But over and above that, he touched not just the heads of many, but also their hearts, and will be greatly missed by all who walked through those Covent Garden doors to see him. His will always be more than just a name above the door.
Five hair lessons we’ve learnt from Trevor Sorbie
Learn from the greats; teach the greats
Hairdressing was in Sorbie’s blood, with the stylist first working in his father’s barber shop, and then training to be a lady’s hairdresser after his parents paid £100 for him to do a six-month course. His first job at Vidal Sassoon almost didn’t work out – he left after a short period, before returning in his early 20s and then going on to work for John Frieda. After setting up on his own, Sorbie mentored a series of celebrated artistic directors, including Eugene Souleiman, Antoinette Beenders, Sally Brooks, Angelo Seminara and Tom Connell.
The Wedge
Appearing on a double-page spread in Vogue in 1974 – believed to be the first hairdressing picture to do so – the Wedge is perhaps Sorbie’s most famous creation, and was first demonstrated at a Vidal Sassoon show in Paris. With its roots in the famous Sassoon five-point bob, the cut has an angular fullness at the back which adds drama, perfectly capturing the spirit of the time.
The Scrunch
It was while working at John Frieda that Sorbie created his famous “Scrunch” drying technique. In part designed as a way to speed up the time in the chair for impatient clients, he found that by scrunching up the hair at the ends and moving up bit by bit towards the scalp, a natural, textured look was achieved, which, combined with a sharp bob cut, had a soft yet fashionable edge to it.