Tag Archives: Festival de Cannes

Wong Kar Wai team: George Scissors Hand

– Made-to-measure in Japan, with my name engraved: those scissors cost ten thousand Hong Kong dollars (more and less one thousand euros). They are beautiful, aren’t they? I’m a left hand, my free hand to cut. 

Says Georges with a child’s enthusiasm for his gorgeous scissors, like a photographer presenting his lucky camera. I decide to nickname him George Scissors Hand.  

 

Midtown, crowed business area, the appointment is in front of Mark and Spencer, with George Scissors Hand aka George Wong Peng Loy, a famous Hong Kong hair stylist and one of the owners of the select hair dressing salon, Headquaters. He works for fashion and movies, especially with Wong Kar Wai. He’s also the personal hair dresser of the filmmaker and the actor Tony Leung and many other “beautiful” people from Hong Kong and China.

– I prefer working with men, it’s easier. Nice, clean and fast. I have to hear what you want first and then suggest you something, I explain to my customers. I find inspiration in lots of magazines, on Internet and before I went to shows in Paris and London.

Now sat in a private room of his hair dressing salon for the exclusive clients:

– The beginning was very difficult, hard: you have to be the best. First you have to do good job. I did hair styling for magazines, people saw it and I started working a lot with the art director William Chang or Cheung (which is the art director of Wong Kar Wai’s movies). I liked his work. And then I’ve worked with Wong Kar Wai on lots of commercials and “In the mood for love”, “2046”.

Teenager, George’s already wanted to work in Fashion. But his father, owner of a travel agency and very fluent French speaker (born in Mauritius), said no. So in 1980, George went in Paris, learning French “à l’Alliance Française” during one year:

– I liked many beautiful pictures and I wanted to be a photographer, but the school was too expensive, I made a training period in a hair dressing salon school at Hotel Nikko for one year. I didn’t want to stay in France for my future, so for paying my flight back to Hog Kong, I worked in a Japanese restaurant for four months. Every afternoon, I cut hairs of the personnel, like a training.

– Back in Hong Kong I had to learn English hairdresser words! In 1985, I started as a junior at Headquaters and in 1997, I became one of the owners of the salon. I’d prefer working in Paris. Hong Kong I don’t like too much: too many people, but here it’s better than France to earn money!

Great success story in a city and culture where you have to be successful.

– I have no idea for future plans. I’m happy and simple. I just want to work and get back home: I’m a family man. I love my wife Nicolette and my five years old daughter Anya. And I love my job.

Thanks Georges!

Related posts : INTERVIEWS

 

 

Wong Kar Wai connection: George aux mains d’argent

– Du sur mesure fabriqué au Japon, avec mon nom gravé dessus : ces ciseaux coûtent dix mille dollars de Hong Kong (plus ou moins mille euros). Ils sont superbes, non ! Je suis gaucher, ma main libre pour couper.

Explique Georges avec l’enthousiasme d’un enfant pour ses magnifiques ciseaux, comme un photographe avec son appareil fétiche. Je décide de le surnommer George aux mains d’argent !

 

Midtown, le grouillant quartier des affaires : rendez-vous devant Mark and Spencer, avec George aux mains d’argent, alias George Wong Peng Loy, célèbre coiffeur et propriétaire associés de  Headquaters, salon select de coiffure. Il travaille dans la mode et pour le cinéma, plus spécialement avec Wong Kar Wai. C’est aussi le coiffeur personnel du réalisateur, de l’acteur Tony Leung et de beaucoup d’autres beautiful people de Hong Kong et de Chine continentale.

 

– Je préfère coiffer les hommes, c’est plus facile. Sympa, propre et rapide. Je dois d’abord écouter ce que vous voulez et ensuite vous suggérer quelque chose, voici ce que j’explique à mes clients. Je puise mon inspiration dans divers magazines et sur Internet. Avant j’allais aux shows à Paris et à Londres.

