Marisol Suarez wears a variety of hats atop her blonde hair. But the hairdresser, founder, owner of two salons, and visual designer loves it: “Taking care of my clients’ hair and creating hair sculptures is a balance. It never tires me. It allows me to explore my passion,” she says. When she’s not in her hair salon, she’s in her laboratory. Here, she experiments with new protocols and gives life to her most mind-blowing creations. A huge fringe with buffalo horn in a display case, a bikini, a pair of hairy cowboy boots, a bird cage, or wigs that look like lace, you name it; they’re all made of hair, poetically frozen in time. “If you are in a hurry, you are not in the right place,” says Marisol. Indeed, beautiful things take time. During my visit to her studio, we discussed freedom, passion, and the art of trying things out. 

Growing up, what shaped your creativity? My parents had a great sense of how to put a pinch of beauty and creativity everywhere. On one side, my father used to work in the French patrimonial building industry (For those of us who are not architects, these are famous French historical sites such as castles, villas or museums). When I was little, I often went with him to building sites and I became very aware of history, monuments, and their restoration. I loved watching him as he touched textures, manipulated pieces, and talked about shapes. And on the other side, my mum used wigs as accessories: every day she would try a new style, changing their colours, textures, and cuts. I’ll also credit growing up in Paris: as a child being around so many incredible things definitely structured my sensibility. Everywhere I looked, buildings, people, gardens, museums—everything had beauty and uniqueness in it. 

How did you get into hair? I started studying at the Beaux Arts in Paris because I wanted to learn more about sculpture. I love how a hand can shape an emotion. But I never finished. Hair made me quit. Indeed, at this time, a friend of mine who has a hairdressing salon asked me if I would like to help him out for a weekend. I loved the atmosphere, working with hair, and interacting with clients so much that I never left. My parents were a bit surprised at first, but they encouraged me. They thought it was important to do something you were passionate about. So I did a CAP, a technical diploma, in Paris to become a hairdresser. At the same time, I kept on exploring sculptural and architectural objects, but this time with hair materials. 

What do you like best about hairdressing? It has been 15 years since I opened my first salon at the Palais Royal. I aimed to create a place where people could relax and be pampered. I’ve always loved the artisan way of working. It’s a celebration of slowness, where we can work with the client to create both a routine of care and a personal style. The relationship between a hairdresser and their client is also something I’m very passionate about. We listen a lot. We create a real intimacy where clients can completely give themselves up to live an incredible and slow experience.

What inspires your work? Everything inspires me. A childhood memory, an architectural book, travel adventures, personal stories, my garden—we all must be like a sponge, to feed our creativity. I’m also a big fan of Margiela’s work. He has a fun and unique way of diverting and testing things. For me, he’s a real craftsman. 

Can you tell us about your latest projects? In 2014, the Georges Pompidou Museum commissioned us for their EXTRA collection. Our team made a huge wig measuring 6 x 5 meters, all braided with blonde semi-synthetic hair and all hand sewn. This colossal piece was also exhibited in 2023 at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris for the exhibition “Des cheveux et des poils.” Another project was the creation of a shopping basket made of real hair. From a distance, it looks like a wicker basket, like the one worn by Brigitte Bardot. But when you get closer, you see that it’s all real hair, braided into very small pieces. The funny thing is that you can change the style of your basket just like your own hair or wig: the hair can be dyed, curled, or straightened.

You have another location called “Hair Gallery.” What is this space for? I opened it 10 years ago. It’s a place near the Place des Vosges where I work and explore hair creations. It’s a perfect mix between an experimental laboratory, a workshop, and gallery: there I imagine hair sculptures, exhibit my XXL creations, and also combine oils and colours to create care products. It’s deeply important for me to have this freedom. Here, I can try things, be mistaken, do it again, research…this very playful experimentation helps my team and I express our creativity and love of hair.

Do you have a favourite laboratory piece? I collect a lot of things from the hair universe. One of the most treasured pieces I have is a few pieces of hair jewellery from the 19th century. It was very common in those days to wear bracelets and braids made of real human hair, as a token of love and remembrance. I also like to collect hair from people I know. In the lab, I have a wall full of old frames from the 18th century that were used to display butterflies. Instead, I keep a hair wick in each one, from old employees or clients who have gone on to a big change or a big cut. It’s a unique way to preserve history.