HERITAGE
Unmistakably Oribe: The Artistry of Oribe Canales
His work—big, beautiful, and always charged with personality—helped define the codes of the supermodel era. There was glamour, certainly, but never without tension. From an intentional loose end, to over the top proportions, or an element that pushed his vision just beyond beautiful. He understood that beauty could be glamorous yet vulgar, polished yet imperfect. What mattered most was that it made you feel something. “It’s okay if you love it or hate it,” he once said. “As long as you feel something, and it inspired you to cut one hair differently, then we did it.”
Finding Perfection in Imperfection
Oribe was a perfectionist who knew better than to seek perfection. He understood when his work was complete and resisted refining until its magic disappeared. “If you look at my old pictures and my new pictures, there’s always something wrong with each and every single one of them,” he said. “Part of my signature look is that it’s not perfect. I think that not being perfect is what gives you interest. It gives you realness.” The look could be highly sculpted or impossibly voluminous, but there was always something undone that made them feel alive. Oribe loved bombshell beauty, but was equally fascinated by the strange or unusual. That tension became an essential piece of his signature style.
Building Beauty Beyond Hair
Oribe drew inspiration from music, fashion, film, art, history, objects, and his own heritage. “As an artist, you can reference whatever you want and be inspired by it,” he said. He loved to sketch a loose vision before building entire characters through hair, makeup, music, and movement. Other times, he worked spontaneously from a feeling, allowing the model or moment to help guide him. Wigs and extensions were central to that freedom. Oribe would cut or layer them wherever he needed more volume, length, or impact. They become his building blocks for creating something entirely new, and unmistakably Oribe.
For Oribe, creating a look was never only about hair. It was a complete world. He would channel the energy of the models, dancers, musicians, actresses, and photographers he worked with and would fill his educational events with elaborate soundtracks, accessories, or wind machines. He even perfumed wigs backstage because scent, to him, was inseparable from glamour. He encouraged other artists to study references, trust their hands, and embrace the uncertainty of the creative process. When he saw a young salon stylist using a flat iron to create curls—a technique he had never seen before—he gathered his team to watch. He believed that every artist, regardless of experience, had something to teach one another.
Oribe believed hairstylists are artists capable of creating characters, shaping culture, and helping people see new possibilities in themselves. That belief remains central to our team at Oribe today. His curiosity, charisma, and willingness to take risks continues to shape our approach to artistry and education. The legacy he left behind is timeless: make it beautiful, make it big, and never be afraid to make noise.
HERITAGE
Celebrating the Original Dry Texturizing Spray
