Flowy off-white kurta-costume, white pants rolled up, milk white sandal sneakers, minimal jewelry, zero make-up, edgy cool hair and oodles of panache. Adhuna, the BBLUNT empress. When we walked into BBLUNT Kolkata
(35 Supra Court, Lansdowne Terrace, off Sarat Bose Road) on October 22, Adhuna was in a session with the workforce. This was her first go to to the Calcutta salon that additionally coincided with its first birthday. “I believe in cutting hair in its natural form, working with the natural fall of the hair so that when the client leaves the salon, they can manage their hair themselves at home,” Adhuna informed us put up-session as she settled down for a chat with t2. Candid and endearing, Adhuna appeared again at her journey and informed us why she didn’t like kulfi!
Tell us about your Calcutta join…
I’m half-Bengali and my father was from Calcutta and he left India to go and research and work within the UK, met my mother and the remainder is historical past (laughs). He by no means needed to return again to India. Unfortunately, my father handed away once we have been fairly younger. We didn’t be taught the language or ever actually spend any time right here due to his private style and selections. But when he handed away, my mother truly did deliver us to go to…. There are numerous kin… in Salt Lake.
But that was a few years in the past. I used to be 12 and my brother, Osh, who’s my companion within the enterprise, and my twin sister, all three of us have been dropped at India and we didn’t actually like our expertise once we first got here right here. We have been born and introduced up within the UK. Even an ice cream was completely different! I bear in mind asking for an ice cream and so they gave us kulfi. Of course everyone loves kulfi, however we have been like ‘what is this?’ (Laughs) I’ve lived in India for nearly 30 years now and I by no means have kulfi! (Laughs) I don’t actually love milky sorts of sweets. My favorite is gulab jamun. Give me chocolate any day!
Over the years you’ve gotten been within the metropolis…
I’ve introduced my youngsters to satisfy my household right here. In truth, my cousin may be very upset with me… how might I come for 2 days and never see them…. I’ve come after a very long time, a superb 5-seven years.
Do you see any distinction?
I do. I see modernisation and all of the excessive-finish manufacturers are right here. I didn’t anticipate that. I really feel it’s just a little cleaner. I at all times prefer to take the window seat and the greenery hit me as I used to be flying in. Of course, it’s the outskirts, however nonetheless it was trying so stunning.
What Bengali traits do you’ve gotten?
Thinking that I do know all the pieces! (Laughs out loud) My excessive brow. I at all times say it’s an indication of intelligence. Jokes apart, my twin sister appears like my mother’s aspect of the household and whereas I used to be rising up, everybody stated I appeared like the ladies on my dad’s aspect of the household. So my sister appears much more western than I do and I match a bit extra into the Indian mould.
You have made hairstyling so aspirational. How do you suppose immediately’s children are approaching this occupation?
It’s a extremely powerful query to reply truly. When I first got here to India, 30 years again, it was an incredible time to be on this enterprise. It was unexplored and few recognised manufacturers, which nonetheless exist immediately, like Nalini and Yasmin… I went and labored with them… they have been very ahead-considering for his or her time. I’ve freelanced right here for a while. Then when L’Oréal began in India, their skilled division, I labored for them and received to journey the entire of the nation. It was wonderful to see the openness for hairdressers. They have been dying to be taught one thing new. Internet was not but taking place, however the need for one thing new was obvious. Then with the Internet and the arrival of many large international manufacturers in India, magnificence and hairdressing has actually advanced and the angle, say for instance, of a mum or dad permitting their little one to return into this occupation….
It is prestigious and everybody desires to be like Adhuna…
I don’t know whether it is prestigious… I believe you’re being variety…. So, Adhuna hasn’t created this complete story on her personal. Yes, I used to be a passionate hairdresser and I believe it was one of many foremost components to this story of BBLUNT. Along the best way, I’ve met many passionate hairdressers who’ve additionally come and labored alongside us and a few of them have educated with us and discovered from us and there’s a stability. Luckily, I’ve an important relationship with my brother and that means I used to be capable of do a enterprise as a result of my thoughts is inventive, whereas his is extra logistical and practical (laughs). One of the issues I’ve discovered within the enterprise is to at all times work with individuals who have a special talent set and may improve your talent set. That has actually helped progress our enterprise ahead.
