Before TikTok or Instagram, Brad Johns was one of the most famous hair colorists in the world with appearances on Oprah’s daytime talk show and a profile in People magazine. His clientele was a veritable “who’s who” of fabulous females, from beauty editors and socialites to celebrities like Johnny Depp, Natasha Richardson, photographer and artist Cindy Sherman, and most notably, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy. Beauty editors called him the “golden boy,” and Vogue named him the Color Czar.
Having honed his craft at some of the finest salons in Manhattan, Brad elevated hair color to an art form, calling it the “accessory you never take off.” Known for his buttery blondes, he was convinced that every woman could be lighter and brighter. Then in 1992, celebrity stylist Oribe Canales asked him to be his Color Director at his opulent salon on Fifth Avenue. Brad had been experimenting with a new technique for highlighting hair that produced results not unlike the paintings of Picasso or Ellsworth Kelly: big, bold, and brash. Oribe gave it a name: chunking.
In 1996, Brad opened an eponymous salon in the Takashimaya Building on Fifth Avenue. A true artist in every sense of the word, he excelled across multiple disciplines. His acrylic paintings were shown in several New York galleries, and he studied gold and silversmithing at Parsons School of Design. After he retired in 2019, Brad moved to Los Angeles where he studied glass fusing and became so prolific that he created Brad Johns Glass to showcase his growing collection of gorgeous glass “handmade for your home and heart.” He co-wrote his 2023 memoir, Dye: A Memoir of Art, Music, Faith, Family and Hair Color, with longtime friend Marianne Dougherty, who he met when she was publisher of American Salon. Sadly, Brad died in August 2026, after more than four decades behind the chair.
Interviewed in 1999 by Winn Claybaugh and Brad’s longtime friend Adam Broderick, Brad shared his thoughts on what makes a great employee and the importance of mentoring, teamwork, and lifelong learning. At the time of this recording, Winn’s audience was primarily the professional beauty industry, but people in any line of work can benefit from Brad’s passionate belief that everyone is an artist with a mission to use their talent to make people feel better.