After a chance encounter led Tamas Tuzes into the world of hair, he cut his teeth working at a salon in Budapest before co-founding his own salon along with a close friend. After eight years of juggling working on shoots with running the salon, he sold his part in the business and moved to New York to achieve his dream of becoming a full-time session stylist. We spoke to him about his inspirations, his favourite hair era, and his serendipitous entry into hairdressing.

How did you get into hairdressing? I think I have a fairly unique story… I was actually in forestry school when a hairstylist girlfriend of mine got tickets to a hair show and asked me to join her. Although I didn’t have a clue what the show entailed, I accompanied her out of curiosity. It was a life-changing moment; while I was watching the show I realised that what I really wanted to be was a session hairstylist.

Outside of the hairdressing world, where do you get your inspirations from? A few months ago I went to Portland and found a style book from the 60s. I was blown away by the hairstyles, the characters, how everything was photographed and presented. Every time I look at that book I get new ideas out of it. However, everything that surrounds me can be a form of inspiration. Shapes, textures, colours, materials… The streets of New York inspire me daily.

What are the most satisfying and challenging aspects of your profession? Balancing the need to support the project I’m working on while maintaining a consistent aesthetic, and still finding room to evolve as an artist.

If you could cut or style anyone’s hair from history who would it be, and what would you give them? There are so many! Last year I was lucky enough to work with one of the greatest style icons of all time: Björk. That was a real “dream come true” moment in my life. I would be thrilled to work with Chloe Sevigny, Erykah Badu, or Dave Gahan from Depeche Mode, who in the 80s gave us the perfect flat-top. I’d love to give Chloe a pixie or a bowl cut. She had an iconic one in her ‘Kids’ phase but I think I could up the ante…

What is your favourite era for hair? The 60s, because that was when Vidal Sassoon “changed the world with a pair of scissors”.

What advice would you give to a young hairdresser starting out today? What goes around comes around; be nice to people and stay humble. Hard work and resilience always pays off. Most importantly… enjoy what you do!