're celebrities but I drink water they drink water like we do the same things and I really really respect and value what they do but first of all I see them as humans as we all are and yes like people think it's just work and talent without trying to devalue my talent but the rest is like how you treat people how you make them feel And they trust you. You spend so much time with them. And trust, I feel, is the key.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, you have such a calm energy about you. And you speak about these things so calmly and confidently. But I bet you are 1% of the successful stylists that's out there. So what was the pivoting moment in your career that you were, you know, had this huge break? Who was maybe one person or one event that you felt was the key? that really opened the doors for you to work with bigger names?

SPEAKER_01:

I don't know. It didn't happen overnight. I'm not going to lie. Again, I'm always saying, you have to work so, so, so hard to make it, to achieve things in life, to succeed. But once you succeed, you have to work even harder because people, they're going to tell me like, oh, you're in such a good place in your career. Like, why you don't take a break? Go vacation. I was like, no, I want to be there for my clients and be available when they need me, when they have like a big moment for them. They want me there. I'm going to be there. So it's, It came very slowly, my career got built. I started, I still remember working with Camila Cabello when she was at the group and I was so inspired. She was a little girl, she was 15. Then I was doing Joey King and then one brought another. My first big, big client at the moment was Britney Spears, which I grew up with Britney Spears. So I was her biggest fan. And I remember going to her house in Thousand Oaks. I was like, am I not for real going to Britney Spears's

SPEAKER_00:

house?

SPEAKER_01:

Exactly. I was like, so kind of starstruck. And then, yeah, one brought another. But I feel when I started working with George and Amal Clooney, that was really the... The point in my career, like I took another

SPEAKER_02:

turn

SPEAKER_01:

because there are two people I admire like for so many years and I follow their journey and it's always so inspiring. So when I received the call to work with Amal at first, I felt so honored because I adore her. And yes, they put me also in a different way of seeing things, see the world. They do such a beautiful work for the world. Like they help everyone. So it's very inspiring for me.

SPEAKER_00:

But did you have any disappointments when you admire somebody and they're your icon, but then you see them in person? Like, oh, I didn't expect this person to be that in real life.

SPEAKER_01:

Not really. Not really. I'm very grateful for all All the people I work with, they're so kind. And especially the biggest stars I feel in the world. The most humble one, right? They're the most humble, the most secure. They're fulfilled. You're going to see the ones trying to reach like a success, big moments in their life. And they're a little more insecure and they're a little more challenging. But I don't know. I have the experience and I know how to manage everyone. And I'm at a point in my life, in my career, like I can keep people around me, like makes me happy, makes me excited to go to work with them.

SPEAKER_00:

I feel like you reached that level of wisdom maybe because, from my opinion, the transformations you went through yourself. I know you mentioned in previous interviews that you were bullied as a kid.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh my gosh, like it was not easy growing up in a... such a small community, especially now, like before I became hair stylist, like it was hard decision to make because all the queer community, it wasn't accepted. It is still not accepted in a way it's better, but not the ideal. It's not the normal for them, which is like in this, it sounds to me like insane so I had to lie to my dad that I went I want to go to a barber school to become to open a barber shop because being a hairstylist sounds like such it's such a no no no and yeah but I started therapy in such a young age because

SPEAKER_00:

I remember you said at 13 years old right 13 years old

SPEAKER_01:

because yes I went through bullying and But all these make me stronger. When in life, like something bad is happening, I'm always trying to come out as a winner and not the victim because some people are going to be like, oh, I was abused when I was a kid or this, which is like heartbreaking. It's so hard. But like through every difficult situation, like I'm trying to win. I was like, okay, what this made me realize or made me feel like these people hurt me. So to me, I was like, I did my therapy and I was like, okay, you didn't trust me or you did that to me. I'm going to become stronger. I'm not going to let you lead my life being an adult and be the victim.

SPEAKER_00:

Did you ever address those bullies after you became... either internally or in person no I think like

SPEAKER_01:

I let my what I follow in my life and my whole life show them like I'm strong I'm confident and I achieved what I achieved started starting from zero and And I worked hard, nothing was given to me. But yeah, like that spoke itself.

SPEAKER_00:

And I know, obviously, for some people getting out of your, excuse me, out of your comfort zone, that's the most difficult part because we get comfortable in our own environment, right? You went to a different country, not speaking the language. You didn't know anybody, right? Wasn't it true that the first hotel you stayed was actually...

