Hairstylist to the rich and famous

1948-2015

FRANK Fowden, who has died in Cape Town at the age of 66, cut the hair of some of the richest, most famous and powerful people in the world. Then he came to South Africa. In the ’80s and ’90s he was THE hairstylist of choice for the glamorous, fashionable and well-heeled of the northern suburbs of Johannesburg, who swept into his salons at The Firs in Rosebank and Sandton Square and, such was the cachet a Fowden cut conferred, swaggered out.

His work featured on the covers of all the most “important” glossies of the day, such as Fair Lady, Cosmopolitan, Darling, Rooi Rose, Style, Living and De Kat.

Fowden himself was all class. The epitome of elegance, he had impeccable taste and was always immaculately dressed.

The image he projected was that of the perfect gentleman. In addition to wearing the best labels, this meant keeping his mouth shut and never bragging about his clients.

As well as being famously silent inside his salon, he was famously discreet outside. He understood well the confessional aspect of his job and was a very good listener. He never judged, barely commented and never, ever blabbed.

Apart from his skill — and he was a cutter of genius — these were the qualities that made him so attractive to his clients, many of whom came to him for years.

He won the respect and loyalty of the most notoriously fragile and obnoxious egos.

Legendary and legendarily cantankerous English drummer Ginger Baker regularly drove 125km from his farm in Tulbagh in the Western Cape to the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town so that Fowden could cut his hair.

Any managerial problems, be they disgruntled clients or staff issues, were dealt with by his wife, Patricia.

She came to Johannesburg from the UK and his Sandton salon was recommended to her. When she walked in, he decided at once that this was the woman he was going to marry.

Fowden was born in York on July 25 1948. The family moved to Bournemouth where he went to school, fell in love with the sea and became a talented yachtsman. He wanted to join the Royal Navy but was rejected because he was colour-blind. He did various odd jobs until he decided to put himself through hairdressing school.

He distinguished himself and in 1968 was accepted by the Vidal Sassoon school in Knightsbridge. He worked as a stylist for a year in the Vidal Sassoon Salon before being identified as a future star by London’s most influential hairdresser at the time, Leonard Lewis, famous in the hairdressing world as “Leonard”. Leonard invited him to join his five-storey salon, where he remained for nine years.

His clients included Mick Jagger, his wife Bianca, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, singer Lulu, and her husband, Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees, and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. He would go to their homes.

Thatcher would phone him from 10 Downing Street and say:

He was famously discreet outside his salon and never, ever blabbed

“Frank, I need my hair done.” He was involved in her famous makeover after she decided to run for prime minister, and kept a signed picture of her sporting the new-look cut he gave her.

Fowden worked on numerous photo shoots, fashion shows, music videos and films, including A Clockwork Orange and Rollerball.

He was brought to South Africa by L’Oréal to conduct seminars around the country, and decided to move here.

He opened his salon in Rosebank in 1980, Sandton Square in 1996 and at Cape Town’s Waterfront in 1998.

Famous clients — who mostly went to the Cape Town salon — included Anneline Kriel, who remained a close friend to the end; fashion designer Marianne Fassler, who went out with him for a while; Hillary Clinton; Sarah Ferguson; Colin Farrell; Arnold Schwarzenegger and family; Michael Jackson; and Michael Schumacher.

Fowden, who was diagnosed with bladder cancer last year, is survived by Patricia and their adopted daughter, Bouji. — Chris Barron