Profile

Early Life

Eiki comes from a Japanese family of his mother and sister, and he grew up in the working-class society of northern Osaka. As the only breadwinner of her family, his mother worked as a nurse day and night to put a roof over the family's head, sending her kids to school and managing everything within her means. Although the family life was thrifty, the mother was extremely strict with her kids about lies, cheating and getting unfair money from anyone. Watching his mother's small frame toughing out and getting on with everyday life, and simultaneously witnessing how Japan's society treats women poorly, Eiki grew up feeling home the sense of women's strength that many men hardly emulate. Despite being in less material circumstances, Eiki didn't miss the culture; he was keen on tv animes and shows like Dragon Ball, Galaxy Express 999 and Takeshi Castle, games such as Final Fantasy and The Legend of Zelda, and radio programmes like Kosè Best 10 on Saturday afternoons. Daytripping to American Village in Shinsaibashi and reading Men's Nonno were regular acts among his group in the teen years, Air Maxes and A Bathing Ape were all the rage, Eurobeats, Daft Punk, Fatboy Slim, The Smith, C+C Music Factory were blaring. He was an excited child surrounded by his sister, cousins and friends, and his favourite childhood pastimes were playing with their hair and watching make-up adverts on tv.


In his teenage years he was in swimming teams and was made to swim 20 km a day in summer seasons. Every school kids had to be on an extra curricular activity in junior high school and those activities were often sport. Discipline was encouraged in Japan's youth education in those days and Eiki was entering national competitions especially in his high-school years. Holding local records for some swimming strokes, unbroken for several years after his graduation,  he carried on his training but he constantly thought that there were more important things to do in his life. He took various part-time jobs throughout his school years from a paper boy to kitchens to izakayas to resort hotels. He learnt perseverance and hard-working ethics through his upbringing and the importance of doing what people really need. 

British Hairdresser

In 2001 in order to become a hairdresser Eiki moved to London without any previous hairdressing experience or an English language skill. His fate went in the lap of the gods and the young man tumbled onto a job at one of the top salons in the UK, Aveda Institute Covent Garden. Being surrounded by the industry's stars inside and outside the Aveda's UK flagship salon, he worked as keen as mustard for more than six years, being the first to get to the salon in the morning and the last to leave by doing after-work practices even without making a single call in sick in the entire 6-year period. Eiki was the first East Asian who joined the institute's hair team when people were not talking about fancy d-words like 'diversity', and later he became the first qualified hairstylist as an Asian person in this salon's history. The vibe of the metropolis was reflected in this modern salon and it showcased wonderful diversity in its clientele (and staff from the teams of hair, beauty, academy, reception, cafe) with all sorts of backgrounds and personalities as a quintessential London salon. On top of that, the salon's clients included celebrities such as Kylie Minogue, Claudia Schiffer, Jay Kay of Jamiroquai and mini celebrities from Big Brother and small tv roles, and the institute offered an array of hair jobs from TV sets to hair exhibitions. This situation did not just help him to learn the top skills at the forefront of the world of hairdressing, but also he was immersed in the crucible of people, cultures, creative minds, idiosyncrasy of British history and laws, and the class-commingling work/study environment in London that all washed him like a powerful storm to form his being as a creator and a person. He says that he grew up twice - the first in Japan, the second in London. 

Works below by Eiki including the first show he assisted - The Salon International 2001, plus snapshots of the Aveda London salon team and some of his early days' fashion shows when he started to direct hair. The flat on Hackney road he shared to live virtually turned into a hair studio.

Eiki's mentor Antoinette winning the British Hairdresser of the Year of the British Hairdressing Awards in 2004! The award is recognised as the Oscar in hairdressing. There are different hair awards in countries all over the world but the BHA is the highest of all.  'An incredible hairdresser, true visionary, trailblazing female boss, smashing barriers for all of us is my hero! I started as the third assistant for her in 2002 and became the first assistant in 2004, it was amazing experience working so closely with a hairstylist literally the top of the world! The other chap is my senior hairdresser and best mate Thomas.'

Through working within the international artistic team of Aveda for shows, seminars and campaign photoshoots, and working closely with his mentor Antoinette Beenders - winner of the British Hairdresser of the Year and the incumbent Global Art Director of Aveda who gave her protege vigorous training and assessments - Eiki accumulated top-end expertise and trade techniques from the both sides of the Atlantic, and the vision for the global markets. Eiki gradually started working outside the salon for catwalk backstages, music videos, short films and editorial photoshoots across the UK, US, and Europe for both assisting and leading hair.


Hair directed+created by Eiki, editorial works and backstage snapshots for fashion shows and a film, including one photoshoot for the British Hairdressing Award he entered in the Avant Garde category in 2007.