What modified it for the Indian hairdressing trade?
A mix of issues… the inflow of massive manufacturers who provided training and coaching. Our model was constructed on training and coaching. And, I believe movies have large affect on what we have been capable of do. Dil Chahta Hai for us was…
A sport changer?
An unintentional sport changer, within the sense that once we began engaged on that movie, Avan (Contractor) and I had by no means completed a movie earlier than. Avan has labored in manufacturing. So, she had just a little sense of movie. I had a way of trend and we labored collectively to create these appears after which clearly sustaining it on the set. The complete picture of the movie from each actor who was there to how the costume was and the way the units have been created, the appear and feel of the sunshine, all the pieces within the movie was new and once we approached the job, we approached it the best way we have been approaching hair in our salon.
We didn’t say we are going to create this wonderful factor and it’s going to revolutionise the best way hair is checked out in movie. That occurred due to the fervour with which we approached the venture.
We additionally had three male actors (Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan and Akshaye Khanna) who have been open to vary. The credit score (for the enduring appears) goes to Avan Contractor and to not me. Avan labored on the movie. She did the haircuts. I used to be pregnant on the time, so I couldn’t get near the chair. There have been many firsts for all of us. I believe the affect that that movie had did wonders for our repute. I don’t suppose now we have made such an affect ever since. I don’t know if any movie has made such an affect with hair since then. It actually introduced a deal with how essential the appear and feel of the character is and the way essential hair is a part of the look.
Hairdressers need coaching and so they need to develop. This is a complete new workforce I’m assembly immediately and they’re truly telling me the identical factor that 30 years in the past hairdressers have been saying: we need to be taught to chop quick hair as a result of no one actually wears quick hair right here. There continues to be lots to discover with quick hair. I believe lengthy hair is a part of our tradition, India-wide and there’s a positive stability between tradition and trend and the way these two issues can mix collectively. Maybe at instances, now we have been perceived as being just a little radical however they laughed at Vidal Sassoon (British hairtsylist) within the ’60s and he’s a family title now (laughs).
You have at all times championed quick hair…
Always. I really feel that lengthy hair makes me look outdated.
Looking again just a little, who impressed you to take this up as a occupation?
My mom was at all times very specific about her hair. There was this hairdresser that she would at all times go to religiously, each six weeks. That was how I received launched to salon life. I’d simply go together with my mother and sit together with her whereas she received her hair completed. And, I skilled this ambiance. There within the UK, there have been every kind of characters in a salon, from wild punk rock haircuts to every kind. The salon I educated in was a busy, rocking salon, with a really skilled workforce of stylists. It was an occasion to look at what went on in that salon. Each particular person stylist introduced their very own joie de vivre to the desk. They weren’t clones of one another. Everyone had their distinctive model and method. You get drawn to any person whose hair you want. If you want my hair, you’d in all probability let me lower your hair.
I used to be at all times very impressed by the Vidal Sassoon story. He has an attention-grabbing trajectory and is somebody I aspired to be like. When I got here to India and realised that I’m going to remain right here, I hoped that I might obtain one thing like that right here. That was the dream.
Did you’ve gotten issues in educating Indians that hairdressing is rather more than only a haircut?
We are nonetheless at it! We are nonetheless educating that and individuals are nonetheless studying. There is a phenomenon right here that I might by no means actually get my head round, the form of effort and cash that gets spent at weddings for instance (and never a haircut). Prior to us beginning, there was at all times this particular person ticketing state of affairs. You go to a salon and also you pay Rs 50 for a conditioner, this a lot for a hair mousse and this a lot for a shampoo, this a lot for a haircut… possibly you wouldn’t even shampoo your hair, you’d simply lower it dry. We got here in and kind of stated: ‘We are doing a different approach’. It’s a bundle. I don’t need to lower hair that’s soiled. I need to work on freshly shampooed, conditioned hair, in order that when my shopper walks out of the salon, they see precisely how their hair will fall. I’m not going to blow-dry in such a means that solely I can do it. I’m going to indicate this shopper how this haircut works for them at residence. It was a six-week cycle that we began . In India, it was at all times fairly straightforward to get your lengthy hair blow-dried by any person else. But then taking that individual, who’s simply an executor to creating them into an artist, was the job at hand and continues to be the job at hand (laughs).