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. It was a sex hotel. I'll let you, I'll tell you because living in Greece, it was not easy because I was at the point in my career, like I had, I'm a Sagittarius, so I'm always, I always have goals, set my goals. I was like, okay, what's next? And so I was at the age of 29 in Greece. I was the ambassador for L'Oreal Paris. I was doing the covers for Vogue, for all the big fashion magazines. and I was like okay I'm 29 what I'm gonna do for the rest of my life keep doing the same so my friend Yana was in New York at the time she's a singer she's like why you don't try here I was like you know what I'll do it but because I'm always so confident I was never I didn't speak English so and I didn't realize how difficult it could be so I remember I went to New York York and Ford models at the time had Ford artists and my friend Yana typed in perfect English the perfect email this is Dimitris Gianettos this is my portfolio I would like to have a meeting with you so my portfolio was great even though I was from Greece like I had like really beautiful covers and I went there and I remember they put me in on Fifth Avenue was a their agency at the big meeting room which in Greece we don't have like exactly this like going to a big meeting like okay we're gonna meet at Starbucks we're gonna be like okay I love your work come work for me or whatever

SPEAKER_00:

start tomorrow

SPEAKER_01:

exactly you start tomorrow it's more easy and they put me in the meeting room and they're like okay Dimitri we love your work tell us about yourself I could say only my name is Dimitri and then I was like my friend And I was so ignorant. I was like, I told my friend Yana, the singer, oh, come with me at the meeting. And who is going to a proper meeting to talk with his singer friend? Like it was all wrong. It

SPEAKER_00:

was your agent?

SPEAKER_01:

Exactly, your reps. So Yana was there in the corner sitting and she was sweating. She's like,

SPEAKER_00:

oh my God. What

SPEAKER_01:

did I do? And then I guess the meeting ended there because I couldn't say anything more. Bye

SPEAKER_00:

bye, go back to Greece. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

but believe it or not they had asked to represent me afterwards

SPEAKER_00:

what? oh my goodness so two talents spoke for itself yeah

SPEAKER_01:

exactly it was so funny and another funny moment because I was trying to translate from Greek to English but obviously the words are not the same doesn't make the same doesn't have the same meaning and I went to this agent in downtown New York and before Before that, I met the vice president, Stephen of L'Oreal Paris. And he told me at the time, because in Greece, you have to do hair and makeup. And he said like, hey, here, like you can do both, but you have to choose, do one or another if you want to be like an A-list. For me, it was so hard. I was like, I'm doing my whole career in Greece hair and makeup because you have to do in Greece hair and makeup. So, but I started as a hairstylist and I was like, okay, I'll go back to how I started. but it was still hard for me so I'm going to this agency and he's like so I'm confused you do hair or makeup and I was like with my broken English I was like I can do both but he's like but what do you prefer I was like I don't mind and he's like but you should mind and my Yana Greek singer friend again she was with me and she says in Greek which means say her in a different tone so he doesn't understand like she's telling me what to say yes anyway and he was so not having it at the time and he was looking at my portfolio and these agents yeah and he was kind of like so overt he wanted me just to kick me out of the the office and I was trying to translate in my head

SPEAKER_02:

hey

SPEAKER_01:

it's anything like concerning you and in Greece uh we say this is problematic which problematic comes from the word problem and I'm turning to him I was like what's your problem I've

SPEAKER_00:

never seen him

SPEAKER_01:

again who

SPEAKER_00:

is this ignorant yeah what's your

SPEAKER_01:

problem oh lord I learned my

SPEAKER_00:

lesson after that I bet there was like so many like lost in translation situations for

SPEAKER_01:

you

SPEAKER_00:

I even remember you also mentioned that when you first came here you didn't even know what the call shit is oh my god yeah

SPEAKER_01:

and then very unsuccessful trial for a few months in New York trying to find an agency then going back to Greece I had to wait for my interview for my green card and meeting Maria Menounos so Maria was at the time oh if you come to LA I told her I was in New York trying taking

SPEAKER_00:

important meetings

SPEAKER_01:

exactly tell the agent what's your problem and So I told, Maria told me, if you come to LA, I would like to work with you. So she invited me to LA, but I had no idea. I've never been to LA. I was like, where should I stay? And they told me, oh, you should stay in West Hollywood. It's kind of central. I was like, okay. I was trying to find a hotel. Everything was so expensive because I wanted to stay for two weeks to get some meetings with the new agents here. Maybe I was like, I'm going to have better luck. So I arrived and I'm going, I found this hotel, which I didn't know at the time in Greece because for two weeks everything was so expensive. I found this motel. I didn't know motel is what's motel. And I went to check in and they're like, are you going to stay for two weeks? I was like, excuse you. What's your problem? Yeah, what's your problem? And the first night I keep hearing the next room like it was some auction. I was like, oh my gosh, in LA, people are so horny. I was like, what's going on? Like five times in one night. And then... Maria was at the time, so my assistant going to send you the call sheet. I was like, call sheet? I had this app on my phone translator translating call and sheet. It was two words. Call was the phone. Sheet was what you throw on the bed. I was like, what is she going to send me? I was so confused. And so in the US, probably all over the world besides Greece, you have individual calls, call times. And And in the US, you don't have like the two dots between the time. Let's say in Europe is 5.15 in the afternoon. It would be like 17.15. Here is going to be 5.15 with no dots. So next to my call section was 8.15, which was my call time. And on top was saying 10 a.m., which I thought I have to be there 10

