David Antunes, owner of Hair by David, has been a well-respected industry professional for more than 20 years. He has crafted his talents to be a visionary and innovator he is today.
His prestigious roster of clients have included Christopher Reeve for over 3 years. Antunes has worked as a senior stylist for CNBC for 7 years and for other networks such as ABC, CBS, NBC, MTV, VH1 and so many more. Antunes has had the opportunity as well to be the creative director for several shows during fashion week. This Local 798 Union member has been an active participant in all aspects of the hair industry. We’re excited to share our inside personal interview with David Antunes to all of our readers! We hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
1) What do you think 2014 has in store for you? “For sure not a lot of rest! I have many exciting projects, One of them Includes wrapping up Season 6 of Real Housewives of New Jersey, I have been extremely busy doing hair for Teresa Giudice. I will be busy writing my column for a online magazine called Informer Media which is in 8 states, trade shows and events for Youthful8 Milania Collection, for which I am the official lead stylist.”
2) What celebrity would you love to style and why? “Supermodel Christie Brinkley, first of all she is an Aquarius like myself! Her birthday is February 2nd and mine is Feb the 6th. Fantastic hair for so many years! An American model and actress, Brinkley gained worldwide fame beginning in the late 70s… She spent twenty five years as the face of Cover Girl (the longest running cosmetics contract of any model in history), has appeared on over 500 magazine covers. Every woman should look as great at 60 as she does – confident, strong, and still relevant!”
3) What inspires you most often? “People watching in big cities: Paris, NYC, Lisbon, Sevilla, European fashion, people who take risks (rebels), high fashion, provocateurs, Old Hollywood Glamour, Mexican Soap Operas, Japanese fashion, Foreign Fashion Magazines, Movies, Nature… the Earth!!!!… and the list goes on!”
4) Who’s your hairstyling idol, and why? “I am a huge fan of many! However hands down to Orlando Pita! He is a genius, his work is cutting edge, he’s a refined stylist and, at the same time, completely authentic… One of my favorite quotes from him is: ‘The minute something is apparently acceptable, it’s time to move on. That’s how to stay current, how to develop your craft and evolve within relevance’. Do I need to say more. LOL”
5) What current trend do you love and hate, and why? “For the last year, it seemed like every girl in Hollywood with long hair was rocking the “Dip-Dye Hair look” better known as “The Ombré”… which I like to refer to this look as Cheap and Trashy: I hate this look! This is a crazy brave trend but I love it: bright hair colors, colors of the Rainbow… I love neon colors like green, purple, violet, atomic pink, pale pink, electric blue… Daring and Bold! This is the era of innovative colors and styles.”
6) Name the biggest styling disaster you’ve had, how did you recover? “I wanted to die! When low lighting a pale blonde I accidentally grabbed a tube of red hair color we all know what happened next… the client had Pink low lights, I apologized profusely. Ironically she loved it, she went home with pink hair of course I did not charge her and for several months I gave her complimentary services. Today she laughs about it and says it was very different.”
7) What’s the best and worst trip you’ve ever been on? “The best: Paris. The worst: Cancun.”
8) What’s the best two cents someone’s ever given you in the industry? “Visualize what you want in life and live it like you already have it and it will come. The moment you want to quit or give in is the moment that you work harder and stronger – don’t feed into the negative, always look to the positive.”
9) If you could have dinner with 3 people dead or alive who would they be and why? “My Idols. Marilyn Monroe – over 50 years after her death, she is still a household name. She has one of the most recognized faces in the world. Her trademark platinum hair and beauty mark, her famous skirt-blowing scene… all these things are a part of our culture. Marilyn Monroe is an icon, a legend. No other actress has ever been to be so incredibly sexy while also retaining an innocence and vulnerability. Elizabeth Taylor – she was famous like no-one else. And apart from the Queen, no woman on earth had been famous for so long. She was the most legendary film actress. She became the highest paid actress of her time. Best known to people for her jewelry, her health issues and her exemplary, tireless work on behalf of AIDS patients. Princess Diana was an icon in fashion history. As the 80s progressed she gained confidence in her own fashion style and became more and more elegant as she began to understand what suited her. She was well known for her fund-raising work for international charities and as an eminent celebrity of the late 20th century. These 3 strong, stylish, woman accomplished so much in their time. The four letter word “star” has suited very few people quite so well as these three women. Legendary, glamorous –stars forever– their presence is still very alive!”
10) Name some of your guilty pleasures? “Being lazy on Sunday mornings, lying in my bed with a cup of coffee, watching reruns of Will and Grace and CSI Miami – love these shows 🙂 LOL”
