Culture | December 23, 2022
By Sabrina Hornung [email protected]
The following interview was conducted in February 2016, just a few months after Josef Olivieri’s 90th birthday. We are saddened to hear of his passing at age 97 on December 22, 2022. As we remember Josef’s life and legacy, we send our condolences to his family and community.
Josef Olivieri is what legends are made of. With his charm, impeccable style, sharp suits and perfectly curved silver handlebar moustache. He is the man who started the legacy of Josef’s School of Hair Design and has been called the North Dakota Godfather of Hair. Last December, the icon turned 90 years old.
Olivieri started in Fargo and worked at the top three department store salons, Moody’s, Herbst and DeLendrecie’s. He eventually went on to open a four-chair saloon and built his empire during the post-war boom. He began his career as a hairdresser in 1947 and opened his first hair school in 1960.
The High Plains Reader had the exclusive opportunity to have a chat with Mr. Josef.
∫HPR: How did you get into the hair business?
Josef Olivieri: I guess it’s the same old story, it all happened by accident for me. I was drafted when I was in high school so I went into the army and I was in the infantry. When I got out of the infantry I came back to Dilworth — you see, we were railroad people, we came from the old country. It was hard work, really hard work, and that was all we knew because we were a really poor family.
My brother was a hairdresser and he wanted me to be a hairdresser. I came back from the service unscathed after serving in Italy. I met some guys from New York who were in the beauty business and I thought, heck, if I’m going to do hair– I’m going to do hair on something I like…women. I dared to do it and I did.
HPR: How many hairdressing schools were part of Joseph’s “empire”? I know there is now one in Downtown, West Fargo and Grand Forks. Were there more?
YES: Way back when we had five, one in Minot and Bismarck, two in Grand Forks and one in Fargo. Once I pretty much had the entire state! When Mario took over, he wanted to cut back. I had 12 salons at the same time and then I had a business with six salons. I couldn’t pay my help more than I paid them, so to keep them in the business I formed another company with three of my best hairdressers.
I managed pretty well during my day. I was quite diversified, I was doing a lot of other things too. I owned bars, real estate, I sold everything, but my greatest love was hair.
HPR: Having been in the business since 1947, are there certain styles or eras that you were most involved with?
YES: I loved the 50s and 60s. Looking back at the cars, they are classics. I got two classic cars that I wouldn’t trade for any brand new car in the world! Look at the 1959 or 1960 Caddy and give me a brand new one, line them up side by side. Which would you choose?
HPR: It’s not even a question!
YES: Exactly! We set the hair in motion. We were constructive. I don’t believe in cutting and cutting hair. Thank god for the hair color – it adds some pizzazz.
All that aside, what is hairstyle today? Nothing but a butchered mess as far as I’m concerned. Watch the Emmys and the other awards. Here come these women with $50,000-$60,000 dresses and jewelry and their hair looks like crap — it’s absolutely horrible. It shows no artistry. I can’t believe this era!
HPR: Are there any new trends that catch your eye?
YES: Baby, the pendulum can only swing so far and it has to swing back. We’re going to see longer hair and we’re going to see waves, and it’s going to be like if you see a beautiful car — I always go back to cars — if you see a car standing still, it’s nothing, but if you put a car in motion, it’s beautiful. It’s like hair if you don’t set it in motion, it just doesn’t do anything. It just takes a little time, effort and a little common sense.
Mr. Josef accompanied me to a shelf that displayed trophies won in previous years. behind the trophies were photographs of his wife and daughter modeling for various competitions, a black and white photo of his wife was taken during a “Parade of States Competition” in Milwaukee sometime in the 1950s. Not only was she dressed in a beautiful full skirt and perfectly released curls, but Mr. Joseph had created a balsa wood oil fascinator for her outfit.
HPR: Can you tell us a little bit about this photo?
YES: Do you know how I got that color? (he leans in and whispers) Crepe paper! We didn’t have that kind of hair color back then. We didn’t know what to do. You know I said I was really crazy back then? I was madder than hell!
The second photograph was a photo of his wife, again taken in the 50s, but in full color, and with pink hair.
HPR: How did people react?
YES: She didn’t care, she was a daredevil — she would do anything. One day I put three different colors in her hair. Back in the day it was incredible!
HPR: How did you end up in the hair school business?
YES: I was out raising hell in the beauty industry. I didn’t know my potential, and I didn’t know what I was doing or what I was going to do. I had a lot of good people around me who encouraged me — Josef you have a lot of potential, both that and that. We never had any races in North Dakota, and I always wanted to go to Hollywood, so in 1946 before my GI Bill ran out, I went to Hollywood.
I wanted to take advantage of my schooling, so I took advanced hairstyling for three months and had a prom. I moved back to Fargo and started over. I was encouraged to enter competitions and was the first in North Dakota to win competitions at the national level and traveled everywhere. I won prizes like you wouldn’t believe. I eventually started traveling around the state teaching hairstylists for next to nothing. I wasn’t very business minded at the time.
People have been really good to me. That’s what I love about this part of the country – the people are so amazing. You can’t find better people than in this part of the country, and I’ve been all over the world believe me.
#JOSEF #OLIVIERI #GODFATHER #NORTH #DAKOTA
