J'ai coiffé le monde entier ! Antoine de Paris the Original celebrity hairdresser

At the Passy Cemetery (near the Trocadéro) lies a grave, a hand buried there. It belongs to Antoine Cierplikowski, known as Antoine de Paris, probably the greatest hairdresser of the 20th century, now somewhat forgotten. He wrote “J'ai coiffé le monde entier !” in his fascinating and now out‑of‑print autobiography, due to be reissued in an expanded version in 2026. 

Antoine, Alexandre de Paris, Jeanne Dereux (called Camille Albane), Jacques Dessange, Daniel Harlow, Charlie in particular, Bruno Pittini and others have left their mark on the history of hairdressing, the art and craft of coiffure, in Paris, Cannes, Trouville, where they worked and often trained one another. Their successors today include David Lucas, John Nollet, Isabelle Luzet, and Ghana Elin, who also now specialize in curly, textured and natural hair, professionals say. 
Now people talk more about inclusive hairdressing, and more men and women are having their hair cut or styled at home. 

And in the profession, rightly, there is irritation over the unfair competition of barbers, who can open a salon without any diploma. Hairdressing is an art, and it’s intense. At the beginning of the 20th century, on Rue Cambon in Paris, one young hairdresser was ahead of the others: he had the idea, before anyone else, of equipping himself with a telephone to make booking appointments easier. There was no Planity back then, but Antoine already understood that his profession required a passion for beauty and making life easier for clients. 

He also knew to set up summer salons in resort towns where his wealthy clients spent their holidays. Both availability and discretion were essential. Françoise Alt, who ran a men’s salon in Auteuil for more than 30 years and styled ministers, journalists and busy CEOs, said the same thing: “Male clients appreciate fair prices, availability and discretion.” 

“You must go to Paris, Antoine”
Antoine Cierplikowski, Antoine de Paris, went on to discover and train Alexandre in Cannes. He wrote “J'ai coiffé le monde entier !” in his self‑titled autobiography published in 1963, written with notable talent by Jean Durtal and originally published by La Table Ronde, a book now out of print. 

J'ai coiffé le monde entier ! A Book, a Series
The stories of many hairdressers, famous or not, are very cinematic. Among them, the life of Antoine de Paris alone could be a full Netflix series: born in Sieradz, Poland, he became famous in Paris. He was also very prominent in the United States. In 1925, he opened a salon on Fifth Avenue, in the Saks department store. According to some sources (Marta Orzeszyna), he played an important role in the creation of the gay community on Fire Island (New York State), one of the first in the United States.
In Harlem, a woman created and ran the largest beauty salon in New York in the 1960s. Today, with 60% of the world’s population having textured hair, many hairdressers still lack the training to care for it. This is what inspired us to produce a series and publish a beautifully illustrated book,” the authors explain.

Women such as Jeanne Dereux, known as Camille Albane, also transformed the salon experience. Spotted for her talent by Jacques Dessange, Camille Albane turned her Rue Bonaparte salon on the Left Bank into a lively, accessible, and popular place. Bulle Ogier, Chantal Thomass, and Nelly Rodi were among those who frequented it.

The book, richly illustrated, will recount the histories of Antoine, Camille Albane, Alexandre de Paris, and other influential artistic directors who were key to their success, such as Bruno Pittini and Jean-Luc Minetti, who worked at Jacques Dessange or Alexandre de Paris. It will also cover salons that exist today and will include the complete reissue of Antoine’s autobiography.

120,000 artisan hairdressers practice in France

In their neighborhoods, some of them are legendary hairdressers for their clients. Coming from Sarthe or Portugal at the age of fourteen, their stories are often fascinating, even when their fame stops at the corner where they work. In Paris, in the 15th arrondissement, Manuel has styled the hair of many spies, why? And at the Passy Cemetery rests the hand of Antoine, why?

ISBN 978-2-9595791-2-7 soon to be published by Malpaso-RCM. Release date: spring 2026