SPEAKER_02:

a.m. I

SPEAKER_01:

thought the 815 was my extension number at this company. I was like, why they put this extension call number? I never saw it. And then they were calling me, where are you? And Greeks have a saying, they say Greeks are in a Greek time, so always late.

SPEAKER_00:

Fashionably late. Yeah,

SPEAKER_01:

exactly.

SPEAKER_00:

And Maria was like, why I invited this guy from Greece? She put all her trust in you and, you know, believed you. Exactly. Anyway,

SPEAKER_01:

I made her do the shoot and she's like, oh, so where do you stay? I was like, I stay in West Hollywood, this hotel. She's like, where are you staying? She's like, this is, I think, a sex hotel. I was like, oh, that's

SPEAKER_00:

why. I'm glad you didn't get a knock on the door.

SPEAKER_01:

Exactly.

SPEAKER_00:

At midnight. People book the hotel for an hour, not for two weeks. Not for two weeks. Oh, my God. What a story. I mean, you went through... you know literally starting from the ground zero and now you're like almost on top of the world you also were awarded you know the best hair stylist of the year right by the daily front

SPEAKER_01:

row awards yes it was a big honor well it was a best hair stylist of the year with like uh and with other our days was was incredible was an honoring awards wasn't even like um to go through nomination and was hayley bieber after me best innovated uh beauty brand. It was Adriana Lima, it was Tyra Banks. It was like so many people from the industry of fashion and beauty. And I was so, so honored. And my family came from Greece and it was so, so special.

SPEAKER_00:

That's amazing. You know, but also sometimes I think great artists, when they receive achievements like that, it kind of makes them more relaxed and less challenging. You know, do you feel that after receiving the award, you kind of get that acknowledgement that will allow you to relax and sit back and not to challenge yourself more?

SPEAKER_01:

No, like I'm an artist, so like I feel like it even makes it more being on your toes and being like, oh my gosh, I received this award. I have to... Keep up

SPEAKER_00:

to it, right?

SPEAKER_01:

Keep up to it, yes. I've never felt like, okay, I'm working with this client, like I'm set now. No, I'm always going to be better and do better and learn because I feel the trap is when you feel like, okay, I made it in my career. I'm working with these people. As I said before, like, I don't have to work so much. No, this is gonna take you down, I feel.

SPEAKER_00:

So speaking about learning, back in the day, the hairstylist had to go to Paris Fashion Week, you know, to hone their skills. Nowadays, everything, every single tutorial is available on YouTube. So what do you think about, or what are advice can you give to hairstylists to increase their expertise to take courses or what would you advise them to do to excel in what they do besides let's say watching tutorials online

SPEAKER_01:

I feel definitely you have to go to the beauty school start from there because you have to learn the actual techniques and the basic stuff but it's not where you really learn hair Hair comes from experience for working hard in different textures and I feel assisting a person you admire, a big hair stylist, is where all the experience and where all the skills

SPEAKER_02:

gonna come.

SPEAKER_01:

Like me, even I was successful enough in Greece, when I moved to the US, We have such a different culture, such a different mentality, such a different approach how you see hair. And I felt not good enough in the U.S. market. I felt I couldn't adapt yet the culture of hair here in fashion

SPEAKER_02:

world.

