From Sieradz to Paris
Antoni Cierplikowski was born on December 24, 1884 in Sieradz. He was the son of a shoemaker and a seamstress. He showed great manual dexterity from an early age. He started his apprenticeship in Łódź under the supervision of a relative, but already in 1901, at the age of 17, he left for Paris. At the beginning he was weaving wigs for Monsieur Decoux, but over time he had the opportunity to work with clients more and more, which was the beginning of his extraordinary career and great changes in the world of hairdressing. In those days, the issue of hygiene left much to be desired, especially hair washing, which was done very rarely. Cierplikowski was the first to directly start washing clients’ hair in the salon and urged them to do it much more often.
Antoni Cierplikowski National Digital Archive
Antoni Cierplikowski National Digital Archive
A new image of a woman
There is no doubt that 1909 was a turning point for Antoni, who was called Antoine in Paris. It was then that he decided to cut the hair of the popular French actress Evie Lavalliere short, visually rejuvenating her by several years. This bold step turned out to be a bull’s-eye. The short hairstyle was called “a’la garçon”, meaning “for a tomboy”, and in combination with clothes designed by Coco Chanel, it became the beginning of a new image of a woman.
Antoni Cierplikowski National Digital Archive
“King of barbers, barber of kings”
In Paris, at 5 Rue Cambon, he opened the world’s first elegant women’s salon, which became the nucleus of an international hairdressing empire. Among his clients were such stars as Marlena Dietrich, Greta Garbo, Pola Negri, Isadora Duncan, Mata Hari, Edith Piaf and Brigitte Bardot. He made friends with with Coco Chanel, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali and Xawery Dunikowski. He patented paint and hairspray, and at the height of his popularity, Antoine owned a chain of about a hundred luxury salons around the world. He supervised the work of 400 hairdressers during preparations for the coronation of King George VI in 1936, and in 1953, when Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne.
Antoni Cierplikowski National Digital Archive
Antoni Cierplikowski National Digital Archive
Antoni Cierplikowski National Digital Archive
Antoni Cierplikowski National Digital Archive
Artist, eccentric, rich
Antoni Cierplikowski was the owner of the brands Antoine de Paris and Bain de Soleil, whose products were sold on five continents. He ran schools in which future employees of Antoine salons in the United States and Paris were educated. He had two private planes, and his habit of sleeping in a glass coffin was sensational, which he supposedly explained by insulation against harmful electrical radiation and a way to relax after hard work. At the height of his popularity, women had to pay $150 (equivalent to today’s PLN 2,000) for a visit to Antoine’s salon, while Antoine’s private visit to a client cost up to $500 (equivalent to today’s PLN 6,000). In the 1920s, he even flew to Poland in his own plane and, circling over Sieradz, dropped gifts for family and friends.
Antoni Cierplikowski National Digital Archive
Antoni Cierplikowski National Digital Archive
Antoni Cierplikowski National Digital Archive
Antoni Cierplikowski National Digital Archive
Private life
Antoine, his he, Marie-Louise-Berthe Astier, met in Monsieur Decoux’s workshop. Although his secret related to sexual orientation was an open secret, their relationship grew closer over time, until finally, on January 24, 1909 in Hampton, they decided to get married. In April of the same year, their child was born, but died in the first month of life. After several decades of living together, due to Marie’s anxiety about her husband’s wasting money, they split their property in half and divorced. At the end of his life, Antoni Cierplikowski decided to return to his hometown of Sieradz, where he bought a modest house, far from his earlier luxuries. He died on July 5, 1976, at the age of 92. What happened to the rest of the wealth of the hairdressing genius after his death? This is not known.
Antoni Cierplikowski National Digital Archive
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
