Hairstylist Peter a hands-on leader

Narada Krisnaputra, Contributor, Jakarta

When it comes to defining a horrible hairdo, it's rather like the standard definition of pornography: You know it when you see it. Peter F. Saerang, the man called upon to tease the most recalcitrant locks into tip-top shape and help out the follically challenge, is a firm believer in taking care of matters personally.

Did you spot the onetime beauty pageant queen, now a legislator, proudly sporting a towering, bronze-colored bouffant during the House swearing-in ceremony? It was such a glaring eyesore that the first reaction of some petrified viewers was to switch off the TV.

Blame it on Peter F. Saerang.

For the prominent hairdresser is the man who introduced liberal use of hairspray for upswept hairdos in the early '90s. Intended as a mere fashion trend, it is still zealously imitated by hairdressers nationwide.

Some public figures continue to believe that they are not quite dressed for success without that big hair look reaching to the skies.

"Yes, dear, I created the hairstyle but I didn't mean it to become a major faux pas like it is now," said Peter, speaking at one of his 12 salons located in an upmarket shopping center in Jakarta.

"I suspect the bigger the hairdo, the less confident the person is. They wrongly use their hairdo as a confidence booster,"

The 54-year-old hairstylist appeared hip and happening in designer street-wear clothes, with a spiked hairstyle in a colorful combination of cappuccino brown and red.

"With scissors in his hands, a hairstylist takes control of the whole hair-cutting process. But do you really have the heart to see a secretary to a minister going out proudly from your salon with the Afro-look, simply because you told her it's the coolest hairstyle around?"

For Peter, the hairstyling business is a matter of trust and integrity.

"A hairstylist must consider how the client's new look would suit her or him in society. I'd rather have a brief chat with my customers and casually ask them about their marital status than cut their hair straight away, only to see a disappointed look on their face later on."

Enough of the hairstyling dogma: The big question is why does he charge that famously high price, running to several hundred thousand rupiah, for a haircut at his salon?

Is it due to the Swiss-made scissors, or the hand-formulated toning treatment?

"It's the exclusivity," answered Peter calmly, without any attempt to show off.

It is at the core of his business practices: he strives to make sure the cut is worth every penny, with no slipshod service, a fatal error in styling or the use of cheap products.

Peter works with chemists from France and Italy to find the most effective hair-loss treatment products. He also peruses the latest chemistry-related findings in journals for items that might be of use in developing new hair care products.

"Hairstyling is my hobby, but also my baby. I want it to grow healthy and beautiful, through whatever way I find most suitable."

That is why he feels somewhat uneasy about the franchising trend in the hair salon industry..

"Once you are into the profit-taking way of thinking, your business salon will not go anywhere. It will expand, but without proper control of hair products and human resources, you will see your salons close down one by one within months."

To avoid the potential for problems, Peter decided not to follow the example of some well-known hairdressers who have opened "second-line" salons, apart from their signature ones, in an effort to grab a wider market.

"Call me a conservative businessman, but that's just not me."

Peter started out from scratch. Twenty eight years ago, as a high school graduate from Manado, North Sulawesi, he arrived in Jakarta to pursue his passion for hairstyling at a training center owned by Rudy Hadisuwarno.

In 1979, after three years as Rudy's protege as well as the salon's most booked stylist, he decided to launch his own Peter F. Saerang Salon at the Antara Building in Pasar Baru, Central Jakarta.

Although he charged Rp 5,000 (US$1) for a haircut -- quite expensive at the time -- the customers kept coming, and it did not take long for Peter to establish himself as the hairstylist of the creme de la creme of Indonesian society, with the likes of former first lady Dewi Soekarno as a client.

In 1984, a letter arrived on his desk. It was an invitation from Brunei Darussalam for Peter to fly to the country to touch up the tresses of the sultan's two wives.

"When I said goodbye to my parents in Manado, I didn't have the slightest idea I would make it in Jakarta. But styling for a royal family? That was beyond belief."

Word was out, and soon he was even attending to foreign dignitaries stopping over in Jakarta.

"Styling Maggie was the hardest," said Peter, referring to Margaret Thatcher, who was a client when she visited Jakarta in 1992.

"First, I had to meet her chief of security, followed by an interview with the head of press and communication affairs, and finally Maggie's personal assistant. They kept repeating that I would be in charge of touching up a prime minister, and I simply replied 'I know exactly what I'm doing, you guys just take care of the security stuff',".

There is still no tone of self-pride, even when he relates that he returned from Brunei last month after doing the hairstyling for the sultan's wife, daughter and daughter-in-law for the lavish wedding ceremony of the royal prince.

"I am what I am now because of my professionalism. Hairstyle trends may come and go, but what makes a hairdresser stand the test of time is the ability to transform them to the client's personal style. It's hard but really worth the effort."

It's not all work, however; his guilty pleasure is sleep.

"I could go to sleep at 9 p.m., wake up at 10 a.m. and only start working at 2 p.m.," he said smiling.

Not to worry, for getting a good night's sleep has kept him looking youthful, and probably contributed to that warm personality as he remains a creative force in his industry.