What form of a dialog have you ever had along with your hair within the final two years?
It has not likely modified. We have all learnt to do our hair ourselves and I believe all of us learnt methods to handle our hair. We have been doing lots of tutorial movies and took our academy on-line. Personally, rising my hair out has been a torture for me. I do lower my very own hair generally, however I grew to become extra busy throughout lockdown.
What else are you trying to be taught?
So a lot. Our enterprise is like the style enterprise which is ever evolving… shapes, textures, lengths. When miniskirts got here into trend within the ’60s, hair went quick. When the feather lower was in trend, the jackets have been longer and the garments extra flowy. The ’70s feather lower is into a brand new model and is now highly regarded. Perms are coming again into trend. It is the style assertion of the ’80s, however we’re perming differently. Taking that concept, evolving it and transferring it ahead, is one thing now we have completed various and I’m feeling actually outdated now! I’ve seen it then and I’m seeing it once more now! (Laughs)
Adhuna with the fashions of the day — Ushoshi Sengupta (in black) and Subhamita Banerjee — on whom she demonstrated two appears, and Priti Agarwal (in all blue), franchise proprietor, BBLUNT Kolkata. “Adhuna’s visit was long due. We were expecting her during the launch but Covid protocols prohibited that. Better late than never and nothing could beat the happiness of having her over for our anniversary. Adhuna is such a vibrant person and a true leader. Her presence itself thrilled our stylists. Her words of professional wisdom, her advice were deeply motivating. Her ease in connecting with everyone went far in inspiring all. She is definitely a woman of substance and I had a great learning experience. She was impressed with the functioning of the salon. The praise and wonderful reviews she got to hear from a few of our clients and friends she met made her super happy. She has promised unfailing support and guidance from her Mumbai team. I’m sure our relationship and friendship will go a long way,” stated Priti.
“I felt overwhelmed to get a haircut from such an honourable person, she is always my favourite one, and she is the one who really understands Afro curly hair. It was the best experience to get a nice cut yet I did not feel like a lot changed or that it became shorter. She is fun, smart, humble and she also suggested how to take care of my hair in the Indian weather,” stated Subhamita (proper). Ushoshi liked assembly Adhuna. “She truly is a genius and an absolute power woman. I finally decided to get a haircut. Since I have curly hair, it’s very difficult to get a haircut and still maintain the length… it’s the reason why I have always avoided going to a lot of salons. Adhuna, however, made it so easy, plus I feel the haircut has added a lot of freshness to my face. I am in love with the layers she created yet maintaining the length I always wanted,” she stated.
Adhuna at work
On Subhamita: “We are going to cut it a little bit because it needs to be cut. People always expect a dramatic difference and that’s not always required. I am going to tweak it but I know for her it is going to make a huge difference… change the shape slightly… she needs to keep the length a bit because of the work she does,” she defined.
On Ushoshi: “I have a complete passion for curly hair. My twin sister has hair like these two ladies, corkscrew curls. When we were young, growing up in school, it was the ’80s and this very asymmetric haircut was in fashion in my school. I had the best asymmetric haircut in school, but my poor sister had to struggle every single day with her hair. When I started hairdressing, she made me make a promise that I will learn how to manage curly hair. My younger daughter also has the same kind of hair and she did go through a point in time of not accepting or not wanting it. On Ushoshi, I will work inside out, keeping all the length and adding some personality to that hair,” she stated.
Adhuna and Naz Gazdar (sitting, excessive left), director, training and high quality, BBLUNT, with Team BBLUNT Kolkata, Ushoshi and Subhamita
