| Celebrity Hairstylist David Babaii |
| Karen Marie Shelton - Copyright 12/16/07 -
All Rights Strictly Reserved. |
| Revised Date: 12/16/07 - Original
Publication Date: 12/9/07 |
Introduction
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David
Babaii
2007 |
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David Babaii
All Rights Reserved. |
Celebrity hairdresser David Babaii saw more than a vision of the
spectacular city of Paris when he stood at the top of the world
famous Eiffel Tower, some years back, with his lifelong muse and mentor, his
beloved mother.
Visiting Europe with his family, David experienced an AHA moment
when he realized his highly successful but extremely stressful
career in the International Hotel And Resort business left him
feeling unfulfilled and unhappy. It just wasn't the way he
wanted to live the rest of his life.
As he explained to me, during our recent hour long phone chat,
"although he had graduated with honors and secured prestigeous hotel
and management positions, there was little joy
that filled his heart in the industry."
Fearing he "would disappoint" his successful "hairdresser
mother", he
tentatively broached the subject of abandoning his current high flying
career to "follow his true passion, which was working in the world of
hair".
David was "pleasantly surprised" when his mother, who had spent
her life working for some of the most famous hair companies in the
world, "was completely supportive" of his newly confessed hopes and
dreams.
Even more surprising was his father's reaction. Although
his dad had heavily invested in David's extended education, which was
equivalent to a Masters in International Management, to prepare him
for the resort and hotel world, he didn't hesitate to offer his son
unconditional backing for David's journey into the world of hair.
As a result of his willingness to be fierce and pursue his true
career love, the Eiffel Tower became a special symbol to David.
It signified the beginning of his journey to where he is today - a
very famous hairstylist to the stars.
From Paris To Los Angeles
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Hudson
"Movies Rock" A Celebration Of Music In Film
12-02-07 |
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Heading back to the city where he grew up - Los Angeles,
California - David, who was actually born in London, enrolled in
cosmetology school.
It was no surprise that David longed to enter the world of hair. His mother had achieved major success in the business working in
executive positions for L'Oreal and Vidal Sassoon. David grew
up around many famous hair gurus and was completely fascinated by his mom's
career.
Following his heart, David attended the renowned Vidal Sassoon
Academies, both in LA and London, which
ironically was sometimes visited by Vidal who had known David when
he was a
child. Some years before when David's mother had assisted Vidal and held
executive positions in the Sassoon Corporate family she had
introduced her young son to the famous hair icon.
Wanting to remain low key and be recognized solely on his own
merits, David did not call any
attention to himself when Vidal would stop by the Academy. But
one day Vidal recognized him and stopped to say "don't I know you?".
The future hairdresser who was in awe of Vidal's incredible talent
and career, was thrilled to reconnect.
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Kate
Hudson
2007 Glamour Reel Moments Party
10-09-07 |
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While at the Sassoon Academy David worked very hard and soon found his
hair
groove. He confessed "although I enjoy all aspects of the
hairdressing business my own special love is cutting hair".
From The Hair Cutting Zone To The Catwalks
In fact, he laughed, and explained when he is in the "cutting
zone" he loses all sense of time and he becomes completely focused
on the task at hand. When he's in his hair zone, some of his
celeb clients kid him because he is so on-spot with his focus he
loses all track of the world around him.
Even though David's first love is working with his shears, he is
also fantastic at designing and creating amazing 'dos.
In fact, during his time at Sassoon he became famous, winning
accolades, for his dynamic and innovative hair styles. Graduating at
the top of his cosmetology class, he immediately entered the
European hairdressing community.
It was a perfect next step since David felt right at home with
the European culture having spent time there with his family and of
course working across the pond during his short lived previous hotel
management career.
Almost immediately after arriving in Europe his amazing
creativity and imagination gained him notoriety for his spectacular hair designs.
He found himself drafted into the world of haute
couture working with famous fashion designers and magazines.
David's hair subjects included a dazzling list of top International models. His
hair work began regularly appearing on all the major
runways and on the covers of all the leading fashion publications.
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Hudson
You, Me and Dupree
Premiere
07-10-06 |
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First Celebrity Client - Kate Hudson
After his hair achievements in high fashion caught fire he found
himself instantly sought after for work with celebrities. His
very first celebrity hair client was none other than the bubbly
blonde actress Kate Hudson, daughter of the beloved star,
Goldie Hawn.
