Hair artist Munenori oda
Munenori Oda
An artist breathes life into the hair. To enliven it and give it shine. Hair is not a living, free-willed being. However, once an artist takes a pair of scissors and breathes life into the hair, it is enlivened and you will feel its graceful movement. Hair design is as same as art, such as painting and sculpture. When appreciating a great art piece, I sometimes feel a gentle breeze and catch a faint sound from the art. This is because I can share the love and passion that the artist has put into the piece. As a hairdressing artist, I devote myself to pouring all my techniques and heart into each coiffure. That brings the hairstyle to life. That creates beauty.
Munenori Oda was born in Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan, in 1964. Both his grandfathers are temple carpenters, so his sense of beauty was fostered from an early age. He began his career working at a salon in Osaka. At the age of 21, he won the 1985 Japan L'Oreal National Championship, beating 15,000 contestants to become the youngest grand champion ever. In 1989, he moved to London to study hair design. During that time, he gained diplomas at Vidal Sassoon Advanced Academy, London Hair Academy, and Toni & Guy Advanced Academy; and also worked on fashion shoots with a London-based photographer. After returning to Japan, he joined a general beauty company. As a creative director, he managed salons in Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya, doing salon work and taking up event planning. After placing in the top 10 finalists at the London Vidal Sassoon National Championship in Japan, he opened his first salon, HAIR DESIGN CUBE, in Nagoya city, in 1995. Along with salon work, he engaged in hair design for musicians and celebrities for shows, concerts, music videos, and advertising. To push the boundaries of his creative activities, he started working on fashion shows such as Miss Universe Japan, crafting finalists’ hairdos. Now he sits on the panel to select Japanese models for Paris Fashion Week. Overseas, he has been styling hair backstage at Paris Fashion Week for RYNSHU, heading the hair and makeup team as a creative director since 2012. He has private clientele worldwide, in Rome, Milan, Monaco, Los Angeles, and beyond.