Japan - China - Japan Chapter

Returning to Japan with the directional position for the international beauty brand's Japan branch in 2008, Eiki was circuiting Asia by directing hair for shows, seminars, PR events and product launches, working closely with the PR and education department of the company. At this point, he was appointed as the artistic director of hair for Aveda Japan. It was not for one franchise salon's director but it was for the entire corporate of Aveda Japan. He was immediately met with the stark difference in working manners and cultures between Japanese and western, not just salon hairdressers, but all connected industries as structures. Japanese are good at making simple things complicated with self-made restrictions. Although he recalls 'everyone was nice and everything was good', he felt that he needed to grow fast and didn't have time to be stymied by keeping pace with rituals and red tapes. This was about the work cultures in his related fields in Japan. Another obvious difference was technical aspects. It was baffling for him when a hairdresser, who made a terrible hair job on a non-Japanese customer, kept making Japanese people's hair nice and shiny. He felt dire need of skilled hairdressing for non-Japanese hair in Japan. At this point, he could have re-trained himself in Japanese techniques and become another Japanese hairdresser with oversea experience. But instead, what he did was to double-down his quest for the international methods. He again followed his call to become a top-level hairstylist in the global hairdressing fair and square like many top famous hairdressers, even though he well understood that marketing for Japanese clients using his oversea experience is far more profitable in Japan. For him, this was about the pursuit of the skill in the genre of hairdressing that his heart goes to. He was square and serious. But he goes 'I'm doing things that I love most, I can't be happier and I'm so lucky!' He briefly explored China by doing session work (hair for photo shoots and fashion shows, not salon jobs) and met incredible Chinese creators in Shenzhen, Shanghai and Beijing. He loved China and its people, who were very direct and result-oriented, and cared little about the process. He says 'I want to work with them again in the future at progressed levels'. In 2014 Eiki launched his own brand Secret Garden where he can bring his expertise and develop it further for the clients and partners. This is our story how a British hair salon was born in Tokyo.

Hair below directed+created by Eiki, including behind the scene shots. And his friends.

Secret Garden

Between 2014 and 2019 Eiki received approximately 800 appointments yearly, all of which were of foreign nationals including some Japanese-mixed internationals. He's still waiting for the first full-Japanese person to his chair at Secret Garden. He plans to collaborate with Japanese stylists to have more Japanese customers in the future. Alongside the salon work, he occasionally works with independent photographers for commercial and editorial projects and with hair care brands for publicity assignments. Other than work life Eiki loves nature, cooking, health, culture (music, art, fashion, films, etc), world history, science (organic chemistry, social science, biology, etc) and the global economy. He is passionate about our environment and very concerned about its degradation caused by our hands. In fact his ethos is carried into our brand and responsible practices are baked into every action we take. He is also opinionated about issues such as gender inequality and gender minority rights where he questions the moral principles and lack of education in this country. He tries to make positive actions whenever he can to make changes at least in the area he can relate to.

'With my mentor for colour, www.traceycunningham.com who I owe a debt of honour that I cannot pay back! Her eye for colour, care for clients, incredible technical ability, and big personality that attracts A-listers. She influenced me eternally!  And funny, beautiful and sweet https://www.instagram.com/guy_tang/?hl=en https://mydentitycolor.com !'

Career:

2014-     Secret Garden Salon Tokyo; Artistic Director

2011-14 Gold Salon Tokyo; Stylist

2010-11 Session hairstylist for photo shoots and adverts in Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen 

2008-10 Aveda Japan; Art Director, Global Artistic Team

www.aveda.jp 

2001-07 Aveda Institute London; Assistant ~ Top Stylist, Global Artistic Team

www.aveda.co.uk/flagship-salon 


Backstages - as an assistant: Chanel, Dolce&Gabbana, Burberry, Akris, Anne-Valerie Hash, Fred Perry, etc between 2003 and 2009

Works below are when Eiki worked as an assistant in the team of late Katsuya Kamo for Chanel  Pre-fall and Spring/Summer 2009. DISCLAIMER: Eiki did not direct hair below. These head works are designed, created and directed by Mr Kamo and Eiki was only one of 20-or-so experienced hairstylists who all worked for hair making leading up to the show and at the backstage on the day under the direction by Kamo who also worked along the make-up team of 20 makeup artists,  the styling team of 20 stylists, and several seamstresses who all worked under the supervision of Karl Lagerfeld. This is how shows are usually done. So many people and so much human power for merely 15-minute-or-less shows. But when you are at the backstage live glimpsing between your high-speed working, models with all couture garments and jewellery, hair&makeup done, they are truly mesmerising and magnificent! 

Photographs courtesy of Vogue.com

Backstages - as the head stylist: Elle for Lisa London in spring/summer and autumn/winter 2007, Festival of Youth Arts London in 2004, Middleland University MA Fashion Design graduation collection in 2007, etc

Hair shows/seminars - as an assistant: Salon Internationals in London in 2002, 03, 04, 05, 07, British Hairdressing Awards, L'Oreal Colour Trophy in 2005, Aveda Master Jams and congresses in Minneapolis, Miami, Chicago in 2005, 06, 07, 08, Moroccanoil Hair Expo Tokyo in 2018, etc

Hair shows/seminars - as the head stylist: Aveda shows and education classes in Tokyo,Hong Kong, Seoul, Taipei in 2008, 09, 10, Aveda education classes in London in 2006, 07, etc

Editorial - as the head stylist: Elle China, Vogue L'uomo, Purple Magazine, Fashion Line, KCTV, Androgyny, Let Them Eat Cake, Hairdressers Journal, etc

Films - as the head stylist: 

Surrealist brothel by Julia Jasonvimeo.com/10133849 , 

Equals by Drake Doremuswww.youtube.com/watch?v=OW-0wmuNBto 

Celebrities - as the head stylist: Kristen Stewart, Nicholas Hoult, Alice Dellal, etc




Relavant Qualifications: 




Education graduated: 

London College of Fashion of University of the Arts London - Foundation Degree in Hair and Makeup: Editorial hair path

www.arts.ac.uk/colleges/london-college-of-fashion 


Ealing, Hammersmith & West London College - NVQ3 in Hairdressing

www.wlc.ac.uk/courses 

・Student Award for Determination and Progress

Vidal Sassoon London academy

www.sassoon-academy.com/en/academy/uk 


West Thames College in Hounslow - NVQ2 in Hairdressing

www.west-thames.ac.uk 


Kansai Gaidai University - BA in International Communication  

www.kansaigaidai.ac.jp/asp/