Though David was overjoyed by the opportunity to work with the
gorgeous Golden Globe award winner, he confided "I was so very
nervous" when he first met the actress and began to work with her
hair "my hands were shaking".
David was amazed, but relieved, when Kate "went out of her way to put him at
ease". From that auspicious beginning "eight years ago", David
and Kate formed a special bond which has grown into a long working relationship.
As we chatted about his career David could not say enough about Kate.
He absolutely adores her and pointed out she
constantly "inspires him" and working with her "makes him a better person".
Besides being "really easy to work with" David found Kate to be
"absolutely fabulous" who goes out of her way to encourage David to
unleash his renowned design creativity when it comes to her famous
blonde tresses.
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Kate
Hudson
Raising Helen
Premiere
05-26-04 |
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He laughed when he recounted how the stunning star will say
"Dude, just do what you want with my hair" when he inquires about
some of his latest inspirations for styling her famous tresses.
He confided "he is constantly thinking of amazing new hair
designs for Kate, who has naturally wavy hair with some curl" but she just
laughs, waves her hands and says "do whatever".
David confided "he wakes up at all hours of the night with new
ideas for hair". At the time of our interview, David
confessed "he had even just been hit by a flash of inspiration by the security cages
and some tunnels at the
airport for creating a fabulous new hairstyle for Kate".
In answer to my question, David confirmed his ownership of some
of her stunning perfectly formed ringlet ringed hairstyles which he
creates using "three pronged hot irons".
He also made a point of telling me he "doesn't do Kate's color"
and sends her to an "amazing celebrity colorist in either New York
or LA".
Could he do Kate's color? Although he says he doesn't do color,
after talking with this vivacious, charming, warm and very funny
man, I have no doubt there is very little he couldn't do with hair,
including creating magnificent hues.
David's Love Of Animals
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North American Premiere of "Ocean's Thirteen"
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As we chatted about his skyrocketing celebrity hair career the
conversation turned to Chester, his beloved dog, who had recently
been under the weather and had just returned home from the hospital.
At my express request David recounted a few Chester stories which
had occurred over the years. In no time he had me oohing,
aahhing and laughing at the heart warming stories.
David explained how animals have played such a major part in his
life since his was a very young child. His love for his own
two precious dogs is legendary within his circles partially because
he takes his animals with him whenever he can. Over the years
they have become the darlings of many a photo shoot crew.
The respect and deep passion he feels for all animals, not just
his own, is very well-known, which ultimately led to another fork in
the career road for David.
Angelina Jolie's Words Of Encouragement
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Angelina Jolie
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Premiere
06-07-05 |
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Encouraged by long time celebrity client, Angelina Jolie,
who is often consumed with her own humanitarian causes, David made a
personal commitment to take on a project which would "make a
difference".
David, who has worked with Angelina for some time, recounted how
much her goodness, kindness and dedication to giving back influenced
him to do the same.
After talks with the beautiful Mr. & Mrs. Smith star David did
some heavy soul searching and decided to get involved in a cause
that was near and dear to his heart, which involved supporting the
rights of animals.
David mused about how much in his life he has to be grateful for
and how the time had come for him to step up and give back for all
the bounties that had been given to him.
Having previously been introduced to the work of WildAid (http://www.wildaid.org)
David decided to throw his efforts into totally supporting their
mission. As David explained it to me, WildAid works with governments and communities of the world to reverse the
devastation of our planet's wildlife. WildAid strives to end the
illegal wildlife trade within our lifetimes, allowing threatened
species to recover to safe levels.
WildAid's believes all people in local communities can improve their lives without destroying
their environment, and humanity can survive together with
wildlife for generations to come.
David pointed out some shocking facts about the loss of precious
animal species in various parts of the world today. Other
celebrities who support WildAid besides David and Kate currently
include
Jackie Chan, Minnie Driver and Ralph Fiennes.
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Kate
Hudson
You, Me and Dupree
Premiere
07-10-06 |
|
DailyCeleb.com
All Rights Reserved. |
He also explained his firsthand experience in the hair trade with
hair care companies with blatant use of animal products and testing
which were cruel and exploitive. He recounted how he was often
"shocked by some of the practices that occurred in the name of
creating beautiful hair".
Creation Of DAVID BABAII FOR WILDAID Line
David noted "I was approached several times before to be a
product spokesperson but I never found a project or product line
that moved me or touched my heart like the opportunity to work for WildAid."
