They Say
‘Nestled within the bustling streets of London’s Westbourne Grove, home to designer labels and independent boutiques alike, lies the serene fabulosity of London’s newest high-end salon Gustav Fouche. Home to the revolutionary 3D dry cut, the Gustav Fouche team are experts in perfecting your personal style with a truly first-class bespoke service like no other. Gustav Fouche is fast becoming London’s most sought-after luxury salon destination.
At Gustav Fouche, the stellar squad of experts specialise in the art of the 3D dry cut. This revolutionary method lets the team work with your hair as it naturally falls, skilfully tailoring tresses to suit the natural character and curvature of each individual face shape. Not only is this technique superior when it comes to the blending and layering of the hair, but it is more effective in creating a personalised style.
Every team member is intent on giving their chic clientele the best hair they’ve ever had! Gustav Fouche’s master colourists bring instant vibrancy to the salon floor. With an innate appreciation for how a new shade can instantly enhance a client’s skin tone, eye colour and face shape, clients will leave the salon feeling powerfully confident in their new-found style and hue.
With an ability to add a contemporary twist to beautifully classic styles, Gustav has firmly established his status as the go-to stylist for celebrities and loyal clients alike. Gustav has won numerous industry awards and accreditations and has worked with multiple photographers including the world-famous Rankin. His skills have paved the way to multiple magazine covers, and collaborations with the likes of designers Caroline Castigliano, Suzanne Neville, Jenny Packham and Oscar De La Renta.’
The Process
First things first, the salon is beaut! High ceilings, tonal grey walls, marble countertops, and muted oak parquet bring Parisian glamour to this bustling corner of Westbourne Grove.
Gustav is as fantastic as the hair he creates! A beatific whirlwind of energy and knowledge, he flits around the salon making every client feel like they’re the most important person in the world. We discussed my ideal tone and shape, and, with his artist’s eye, he created it, only better.
The lovely Annamaria began by removing my leftover tape extensions and preparing them to refit once my colour and cut were complete. Next, Gustav blended the mildest 2% peroxide solution with Olaplex and proceeded to expertly blend my roots to the lengths. Wonderful company, he regaled me with stories spanning high jinks in his native Cape Town, to tales of an appalling London waiter, all the way to his own adolescent home hair colour disasters.
Unlike many colourists, Gustav is keen to use the lowest strength peroxide possible and allow it to process for longer. This massively limits colour damage and subsequent breakage, but with many salons more concerned about turnover and available chairs, I’ve had a too strong colour applied many a time and even been put under a heat lamp to accelerate the process elsewhere. This has always left noticeable damage despite always being assured it wouldn’t…
Once the roots had lifted to the perfect shade, the foils were removed, the colour washed off, and more bond-restoring Olaplex applied at the basin… My hair was then expertly diffuse-dried for Gustav’s signature dry-cutting technique. It looked so very thick and healthy after his expert trim that I almost didn’t need the extensions refitting! But with Annamaria’s perfect application, I’m glad that they were.
Annamaria placed them in a discreet row just above the nape of the neck. Avoiding the hairline – unlike the previous hairdresser who’d fitted them – she protected the more fragile hair from breakage and positioned them for the longest shelf-life before they’d grow out to be visible. The extensions were then trimmed to match my real hair and the whole wonderful experience wrapped up with some bouncy Upper East Side curls.
The Result
My hair has never looked better – the highlights are woven so finely my crazy fast-growing roots are barely noticeable two months later – really saying something given it grows a solid inch or two a month!
The colour was perfect, with zero damage and the perfect Nordic baby blonde tone. I’ve never been so happy with the position of my extensions, and if I have them fitted again, will always insist on placing them in Annamaria’s discreet and low row…
