History of the Marcel Wave Hairstyle
The Marcel Wave (sometimes spelt Marcelle) is a stylish wave given to the hair by means of heated curling irons. Named for Francois Marcel, 19th century French hairdresser who invented the process in 1872. It revolutionized the art of hairdressing all over the world and remained in vogue for over fifty years, making a fortune for Mr Marcel.
Marcel had a small salon in Montemarte in the 1870’s where his clients were the poorer classes. As he developed the waving method that would later become the Marcel Wave, he struggled to find customers to practice on. He was forced to offer free hairdressing initially in order to refine the process and build experience. Once others saw the beautifully waved hairstyles of his early models he started to experience an increase in custom and was able to start charging for his service. Poorer clients would come to Marcel’s salon while he performed house calls for his richer clients.
Marcel’s big break came when he styled the hair of popular actress Jane Hading with his waving technique, generating enormous publicity which he promptly capitalized on.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