Kate also had been asked to be the spokesperson for several
different product lines. Like David, she had not found a
product or project which moved her to action.
After talking about WildAid with Kate, the dynamic duo decided to
partner up to do something "special for the Earth and for the
animals". David explained "not only is the "laid back" Kate "the true Earth Mother" she is "as
generous as she is beautiful" and really cares "about the planet and
giving back".
Their joint decision to work with WildAid led them to create a
very special hair care line, DAVID BABAII FOR WILDAID which has
touched his heart like never before.
David is committed to "showing my industry that great hair care
products can be made without harming one animal in order to achieve
beauty." By combining their passion for nature and beauty through
the creation of DAVID BABAII FOR WILDAID, the two celebrities will
be donating a percentage of the revenues from their new hair care
line to WildAid. Besides helping to raise awareness and money
for wildlife, David and Kate are also giving back to the
environment.
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Kate
Hudson
2002m MTV Video Music Awards
08-29-02 |
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Kate will be featured in the print campaign for the new product
line. A photo shoot will be held with Kate to promote the hair
care line with David doing Kate's hair, naturally.
Although the final location had not been finalized when I chatted
with David, he told me that wherever they shoot the commercial for
the line will be beautiful.
She is the perfect choice according to David. "Kate epitomizes the modern woman, not only with her unique
personal style, but her commitment to global concerns," says
David.
"She's a dream client and the perfect partner for this project."
When asked about the project Kate has told the media
"I've been asked to do a lot of campaigns in the past and this feels
like the perfect fit for me. David is the best at what he does and
he's put so much of himself into the development of this line. And
the fact that we can do it in an ecologically responsible and
animal-friendly manner that can help preserve wildlife is what makes
this truly special."
Because the DAVID BABAII FOR WILDAID hair care line means so much
to David, he has become an instrumental force in the development of
the line. He has personally been involved in every step
towards creating the various products. David has dedicated
tremendous amounts of time to the product development cycle leaving
no stone unturned in his quest for creating a product that is as
natural as possible.
DAVID BABAII FOR WILDAID products have an exclusive blend of
exotic natural ingredients and are completely free of sulfates, parabens,
animal products and animal testing. The line celebrates "the nature in beauty and the beauty in nature."
David's Work With Long List Of Celebrities
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Kate
Hudson
7th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards
03-11-01 |
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In addition to his longtime relationship with Kate, David's work
as a hairstylist for many of the most glamorous celebrities in the
world has been featured on magazine covers, in prestigious
advertising campaigns and on red carpets around the Universe.
His hairstyles have been featured
on over a hundred major fashion covers, including InStyle Magazine,
Vogue, Elle, Flaunt, L’Officiel, Allure, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, and
Harper’s Bazaar.
To date, David's extensive
celebrity list includes Kate Hudson, Nicole Kidman, Angelina Jolie,
Uma Thurman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jennifer Garner,
Jessica Biel, Scarlet Johanson, Jessica Alba, Tom Cruise, Demi
Moore, Rachel Weiss, Meg Ryan, Joan Allen, Goldie Hawn, and Kate
Winslet, to name just a few.
He has worked in the presence of
royalty with Queen Rania of Jordan among his elite list of clients.
What does David have to say about his ever growing list of
celebrity clients? "You've got to realize, my whole goal is to make my client look
beautiful. That's it."
Summary
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Kate
Hudson
53rd Annual Directors Guild Awards
03-10-01 |
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David Babaii is a brilliant celebrity hairdresser who has stepped
up his life to honor the two things that matter most to him as a
human, his love of animals and hair.
He
wants to give back to the planet by providing hair care options
that are healthy for humans and at the same time don't harm the
Earth.
David believes "animals bring compassion and tranquility to all life". His ardor for
hair and dedication to nature characterizes his soul.
The David Babaii For Wildaid line is schedule to launch sometime in
early 2008. To learn more
about David's fabulous new hair care line visit davidbabaiiforwildaid.com
on the Web. If you would like to learn more about WildAid
visit
http://www.wildaid.org.
All inquiries
concerning: David Babaii for Wildaid Powered or David Babaii should
be directed to
JaniceJRM@aol.com
or by calling (773) 736-9034.
The outside public relations firm, Bragman,
Nyman and Cafarelli will also work to promote the line.
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