Talking tools, tricks and icons with Peter Thomsen, Dyson Global Ambassador and super stylist
For over 30 years, Australian super stylist and Dyson Global Ambassador, Peter Thomsen has been redefining luxury hair at his prestigious salon, Chelsea Haircutters, located on the stunning South Coast of NSW. Known for his expertise in blonde and balayage, I couldn’t wait to chat with him about his work with the ground-breaking styling tool brand and what he sees as the future of hair, now, via Zoom one sunny late-summer’s afternoon…
You’re having a rare day off, what is that all about?
I know! That’s why I love living south of the city here on the coast. I could live in Sydney if I had to, but between my work with Dyson, Kérastase, L’Oréal and Great Lengths I spend a lot of time travelling internationally, so I love being able to come home to a quieter town where I’m close to the sand and the sea. I have the city just up the road, but I’m happiest chilling down here by the ocean.
You’re a Dyson Global Ambassador, what does that involve?
I’ve been with Dyson I think about six years, I’m very lucky. When the first professional dryer was launched all those years ago, I was blown away that something like that had been created. We hadn’t seen anything in that shape since the sixties, it blew everyone’s minds from a design and engineering standpoint. When they asked me to become a Dyson ambassador a year later I immediately said yes. I’ve been to Dyson headquarters in the UK since and once again, my mind was blown. Speaking to the engineering team - the majority of whom are young women – about how dedicated they are to protecting hair health was just so inspiring. They have really turned hair tools on their head.
Do you work on fashion weeks and editorial shoots around the world?
Early on in my career I worked on shows backstage with lots of different brands, traveling to Paris and New York and learning on the fly how to style quickly and efficiently, and it was so much fun. After that I wanted to move on and evolve as a hair artist, and keep challenging myself in other ways.
Pre-Covid I was traveling internationally sometimes three times a month with Dyson, launching the AirWrap in places like Isreal, Dubai, New York, London and talking to influencers and the media about the brand’s philosophy and how great the tools are. I would travel with an engineer and basically walk people through the journey of Dyson and what makes it such an extraordinary brand, and we had so much fun.
Over time I also got to look after a few celebrity clients, but as I started to travel more and more as an educator I realised that’s where my passion lies at this point in my career. I want to keep growing and learning too, and love being able to play with new innovations before they are released – tools for the pros and the consumer.
What is your favourite Dyson innovation to put into play at the moment, and why?
It would have to be the new Supersonic r Professional hair dryer, which is such a different shape and just so lightweight. It dries the hair beautifully and the heat is so perfectly controlled so it doesn’t damage the hair. When I’m backstage and there are thirty or more of them all going at once but zero smell of hair heating or burning – that’s gold. The Airstrait is another favourite, it’s just so cleverly engineered. Everything Dyson does is so considered – they are always capturing those missing pieces that are needed, it’s never just another tool for the sake of another tool.
Thinking of the industry as a whole, are we still seeing new hair trends emerge, or more refined versions of things we have seen before?
I feel like we are still seeing trends, but as a result of social media taking things globally in an instant they are more like micro trends. It might be a bob, but cut with clippers, or a little bit shorter than you’d expect it to be.
You can’t keep up with it, you just have to take what you like and have fun with it.
This is true, but the greatest trend for me is you being comfortable in your own skin and wearing something that suits you. For me balance is key – using cut and colour to contour the face. If it’s the right cut for your face shape and you wear it with confidence, that’s the trend.
Lastly, if you could work with one person, living or dead, who would that be? Someone who’s hair you’d really love to get your hands on?
I love the old Hollywood vibe – I’d have loved to have been a member of the Rat Pack! – so I think Marilyn Monroe. Her softness and her energy look like they were so fun and carefree, and as she got older her really ‘set’ hair was looking softer and more brushed out, and just beautiful.
I know! That’s why I love living south of the city here on the coast. I could live in Sydney if I had to, but between my work with Dyson, Kérastase, L’Oréal and Great Lengths I spend a lot of time travelling internationally, so I love being able to come home to a quieter town where I’m close to the sand and the sea. I have the city just up the road, but I’m happiest chilling down here by the ocean.
You’re a Dyson Global Ambassador, what does that involve?
I’ve been with Dyson I think about six years, I’m very lucky. When the first professional dryer was launched all those years ago, I was blown away that something like that had been created. We hadn’t seen anything in that shape since the sixties, it blew everyone’s minds from a design and engineering standpoint. When they asked me to become a Dyson ambassador a year later I immediately said yes. I’ve been to Dyson headquarters in the UK since and once again, my mind was blown. Speaking to the engineering team - the majority of whom are young women – about how dedicated they are to protecting hair health was just so inspiring. They have really turned hair tools on their head.
Do you work on fashion weeks and editorial shoots around the world?
Early on in my career I worked on shows backstage with lots of different brands, traveling to Paris and New York and learning on the fly how to style quickly and efficiently, and it was so much fun. After that I wanted to move on and evolve as a hair artist, and keep challenging myself in other ways.
Pre-Covid I was traveling internationally sometimes three times a month with Dyson, launching the AirWrap in places like Isreal, Dubai, New York, London and talking to influencers and the media about the brand’s philosophy and how great the tools are. I would travel with an engineer and basically walk people through the journey of Dyson and what makes it such an extraordinary brand, and we had so much fun.
Over time I also got to look after a few celebrity clients, but as I started to travel more and more as an educator I realised that’s where my passion lies at this point in my career. I want to keep growing and learning too, and love being able to play with new innovations before they are released – tools for the pros and the consumer.
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| The Supersonic r Hair Dryer in action backstage at Paris Fashion Week with Chloé |
What is your favourite Dyson innovation to put into play at the moment, and why?
It would have to be the new Supersonic r Professional hair dryer, which is such a different shape and just so lightweight. It dries the hair beautifully and the heat is so perfectly controlled so it doesn’t damage the hair. When I’m backstage and there are thirty or more of them all going at once but zero smell of hair heating or burning – that’s gold. The Airstrait is another favourite, it’s just so cleverly engineered. Everything Dyson does is so considered – they are always capturing those missing pieces that are needed, it’s never just another tool for the sake of another tool.
Thinking of the industry as a whole, are we still seeing new hair trends emerge, or more refined versions of things we have seen before?
I feel like we are still seeing trends, but as a result of social media taking things globally in an instant they are more like micro trends. It might be a bob, but cut with clippers, or a little bit shorter than you’d expect it to be.
You can’t keep up with it, you just have to take what you like and have fun with it.
This is true, but the greatest trend for me is you being comfortable in your own skin and wearing something that suits you. For me balance is key – using cut and colour to contour the face. If it’s the right cut for your face shape and you wear it with confidence, that’s the trend.
Lastly, if you could work with one person, living or dead, who would that be? Someone who’s hair you’d really love to get your hands on?
I love the old Hollywood vibe – I’d have loved to have been a member of the Rat Pack! – so I think Marilyn Monroe. Her softness and her energy look like they were so fun and carefree, and as she got older her really ‘set’ hair was looking softer and more brushed out, and just beautiful.
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