SPEAKER_01:

So I always admired Guido Palau. His vision he is like create all these trends like all this magic and I was like you know what I wanna go be his assistant try at least and I was already working by myself I had my clients and when I told my agent at the time he's like are you crazy you're gonna go be an assistant and he opened my hair world is how I learned to work on different textures on um different styles

SPEAKER_00:

not only working on different styles you actually created the trends one of my favorites are the tutor waves and the almond milk hair right those are like incredible so how did you even come up with the names how do you you're not just following the trend you're actually creating the trends

SPEAKER_01:

yeah

SPEAKER_00:

actually i

SPEAKER_01:

blame my mom with

SPEAKER_00:

that thanks mom

SPEAKER_01:

when i was at the beauty school back in the villa it's every time i would like practice to give a haircut like I remember the first haircut I tried was a bob it took me maybe three hours two hours and a half and it was never ending and so yeah she was my model and every time I would give her a haircut it was another teen legged bob she was like what's the name of my haircut I want to go to your aunt Marika and tell her what haircut you gave me I was like mom it's a bob but then I was trying trying to come more creative because she wanted to have the new trend, the new haircut. So yeah, then all of a sudden I gave her the Prada bob and sounds more exciting for her to go to. My aunt tell her like, oh, Dimitri gave me the Prada bob. Sounds expensive. So every time I create a look, I see all our friends, our beauty editors all always the one trying to find the headline or the TikTok headline like rich girl hair or like you just people like a story what's rich girl hair the girl lives in East Upper East Side in Manhattan goes have her expensive blowout but she doesn't care much because she has money and she's gonna sleep with it she's gonna mess it up so that's the rich girl hair like the texture like a So come with a story behind

SPEAKER_00:

it. I love it. I love it because it's not technical. You're actually telling, you know, creating illusion, right? You're creating this exciting world, which is fashion and beauty is all about,

SPEAKER_01:

right? People love to live in a fairy tale

SPEAKER_00:

sometimes. You're actually almost like a brand person, right? You're not just a hairstylist, a visionary. You think like big brands do. So how important personal branding is to you? Do you believe in order to achieve success for hairstylists, they need to be in front of the camera, they need to promote themselves as ambassadors and spokespeople for different brands, or they could still be behind the scenes and do the magic behind the scenes. What do you believe?

SPEAKER_01:

It's a combination, 100%. And again, I'm not trying to disvalue my talent, but only talent is not enough. You have to be in charge of your social media, advertise your work, being creative, come with a Sell your ideas because not only you have in your head, you have to have the right way to express them. Have your client trust you and try. You have to put these new trends on your social media. Know how to advertise yourself because this is going to bring you more work. It's a whole operation besides doing good hair. Do

SPEAKER_00:

you feel pressured that besides being creative and do what you love, you also have to take care of boring things and record videos? A hundred percent. But again,

SPEAKER_01:

it's fun.

SPEAKER_00:

It's very creative. As long as you enjoy it, right? As

SPEAKER_01:

long as you enjoy. Of course, there's a lot of pressure. It can be stressful. I feel the most stressful is to keep up because it's very easy to get stuck in your comfort zone inside just do what's now the three trends, like a snatched ponytail, a sleek hair down, and a little messy bob. Yes, you can keep doing and repeating yourself, but like, okay, what's next? Like this holds you back, I feel. Then a new hairstylist, trending, is going to come with this idea. And yes, everybody wants to try the new. We all want to try the new. So again, you're have to keep up with the trends but again don't just follow the trends because just the trends can be not timeless sometime.

SPEAKER_02:

So

SPEAKER_01:

for me, I always try to follow the trends with my own twist and always keep something from another era, from another

SPEAKER_00:

decade. I love that.

SPEAKER_01:

Because if you see a picture of yourself in 10, 20 years, you're going to be like, oh my God, what I was thinking. You see now like the Y2K era, like with all this like, layers and the side banks and the stripes in the hair the piano highlights and you're like oh my god the piano highlights is this chunky highlights

SPEAKER_00:

the stripes zebra highlights and you're like dear lord

SPEAKER_01:

so but if you think like from back in the day from the 50s the 60s the 70s is like so timeless this looks but you can make them today we can make them more modern so always trying to keep older decades in my work and I'm gonna do Gigi Hadid the flip bob it has a vintage vibe but I'm gonna make it in a more modern way like a sleek tuck behind the ears with a little flip so it's still timeless but modern

SPEAKER_00:

well that's a a perspective because you have your own vision that you're not willing to compromise with that being said how would you describe your style like what is Dimitri's touch like how would you like maybe in a few words describe this is your signature style

SPEAKER_01:

um I like to see women beautiful because for example fashion is not um just to see women beautiful it's just follow the trend is the like very grunchy hair or like hair looks like you didn't wash your hair for two weeks and looks messy and like which is beautiful it fits the concept the concept it can fit the collection it can fit like the page in a fashion magazine which is the whole vibe that but when you do a person to go on a red carpet to go on an event or whatever like I just want to see them beautiful but not overdone because when something is very beautiful and very overdone it's such a thin line to become a little tacky always trying I'm gonna do perfect the hair and at the end I'm gonna make something to have a mistake makes the hair alive gives the hair personality. Instead of just seeing the perfect hair, it becomes boring.

