HairSkillsPro Interview with Renya Xydis

Some artists follow trends.

Others create worlds, energy, emotion, and identity through hair.

For more than four decades, Renya Xydis has been one of the most influential voices in Australian and international hairdressing. As an editorial stylist, salon owner, educator, and creative visionary, her work has consistently blurred the line between fashion, art, and hair.

Known for her fearless creativity, instinctive approach, and emotionally charged imagery, Renya has built a reputation for creating work that feels alive—work that challenges convention while remaining deeply connected to beauty and individuality.

In this exclusive HairSkillsPro interview, we explore the mindset behind her artistry, the importance of instinct, the role of imperfection, and why emotion will always come before technique.

About Renya Xydis

Renya Xydis is an internationally acclaimed Australian hair artist, salon owner, editorial stylist, and educator. As the founder of Valonz Haircutters and Salon X in Sydney, she has built a legendary reputation across fashion, editorial, runway, and salon hairdressing. Renya's work is celebrated for its individuality, emotional depth, and artistic freedom, inspiring generations of hairdressers around the world.

1. On Instinct & Fearlessness

HairSkillsPro

Your work has always felt emotional, instinctive, and fearless rather than overly controlled.

Do you think great hair is something technical… or something you feel?

Renya Xydis

Thank you for this beautiful compliment because I really feel you understand my work completely.

The fearlessness comes from wanting to give everything creatively. I love when work makes people stop and think about what I’ve created.

I honestly create as an artist first and then as a hairdresser.

I always begin with emotion and instinct. I go with my heart first, and only once I’m deeply inside the creative process do I stop and think about the technical side of what I’m creating.

My emotion always comes first.

I used to care a lot about what people thought, but not anymore. After four decades in this industry, I can clearly see that I have my own visual language and my own point of difference.

2. On Salon Reality & Editorial Freedom

HairSkillsPro

You’ve worked across both high fashion editorial and real salon life for decades.

How do those two worlds influence each other creatively?

Renya Xydis

This is such a great question because the salon is my foundation, while the editorial, runway, and global world are my creative outlet.

The salon keeps me grounded and humble.

Some clients absolutely love editorial creativity, while others don’t care about it at all—and that balance is important.

But for me, to truly breathe hairdressing as an artist, I need creative release because there are constantly ideas moving through my head.

I know what makes something editorial, but I also know how to bring that feeling back into the salon so the client feels like she’s experienced something unique and elevated.

I never stay with one idea for too long.

I treat the salon almost like backstage at fashion week—there’s always movement, energy, excitement, and heartbeat.

I never allow it to become stale or predictable.

That constant evolution is what keeps my love for both the salon and the outside creative world alive.

3. On Protecting Creative Freedom

HairSkillsPro

Many artists become more controlled with success, but your work still feels free and expressive.

How do you protect that creative instinct after so many years in the industry?

Renya Xydis

I’ve worked hard to protect my strength as an artist.

I rarely compromise creatively because when I’m outside the salon, I’m there as an artist—not simply as a colourist or stylist.

I’m a cutter and an editorial stylist, and that freedom allows you to see things differently.

You never say no creatively.

You always go back to the drawing board to create something magical, beautiful, artistic, and unexpected.

I constantly ask myself:

Does this feel too stiff?

Too commercial?

And then the challenge becomes breaking it apart again and turning it into something cooler, more artistic, more emotional—something that makes people wonder:

“How did she do that?”

I always hope there’s still mystery inside my work.

At the same time, I know there are so many incredible artists in this world, and I feel honoured to be part of a creative community that continues to inspire and evolve.

And thankfully, my family always keeps me grounded and brings me back to reality—and I love that.

4. On Individuality & Personal Expression

HairSkillsPro

There is a strong sense of individuality in everything you create.

What do you think makes hair feel truly personal rather than trend-driven?

Renya Xydis

I love eclectic hair.

I love when hair feels like art but still remains wearable.

The wearable side lives more inside the salon, while the artistic side lives deeply inside me creatively.

I paint, I collect art, I collect objects, books, vintage Vogue magazines, pins, fabrics—my eye is constantly travelling and observing.

I’ve built a huge personal library over decades, from photography and makeup to old fashion editorials from the 1950s, 80s, and 90s.

Editorial has lived in my heart since I was sixteen years old.

That world shaped me.

And I still bring that editorial emotion back into the salon every single day.

I also truly believe in sharing knowledge.

I’ve trained many incredible editorial stylists over the years, and I never believe in holding onto ideas.

For me, one technique can become ten completely different creative outcomes depending on the artist using it.

That freedom is something I deeply love teaching.

5. On Legacy, Longevity & Creative Responsibility

HairSkillsPro

You’ve built not only beautiful imagery, but strong salons, teams, and long-term client relationships.

What does legacy mean to you today?

Renya Xydis

This is such a beautiful question.

Over forty years, I’ve built an incredible clientele, an amazing salon culture, and a team that has stayed loyal to me for decades.

When you surround yourself with the right people—people who tell you the truth, who challenge you, who support you creatively—you become stronger and better.

At the end of the day, I’m still doing what I truly love.

And I’ll never stop.

There’s constantly something happening creatively inside my head.

I’ll wake up in the middle of the night sketching ideas for the next show or photoshoot.

I’ve experienced huge editorial eras—Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire—and now we’ve transitioned into Instagram and TikTok.

So the rhythm changes.

You need to evolve with the times while still bringing your own techniques and identity into what’s happening now.

That’s incredibly important.

Even at sixty, I still feel a responsibility to my peers, my sponsors, my clients, and the industry to continue creating magic.

Bonus Question

HairSkillsPro

Do you think modern hairdressers sometimes focus too much on perfection and not enough on emotion, personality, and feeling?

Renya Xydis

I don’t really believe in perfection.

I don’t think the world is perfect.

I don’t think art is perfect.

And I definitely don’t think hair is perfect.

What matters is detail.

Detail is what makes work feel different.

Perfection feels too consumer, too straight, too safe.

You need to know when to break the line—how to break it—while still maintaining beauty.

Imperfections are often where the beauty truly exists.

Especially as an artist, you learn to find beauty inside the mistakes.

That understanding took years to fully realise.

Imperfection is part of what makes creativity human.

HairSkillsPro Insight

Some artists follow perfection.

Others follow instinct.

Renya Xydis follows emotion.

Her work reminds us that the most powerful artistry does not come from control alone—it comes from courage, individuality, curiosity, and the willingness to create from the heart.

Because the most unforgettable work is not simply seen.

It is felt.

Interview by HairSkillsPro

Founder & Creative Director: Christos Michailidis