In celebration of the hair maestro/product entrepreneur/educator's 45 years in the beauty biz, Launchpad compiled this timeline of Philip Pelusi's major achievements. Read below for more! —Amy Dodds
1965 At the tender age of 20, Philip Pelusi began building his salon empire with the opening of his first salon, Studio of Elegance. Philip Pelusi eventually grew his salon group to include 13 salons and 350 hairdressers.
1966 Philip combined his love of hair, art, and fashion in his salon setting and retailed Biba cosmetics and the couture fashions of Mary Quant and Anna Kat of London. Studio of Elegance was later recognized by WWD as the first salon EVER to combine hair with fashion in the USA.
1968 A Cut Above the Rest was trademarked
1972 Philip Pelusi developed and introduced Volumetrics, his very own haircutting method and technique
1980 Became recognized as a sought after teacher, trainer, and educator for Volumetrics.
1984 Honored as Top Designer of the World by Lo Zeffiro
1985 Selected winner of the second annual Hairstylist of the year award by The Hairstylist
1994 Opened S.P.A.C.E., a 6,000-square-foot education center and photo studio where Philip would train over 10,000 hairdressers
1995 Named World Master by Art and Fashion Group International
1997 Launched his P2 by Philip Pelusi professional product line in which over 40 proprietary formulas were developed
1999 Ernst and Young honored Philip with the coveted Entrepreneur of the Year Award
2005 InStyle Magazine declared Philip one of the top five haircutters in the USA
2008 Philip celebrated the grand opening of Tela Design Studio in the Meatpacking District in NYC. It is now the home of Tela Beauty Organics.
2009 Official launch of Tela Beauty Organics, the first USDA-certified organic professional haircare line
2010 Official launch of Tela Beauty Organics Bath & Body, a USDA-certified organic skincare and bodycare line
2010 Philip was awarded the Smart Business Pacesetters Award for his leadership and impact on the greater Pittsburgh community.
2011 Philip Pelusi invents patent-pending Pelusi Ceramide Complex. The formula is infused in his latest creation, Blow Out, the first 85% USDA-certified organic Phyto-Keratin Smoothing Treatment. This innovative semipermanent hair smoother is sulfate- and paraben-free and contains no formaldehyde or aldehydes, no harsh chemicals and no irritating fumes.
