Modern Salon - February 2008 - (Page 68)

CHOOSE BEAUTY he first thing you notice about Leo Passage is his charm. At 71, he appears almost boyish: his eyes twinkle, his stillstrong Dutch accent delights and his trademark curly white mane makes him look almost impish. The charm has served him well in his life. He used it as a boy to distract Nazi troops at the Belgium-Holland border while his father and other members of the underground smuggled refugees to safety. His upbeat personality helped him build a strong clientele when he arrived in a Chicago salon at 22, with a new wife and $76. But the charm can also conceal the powerful intellect that created the world’s leading educational program for training beauty professionals, the Pivot Point International system. Trained first by his salon-owner father, Passage apprenticed in top salons in Holland but craved a more intense creative experience than his weekly sets and combouts. He took to competition hairdressing, eventually amassing more than 100 awards on the international circuit, but it wasn’t until he studied the modernist art-and-craft design approach, the Bauhaus, that he found what he wanted. “My goal was to adapt the Bauhaus philosophy to hairdressing to allow a craftsman to see and think as a designer,” he says. As he trained other European competition hairdressers, he took the language and analytical approach of Bauhaus art and industrial design and the design discipline and applied it to hair styling. The work became the foundation of Pivot Point’s “Scientific Approach to Hair Design,” Passage’s first curriculum for the five students he taught when he opened his school in 1962. The program was followed by other scientific approaches to hair cutting, color and texturizing, as well as courses in nails and esthetics, that are now the core system for more than 2,000 beauty schools in 73 countries. He explains, “A Pivot Point education enables individuals to apply the elements and principles that form the building blocks of all design, allowing them to predict results and create personalized looks for their clients rather than function as mere technicians.” What makes the system effective, Passage says, is how it trains the mind and the eye as well as the hands. “We believe in the importance of teaching a designer ‘why’ as well as ‘how’ something works. Knowing ‘how’ only results in technical skills, while knowing ‘why’ allows one the freedom to create.” Passage’s educational work continues to bring him international recognition. He’ll add to his honors next month when the National Cosmetology Association names him a “Legend” during their annual ball at America’s Beauty Show; Organisation Mondiale Coiffure will recognize his contributions to world competition; Intercoiffure will fête him in April. 68 FEBRUARY 2008 Student teacher T Leo Passage’s thirst for knowledge led him to a career in international education. Leo Passage founded Pivot Point International more than 45 years ago based on his own love for learning. Nowadays, Passage divides his time between a home in Spain and Pivot Point’s suburban Chicago headquarters. His daughter Corrine, son Robert and what he calls “the best team in the world” encourage him, sometimes forcefully, to direct his energies into vision and planning. But you can still hear the teacher talking when he offers his advice for a new generation of beauty artists. “Seek out and appreciate the best mentors in your life, surround yourself with people who have a positive attitude and always believe in yourself. Dedicate yourself to lifelong learning and make your career your ‘hobby.’ You’ll always have fun working.” —Jan Hillenmeyer www.modernsalon.com http://www.modernsalon.com

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Modern Salon - February 2008 Contents Behind the Cover Notebook Beauty Matters Contributors @ModernSalon.com New-Now-Next Modern Portfolio Modern Reports As the Experts Choose Beauty Build It, Then What...? Toolbox: Shopping Sharp Star Power Runway Reality Haute Chocolate Modern Update The Goods Personal Style

Modern Salon - February 2008

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