Hiro The Hair Doctor

Meet The Stylist With The Prescription For Your Personal Style

Today, Hiro observes, men and women are over-scheduled. They have little time to invest in their hair. What they want is a hairstyle that is easy, looks great, and takes just a few minutes to fix. “Finding the right prescription for each client takes concentration. I ask questions, learn about their lifestyle, how they feel about their hair and their self-image; all these elements come into consideration before I begin to cut their hair.” Each haircut from Hiro is customized, personalized with great thought from this truly masterful artist whose elegant, minimal approach works wonders.

It is, he says, what a client says they don’t want that is key to the collaborative process he considers his haircuts to be. “I don’t want my clients to look older. Whether they are artists or business leaders, I design a haircut to bring out their youthfulness and make them look contemporary.” Hiro does not just look at eyes, mouth and nose, he scans the whole person: “I learn, I evaluate. I ask what they don’t want. Many want a new look, but are not always sure they truly want a big change, so it is up to me as a hairdresser to share my experience and guide them. Of course, some will feel they know exactly what they want, but even so, what they are insisting upon may not be the right prescription.”

These days you can find Hiro at the vibrant, cool new location for Privé Salon by Laurent D at the iconic Sherry Netherland, dubbed “the quintessential downtown experience in the heart of the NYC golden shopping triangle.” He is an exceptional addition to the Central Park-adjacent salon that speaks to the modern, eclectic world with a unique aesthetic beloved of celebrities including Johnny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow, Uma Thurman, Tina Fey, and Jewel.

Hiro is known as the Hair Doctor for his intuitive ability to diagnose every hair challenge. What he calls chemically dry hair is due to bad color treatments (to repair color and help prevent further damage he has worked closely with Beth Minardi, an esteemed colorist with a celebrity following at the Samuel Shriqui Salon). He observes in his minimalist style, “Every client presents a problem but no one has the same problem. Every challenge equals an opportunity to create good design. If the client is on the larger side, they need to have a haircut that slims their face. If their hair is frizzy, they will need a smoother look. It is up to me to find their flaw and fix it.”

Hairdressers today are often caught up in trends, Hiro notes as one who stays creative and ahead of the curve without being swayed by what’s in or what’s out per se. “Control is vital. Wavy hair you do not want too messy. Straight hair can be a little messier but it shows everything. A little mistake is extremely obvious in straight hair.” The key to a successful haircut is to adapt to each type of hair, Hiro says. No one, he reminds us, has the same hair, much less the same job or the same personality. Bringing out inner beauty with the right haircut and the right recommendations for sustaining the cut have made Hiro a remarkably desirable stylist who has worked with some of the world’s most renowned hairdressers.

Successfully merging his Far East training and philosophy with the Western variety of hair types, Hiro is known for his unique blend of “international chic.” In Japan, he spent over nine years studying, perfecting, and improving his technique, which has made him one of the fashion world’s most sought-after hairstylists. Over his extensive career he’s worked with the best—Suga, the famed hairdresser of the 1980s whose clients included Candice Bergen, Lauren Hutton, Faye Dunaway and the designer Hanae Mori; Oribe, one of the first American hairstylists to style the European collections whose collaboration with photographer Steven Meisel and makeup artist Francois Nars built the supermodel concept, as in Christy, Linda and Naomi; and Garren, where he styled for fashion show luminaries like Marc Jacobs and Anna Sui.

Combining his experience from three top New York salons, Hiro’s signature approach has evolved to include not only consultation and styling, but aftercare as well. Believing that maintaining the style after leaving the salon is equally as important as the initial visit, Hiro explains that products are key to sustaining a great haircut. Certainly among those Hiro champions are several in the Privé line, favored by the salon’s celebrity patrons who’ve been clients of Laurent D. over the years, and which the Japanese line Milbon, which just launched an anti-aging line for mature, color-treated hair and is Plarmia enriched.

Americans, he observes, have little patience. In contrast, the Japanese recognize that a good technique (for hair cutting) comes with practice, from combining ideas and skill. Himself a hybrid, Hiro adjusts to the changing landscape of hairstyling where once do’s were more complex and vastly different than today where simplicity rules; the greatest expression is now in hair color. “The present and the future for me is collaboration: Working with a colorist who truly knows their art and connecting with a client who values the beauty of a haircut that brings out their personal style in a confident new way. This way of thinking is my prescription for success.”

At Privé by Laurent D., Hiro teams up with Chrisopher John, a talented colorist and a brilliant collaborator for the hair doctor since their days together at Garren/

To find out more, visit:
Prive (www.privebylaurentd.com).
The salon is located at 781 Fifth Avenue on the Mezzanine Level.
For appointments, call 212 308 7100.