Young Americans: Whiz Kid Temur Dzidziguri

The Batumi, Georgia-born whiz kid came up through two of the biggest names in the industry in the most fluid of ways.

While many people prefer to map out their career path, Temur Dzidziguri has taken a far more organic approach. For the 30-year-old and hairstylist at Samuel Shriqui Salon at Brad Johns Color Studio in New York City, it’s been about feeding his creativity rather than strategizing every step toward finding success behind the chair.

Though growing up he was always preoccupied with his own hair and playing with others’ hair, it wasn’t until eight years ago that he actually thought of becoming a hairstylist. “I think I was watching some awards show and I wasn’t very happy with the hair I was seeing,” he says. “I started thinking about what was wrong with it and how should it have been done. And then there was the moment when it hit me; I started analyzing the hair, and thought I should actually try doing it.” And just like that, he quit his office job and enrolled in beauty school.

Temur soon found himself in the right place at the right time when he walked into Sally Hershberger Downtown in New York City. “One of Sally’s first assistants was getting promoted, but couldn’t move up until they had a replacement,” he says. “When I went to meet the salon manager, he took me to see Sally and it was love at first sight.” Hershberger hired him on the spot. During the six years at Sally Hershberger Downtown, Temur made the acquaintance of Brad Johns and started cutting his hair. Taken with Temur’s downtown, edgy style of cutting, Johns invited him to join his salon.

Temur has brought this element with him uptown to a new batch of clients. “Hair that doesn’t have movement is not sexy or beautiful to me. And you can’t create movement without layers,” he says, revealing his deeply instilled Hershberger aesthetic. “You have to figure out the client’s texture and how good they are at styling their own hair to know how much to layer and where. It’s important to understand the client’s texture and the connection that they have to their own hair in order to help them figure out how best to get the look at home. That’s the biggest thing for me: creating a genius haircut.” ✂ —Maureen Sheen

PHOTOGRAPHY: Kristina Shaho