World famous Italian hair stylist Aldo Coppola, who worked on the hairstyles of many celebrities, including Sophia Loren, Monica Bellucci, Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista, died at his home in Milan Wednesday night, after a long battle with cancer. He was 73.
Coppola was a key figure on the international beauty and fashion scene for half a century. He worked with major designers around the world, including Giorgio Armani, Gianni Versace, Gianfranco Ferré, Franco Moschino and Valentino, and with international photographers, such as one of his dear friends, Oliviero Toscani.
Coppola built a hair-styling business into a venture that has revenues of about 22 million euros, with more than 1,000 employees.
In 1965, he opened his first salon on Milan’s Via Manzoni, in the famous Quadrilatero della Moda, later followed by two more salons in Milan. In the 1990s, he created a franchising network, enhancing the popularity of the Aldo Coppola brand outside the fashion circuit; the network now counts more than 50 affiliates in Italy and branches in Montecarlo, London and Moscow.
He created the first Italian agency providing hair and make-up services for fashion photo shoots and advertising campaigns, created a line of hair-care products, and worked on several international advertising campaigns, including L'Oréal. He also set up hair academies in Milan and Moscow.
