Our industry mourns the death of legendary hairdresser Oribe Canales this week. Simply known as “Oribe” to those in the industry, he passed away on December 17 at age 62.
A powerful presence in professional beauty, Oribe remarkably worked for decades behind the scenes at various Fashion Weeks styling the world’s top supermodels (including Naomi Campbel, Kate Moss and many others) in addition to Hollywood elite, including Cher, Lady Gaga, Scarlett Johansson and most notably, Jennifer Lopez. In 2008, Oribe founded his eponymous hair care line, which became an immediate hit upon its release. To this day, his Dry Texturizing Spray is a favorite among professionals around the world.
A slew of tributes have been posted on Instagram from his clientele of celebrity and model friends. In a moving post from Jennifer Lopez, she describes how when she was 16 on the train, she read about him in Vogue, and he made such an impression on her that 12 years later, when she was making her first album, she remembered his name, Oribe. "...The next 10 years I would spend with Oribe by my side every waking and working moment. We fell in love with each other...and along with Scott Barnes they helped me blossom into JLo," she wrote.
He will be dearly missed by many.