As he will be remembered by all of his friends.
In the early 60s Roger was the art director of Vidal Sassoon’s Company after Vidal went to the United States. He ran the Sassoon salon in the Grosvenor house hotel with Rogers name on the sign Rodger Thompson at Vidal Sassoon's. His first official haircut (as I remember) was a piece of wire with hair dangling from it. It was then permed and cut and was for sale to be tied around the head and let loose, to give a new effect to the Greek goddess haircut. A kind of "hippy" style! The "hair piece" was not a success but then he had a brilliant Idea to get the same effect by a NEW technique he invented, today called the layered cut. He took the Greek Goddess and cut the top hair shorter than the under hair. The first model had a nick name and he called the haircut after her. MOUCHE. The very next haircut was the haircut called the Isadora. Named after the film of the same name, that came out that year by Ken Russell. Isadora. It was apt as it was longer in the back and shorter at the front, so was inspired by the fact that Isadora Duncan had long flowing cloths. The first photographs were published in a news paper in February of 1969. Later on the same year, Roger did something that would be a sea change for hairdressers all over the world and would put the United Kingdom on the map as one of the top places to go if you want to study hairdressing. (THAT'S HOW IMPORTANT HE WAS) He took his first hairstyle the Mouche and the second the Isadora and blended them to give us the hairstyle that in the United States is called the shag. Later coming up with a hairstyle called the Breeze and the lion look.
Today, many people say that they are the mother of the shag or the "wash and wear" style, but if they are the mother then he was the father.We seem to have one father, but a lot of Mothers.....
In the mean time his haircut called the HAVINGTON, was cut starting behind th ear and went around the head and was a round technique.
I think it was his best haircut! and was not to be sneezed at, as just last year 2007 one of the most famous company's in the world has done a haircut that’s just the same but they have put gel or what ever in the hair and frizzed it up a bit. And that’s forty years later. If I show this hairstyle I am told I am being old fashion but If they do it they are innovative.
I am told that Rodger Thompson went for his initial hair training to the Maurice school of hairdressing around Piccadilly London. Two others that went to the same school at the same time and who worked at Sassoon's, was His brother in Law Joshua Galvin and Aldo Pompeo. He was art director when Paul Mitchel worked in Sassoon's bond street. Paul was one of the people that went around the United States doing the layered haircut to thousands if not millions showing that you could do a great haircut without having to put rollers in the hair to finish it off. (and you could throw away your round brush.)
One of Roger's clients at the time was the Italian designer Laura Biagotti? Who was so thrilled with the look that she still remembers it today. So he was not only an innovator but an image maker to many famous names. Names will follow.....
He went to work in the United States of America in New York and has not got the fame that he deserves there. This web section is dedicated to his memory...! and to give witness to people that make claims about the 50 most important hairdressers from the twentieth century and his name is not even on the list. Be ashamed!!!