SPEAKER_00:

But you are allowed to make that mistake because you know the basics, right? You know the skill, you know the technical part. Now, when you make a mistake, it looks natural. If somebody without the skill tries to make it too edgy or too editorial, as a mistake, it's just going to look, like you said, distasteful, right? Or tacky.

SPEAKER_01:

But you have to perfect it first and then mess it up. Because if the base is just to start messy, never going to look good.

SPEAKER_00:

So if somebody aspiring and looking up to you and want to be your assistant on big shoots, on big projects, what are the qualities you would look in the person to be able to work with you?

SPEAKER_01:

My main one, read the room. People sometimes don't read the room and it's really, really... Like you have to understand where you are, who are you working with, what's their personality and it's the only way to succeed. Like you work with a client, they're funny, they want to make jokes and you have to follow along. You work with a person, just want to be in a meditation mode, just be quiet. You cannot bring your strong personality and I have a strong personality. sometimes I have to mute myself and like be quiet and like let them be in their moment keep the energy in the room the way they want to set sometimes I'm gonna ask something from my assistant and if we're asking let's say we have 10 minutes to finish the look and I'm like can you bring me the comb and if the energy is like as I said in the meditation mode if my assistants try like panicking to find the comb in my kid like they have to understand like no have to be quiet exactly too much the energy

SPEAKER_00:

I didn't expect you say that because usually say okay the work ethics right or to be like punctual responsible but never heard what you said read the room which again it's almost next level what separates successful people from not successful people you have to like you said read the room understand understand and see the bigger picture right understand what is happening instead of just seeing what's right in front of them right it's very and if

SPEAKER_01:

you're in the room like it covers everything right if you're in the room and you see you're like a person you work for and i'm in a rush like i'm trying to finish the look because they have to work to walk the carpet in 10 minutes you have to keep up and you're like a rhythm follows my rhythm it's an understanding so

SPEAKER_00:

you said mentioned earlier before that hard work brought you to where you are right now can you break down for us what does it mean hard work to you do you have any rituals do you have any specific routine do you just take any project that comes your way what does it mean to hard work hard work means

SPEAKER_01:

be loyal and available to your clients which it takes at all like because all the clients moving here from Greece I didn't know like the demands and how much people travel I thought okay I'm gonna move to LA I'm gonna be in LA

SPEAKER_02:

like

SPEAKER_01:

I didn't know like it's not just LA like my clients just travel all over the place the world and when they are loyal to you I'm gonna be loyal back yes it's it's You can be every day on a plane, but I want to be there for them when they need me because they're always going to give it back to me and they're going to request me. So, yeah, from the outside, again, it looks very fabulous and looks very shiny. Oh, you travel the world. You're in today in Paris, tomorrow in London, which is obviously it's amazing. Like if I only knew from Kimina Thessaloniki in North Greece, I would do that. I would be thrilled. But again, for the body, it's mentally and physically very exhausting.

SPEAKER_00:

So, Dimitri, to wrap it up, how do you see your legacy? How do you want to be remembered? There's hairstylists that got famous in the 90s, you know. I have even notes like Oribe Canales, who worked with Versace show. We have Garin, right, who created Linda Evangelista. Yes, exactly. You know, specific, you know, crop. And then you have the hairstylists from the 80s like Vidal Sassoon. and Paul Mitchum, they had their own product hairlines. How do you see and which path do you see for yourself down the line as your legacy?

SPEAKER_01:

Strong question. I just want to leave a reputation behind and, as I said, work hard. Through hard work, you can achieve everything. I want to inspire people through that because there are many people that are from where I started. They are from small communities. They are from nothing familiar with what I'm doing here, but they have a dream. Just follow your dream. Chase your dream and have a strong vision. Everything is possible in life. so people don't have regrets like try and if it doesn't work it doesn't work but you try and and regarding my work I just want to make people feel pretty look themselves in the mirror and have a smile

SPEAKER_00:

that's beautiful well I think on this amazing note and having such positive warm energy from you I have no doubt and having a proof why you have such loyal clients because they see you as a friend, as maybe part of the family. You're really beautiful personality inside and out. And I thank you for this interview. Thank you so much. I'm so grateful. Thank you for this conversation.

SPEAKER_01:

Thank you. Thanks for my beautiful cover. I feel so honored.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm really happy to have you. That's my favorite cover so far. Oh my gosh, I'm so honored. Thank you so much. You

SPEAKER_01:

created all your magic. Thank you. Thank

SPEAKER_00:

you, Dimitri. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02:

you