Meet Edward Katz

National Hair Journal Interview with Edward Katz
"Meet Edward Katz"
continued...

EK: It is. We have to be very particular, because these are the twenty million dollar movie stars who want - and need - the best! We have to be very detail oriented, but it's worth it when we have a result that satisfies that customer... and his fans!
NHJ: What about your non-Hollywood clients; you said you create multiple hair systems for them too.
EK: If you are a public figure, you cannot look different every couple of weeks. Most of our clients do not want to look different every time they visit our studio. They want to maintain the original style we created for them. They can do this by alternating between identical hair systems. Most of our clients have multiple "switches."
NHJ: How do you get them all the same?
EK: Our ventilators are highly trained. To create the template or map, we use approximately forty to fifty rolls per customer. Our technicians pick and record the roll or the color for each area of that map. We can make a hundred hair pieces and they will all be identical. With human hair, you would have a hard time making two hairpieces the same.
NHJ: People have always said that the best hair available to our industry is "virgin" or "remis" European hair. Now you are claiming that synthetic hair is better. What's wrong with remis hair?
EK: In the past twenty years we've tried the finest European hair in the world. In fact, we still buy fine human hair, which can cost approximately $100 an ounce, but we will only use one line of it for the very front of our hair systems. It is very thin, fine hair that gives the front hairline a special softness. However, because it is human hair, we know going in that we will have to replace it every couple of months.
NHJ: Could you use human hair for the rest of the system?
EK: Human hair is going to tangle, no matter what quality you use. And it's going to oxidize. We have clients who are ready to spend $3,000 - $3,500 on a hair piece, so it's not about the money. It's about natural color that lasts. Human hair, even the most expensive, will begin to turn green, red or whatever in a matter of months. When it comes to the movies, it's a waste of my time to deal with a human hair piece that will only last a matter of weeks.
EK: If I was given the finest human hair in the world, and even if it didn't lose its color, I still wouldn't use it for the full hair piece.
NHJ: Why not?
EK: Because of the denier. When a client begins to lose hair, it miniaturizes and becomes finer. We have to match that fine hair when we make a hair system. You cannot do that with human hair. Its denier, or diameter, is too thick. Synthetic hair on the other hand comes in different deniers. Only by matching the different thicknesses in this way can you give the look of a natural head of hair.
NHJ: You've just said something very important which most hair replacement professionals don't think about; the diameter of the hair.
EK: Many clients want the most hair they can have for their money because they are making an expensive investment. But in reality, a person who is losing their hair should have a look that appears to be just slightly thinning. A natural look, not a pompadour or hair that is inappropriate for their age. We have different designs for people as they age so everything ages together.
NHJ: What do you say to a client who comes in and says I'm paying a lot of money for my hair replacement; I want all the hair you can give me.
EK: I send them over to a place like Hair Club that will give them what they want. I can't help all the customers that come to me. They have to take the same pride in their appearance that I do. I take a lot of pride in the clothes I wear and the way I take care of myself. It's important to me that my clients don't wear something that doesn't match their personality or facial structure.
NHJ: So you counsel your clients about their total appearance and guide them towards hair that fits their lifestyle?
EK: In the twenty years I've been in business, I've never told anybody they need hair or that they should have a hair replacement. But I may suggest a "look" that is right for them. If they think hair is an important part of that aesthetic, that's their choice. I give them the information and they make that decision.
NHJ: How important is your own appearance? Do you see yourself as a role model?
EK: I try to illustrate what I tell my clients about looking and feeling natural. First time visitors will look at me and say, "Mr. Katz, if you are wearing a hairpiece let's go right ahead and start that head pattern." This happens 95% of the time.
NHJ: Are your clients price sensitive? Are they shopping for the lowest price?
EK: I don't care how rich you are, everybody wants value for money. But once they see what we do here, money is no longer the key factor; it's style. Of course, they have to be able to afford what we do. Because of the way we work, we are not cheap. I'm very detailed conscious; everything is made under my guidance. All our thirty-five ventilators are in-house. We have fourteen people who just style, blend and maintain the synthetic hair. This quality of service comes at a price.
NHJ: That's a large production staff.
EK: Our production methods take a lot of work. There are a hundred different things that are necessary to maintain the standards we have set ourselves. We're not just concerned about the first time you look at someone's hair, we want to maintain and perhaps refine that look year after year as the person ages.