Gregorio Ruggeri began his trek to the top as an assistant in his mother’s salon at the impressionable age of 13. By the time he turned 15, Ruggeri was apprenticing at an upscale salon in Sydney’s chic Paddington neighborhood. Within only a few years, Ruggeri was a full-time hairstylist, and also trained as a makeup artist, going on to do hair and makeup regularly for Yves Saint Laurent, Louis Vuitton, and Gucci.

 

In 2005, Ruggeri opened his own salon with interior designer and partner Craig Longhurst in a Victorian townhouse in Sydney. The three-chair intimate salon quickly became the go-to for Australia’s elite, who were attracted by Ruggeri’s masterful work in an exclusive setting. After five successful years, Ruggeri and Longhurst brought their salon to New York City and opened Salon Ruggeri in August 2010.

 

Since then, Ruggeri’s work has been showcased in the “who’s who” of beauty publications, including W, Time Out New York, Allure’s “Best Of” list, and Vanity Fair’s “The Beauty Blog.”