Assis maintenant dans une pièce privée réservée aux clients choisis de son salon:

Les débuts ont été très durs, difficiles : vous devez être le meilleur. D’abord vous devez faire du bon travail. J’étais coiffeur pour des photos de magazines, des gens l’ont vu et j’ai commencé à beaucoup travailler avec William Chang ou Cheung (qui est aussi le directeur artistique des films de Wong Kar Wai). J’aimais son travail. Ensuite j’ai travaillé pour Wong Kar Wai sur de nombreuses publicités et « In the mood for love », « 2046 ».

 

Adolescent, George veut travailler dans la mode, mais son père, propriétaire d’une agence de voyages qui parlait couramment français (né à Maurice) s’y oppose. Alors en 1980, George vient à Paris apprendre la langue « à l’Alliance Française » pendant un an :

– J’aimais plein de superbes photos et je voulais devenir photographe, mais l’école coûtait trop chère. Alors j’ai fait un stage dans une école d’apprentissage de coiffure à l’Hôtel Nikko, durant un an. Je ne voulais pas rester en France pour mon avenir: pour payer mon billet retour, j’ai travaillé pendant quatre mois dans un restaurant japonais. Où chaque après-midi, je coupais les cheveux au personnel, comme entraînement.

– De retour à Hong Kong, j’ai dû apprendre le jargon professionnel des coiffeurs en anglais! En 1985, j’ai commencé comme coiffeur junior à Headquaters et en 1997, j’en suis devenu un des propriétaires. J’aurai préféré travailler à Paris. Je n’aime pas beaucoup Hong Kong: il y a trop de monde, mais pour gagner de l’argent c’est mieux qu’en France!

Beau succès dans une ville et culture où il faut absolument réussir.

– Je n’ai aucune idée de ce que sera demain. Je suis simple et heureux. Je veux juste travailler et rentrer le soir chez moi : je suis un family man. J’aime ma femme Nicolette et ma fille de cinq ans Anya. Et j’aime mon travail.

 
Merci George! 
 
Autres articles : INTERVIEWS
 
 

Wong Kar Wai Team: who are you Miss Candy Law?

Welcome back in HK Baby!

– I’ve worked very hard on this film: he’s full sense of humor, he’s a funny guy.

He, Wong Kar Waithis movie: “2046” (2004), before My Blueberry Nights (2007). And the shy young lady is Candy Law, a great fashion make-up artist and make-up consultant. She also works with the brillant filmmaker (I’ve been a big fan since my Movies studies at university) and his production company Jet Tone Films.

– Due to the pro-longed production schedule, the previous make-up artist had to go due to other commitment.  Then the “2046”Art Director, William Cheung, gave me this great opportunity. The challenge: he asked me to make a basic look and it was a huge challenge, as you know the simpler the harder. Plus I worked alone with all the famous actors like Tony Leung, Chang Chen, Dong Jan and actresses like Gong Li, Faye Wong, Carina Lau. I wanted to cooperate and finished as scheduled. 

– Working for cinema: you have to spend long hours on the job. Especially Wong wanted everything to be perfect, that was pressure on its own, and there is no tolerance for error on the sense. You have to be under control: it’s very grueling physically!

In the IFC’s Starbuck, finance people around us and Candy looks like a Tim Burton’s character, dark, a bit gothic and full of sense of humor and lovely contradictions:

– Why did I name my dog, Muffin? Cause I don’t like muffins. I love wicked idea. I can be very extreme in my make-up. Just like I love books, but I don’t read into them, I look at the pictures because I don’t want to get too involved.     

At 24 years old, she goes to Sydney to meet her dad and study in a make-up school for movies and stage and ballet dancing. Two years later in 1999, she’s back in Hong Kong and starts to work for fashion editorials and ad campaigns:

– I have never thought about going outside of my country. I’m a very traditional Chinese woman: family is the most important thing. I know marriage is difficult. I always worried about the future.

The future?

– Alone without friend (a big laugh). No, I really enjoy going out with a few close friends (last for ever), staying at home with Muffin, my dog and my very wise 86 years old grandma. She calms me because she is the closest person to me at heart. I talk to people when I want to.  

Thanks a lot Candy!

 

Bonus tracks: leaving Candy, I meet those two unbelievable “guys” made in Hong Kong and coming from the comics planet.

Related posts : INTERVIEWS