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Roundtable: Vidal Sassoon's lasting legacy for retail

The beauty pioneer changed the way people think about hair and built a retail empire in the process.

May 15, 2012 by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

Last week, fashion and retail legend Vidal Sassoon died at the age of 84. He opened his first retail salon in London in 1954, and from there built a beauty empire that, among other hallmarks, was widely known for his influential geometric hairstyles, which were low on maintenance and had a sought-after modern look.

We asked a few retail and beauty experts to weigh in with what they think will be Sassoon's enduring legacy — and we ask you to do the same in the comments below.

Phyllis Dealy, Partner at Woods Witt Dealy & Sons, who has led successful communications strategies for brands like P&G's Duracell Powermat, Absolut, Sundance Channel and Cheerwine:

Vidal Sassoon capitalized on the perfect combination of art, celebrity, commerce and culture to change beauty retail forever.

He took an unglamorous trade and elevated it to an art form. Then he took this new "art form" and celebrity status that came with it and transformed it into a retail and consumer products empire. And his inspiration from and impact on the cultural shifts that were happening at the time accelerated his success even more.

We have to give him credit as one of the first celebrity retail entrepreneurs — an expert qualified enough to be his own celebrity spokesperson. Whether they know it or not, he paved the way for icons like Martha Stewart, Mario Batali, and Phillipe Starck to do the same in their fields.

Vidal Sassoon, giving Mia Farrow her iconic hairdo on the set of "Rosemary's Baby"

Eduardo A. Braniff, CEO of Imagination the Americas. He currently sits on the board of AIGA LA, the Professional Association of Design, and served as Chair of the junior board of the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Quite simply Vidal Sassoon put a face on hair care and took the experience of hair care out of the shower and onto the high street. He created an integrated experience — from the person to the signature cuts to the product to the stores — goes infinitely further than the Wellas of the world. He proved to us how personality drives a brand's value through the roof and that a pixie cut can really pack a punch!

David Zyla, 2012 Emmy Nominee and the author of The Color of Style. Beginning in 2001, Zyla was the head costume designer for General Hospital, Port Charles, and most recently All My Children, for which he was awarded the 2010 "Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design" Daytime Emmy Award.

A woman's hair is a design element in her head-to-toe look. Just as a handbag or shoe can complete, complicate or compromise an outfit, so can her hairstyle.

As a result of (Sassoon's) low-maintenance and modern streamlined design of hair, he contributed to a sleeker, less complicated form of head-to-toe fashion. His eye influenced those designing clothing, jewelry, handbags and even shoes.

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