There is a certain kind of mastery that does not seek attention, yet reveals itself in every detail. In hairstyling, this often translates into a quiet commitment to quality, where technique is refined over time and intuition plays a subtle but essential role. Along the way, it can even touch unexpected spaces, from moments of hypnosis to ideas inspired by sacred numerology, yet always returning to balance, precision, and care for the person in the chair.
This interview with Massimiliano Cornacchia goes into that side of his work, the one that is not immediately visible, but felt in the way everything comes together.
1. How did your childhood in Puglia shape your sense of style and your approach to hairstyling?
Massimiliano Cornacchia: Certainly, my childhood in Puglia greatly influenced my vision of everything related to beauty. I grew up in an environment that allowed me to understand what art, history, and nature truly mean. Living in Italy opens the mind to beauty for anyone. My family played an extremely important role in my professional development, and my father was a role model for me as a professional, gently instilling in me a passion for hairstyling.
2. You offer advanced scalp diagnostics, luxury treatments, and a complete emotional experience in your salon, yet you do not rely on social media because your work speaks for itself. How long and how difficult was the journey to reach a point where only quality builds clients’ trust?
It was a fantastic journey that began at an early age, when I saw in my family’s salon how much attention and technique were involved in the work, how much care was given to clients, and how much passion for hair filled that salon-home. When I turned 18, I did not feel sufficiently prepared, as a professional, to offer services of such high quality (like those provided in my own family’s salon), so I sought to grow technically in order to reach that level by attending various hairstyling courses in London and at the International Academy in Milan.
3. I’ve heard that you sometimes ask new clients to draw themselves and their ideal hairstyle, a kind of art therapy, unique to your salon. Do you still do this with every new client?
I don’t always do this anymore, as today I speak Romanian better and can communicate more easily. However, it is certainly a method to better understand the client’s wishes. It helped me during my adaptation period in Romania and made it easier to connect with clients.
4. What does an excellent hairstyle mean to you, beyond aesthetics?
Certainly, an excellent hairstyle means perfect, pure technique, healthy, shiny, and full of life hair. Hair and a client who convey happiness and balance.
5. Which part of your process feels most like a form of art rather than a service?
The way we create combinations of colors and haircuts is a technical-artistic process that I consider very close to art. It is also about how we manage to convey emotions through the way we work.
6. What is the most unforgettable transformation you have achieved, not just in terms of hairstyle, but the entire experience?
Many years ago, I took part in a TV show (called Dream Team) where total makeovers were done (surgery, hair, makeup, etc.). At that time, I worked with a lady who had hair extensions, but her natural hair was very thin, damaged, and dehydrated. I carried out a complete transformation, and from my perspective, it was fantastic. I cut her hair short, created a pearl blonde color, and added 2–3 highlights on the sides. The lady (and she was not a mannequin) looked very sexy, elegant, and trendy at the end. In practice, it was technical and aesthetic perfection, in my view. I was very satisfied and happy, especially because of the attitude she had at the end, an attitude that was clearly the result of the change in her look.
7. Do you feel that your work can be meditative or even healing, both for yourself and for your clients?
I am convinced that it can be both meditative and healing, for both clients and the stylist. This happens when a real connection is established between these two entities and when the stylist is truly well prepared. There are also techniques that can be used. I remember a period when I experimented with hypnosis while washing clients at the shampoo station, in order to enhance the results of the treatments I was offering. At one point, I created treatments that were mixed in a glass, forming a kind of inner “painting” (the sea, the sky, and so on), and in this way I would infuse the treatment with positive energy. At another time, I developed a coloring technique based on sacred numerology, intended to elevate the client’s energy as well as their intuition. Now, we are testing a new product technology based on exosomes.
8. Many people define success through status or visibility, yet you focus on satisfaction in your work. You have worked with well-known clients such as Monica Bellucci and Antonia, gained recognition and awards, but what seems to matter most is integrity, dedication, and the meaningful impact you have as an artisan. Along the way, are there moments when staying true to your values becomes exhausting, and how do you find the strength to keep going?
Yes, I have had the pleasure of always working with well-known people as well. With Antonia, I have a very beautiful memory, both as an artist and as a person, a remarkable woman with a special soul and, of course, beautiful hair. I have been able to keep my values intact because I have also met sensitive and unique people. Honestly, I have not had many moments when I felt it was difficult to stay true to my principles. The memories of working with my father in the salon have always given me the strength to overcome difficult moments.
9. When you say “what is not natural is not beautiful,” are you referring to the hairstyle, the hair itself, or also the person’s energy?
I am referring to both the hairstyle and the person’s energy. I believe that simplicity and naturalness are essential for an aesthetic and emotional balance.
10. If your career as a hairstylist were a hairstyle, what would it look like?
It would be a hairstyle only for those who have the sensitivity to understand hidden messages and to recognize the universal power reflected through the artisan’s hand. It would certainly be a hairstyle with a kind of hippie and Renaissance idea, like a Michelangelo dressed as Bob Marley.
Artgasmic: Thank you, Massimiliano Cornacchia, for your time and for sharing your work with such clarity and depth. Your principles come through very naturally, and it’s rare to see someone stay so consistent in the way they work, without compromising what they believe in.
