Book Description

PERMANENT WAVING - THE GOLDEN YEARS: A Personal History After the First World War, during a social movement now called "Modernism," there was a revolution in both the styles and the technology of ladies' hairdressing. The technology was first developed by I. Calvete who designed the first practical heaters for permanent-waving and the publicity was the initiative of E. Suter, whose first name "Eugene," became synonymous with permanent-waving. For twenty years, they dominated the hairdressing scene and hardly a hairdresser or a woman would not have known the iconic name Eugene or not been permed with the equipment made by Calvete, (who incidentally was also involved in the development of early electrical equipment for medical and beauty treatments). Both they and many competitors, exhibited at regular beauty exhibitions and competed in prestigious hairdressing competitions, assisted by an army of inspired hairdressers who using the new techniques, created a range of elegant styles which were the hall-mark of the period. Yet the Second World War and advances in technology meant the sudden disappearance of the technique and that present-day hairdressers and women are totally unfamiliar with the methods which were so commonplace in those days although, in the author's opinion, many of the styles would be acceptable today. This is an account of how the company I. Calvete, and Eugene as well, came into being, prospered and evolved and vanished with the start of the hostilities of World War II. The Author Louis Calvete is the son of the founder of I. Calvete Ltd. and as a child, he grew up in an environment regarding the design, development and manufacture of hairdressing and medical equipment. At a time when some are talking of the "centenary of permanent-waving," he thinks it appropriate to draw attention to some of the forgotten pioneers of this unique period, and wishes to show that equipment which is totally unfamiliar today and even frightening to modern eyes, was in fact quite commonplace then, not regarded as particularly unusual and produced very attractive hair-styles for women of all social classes.