Andrew Fitzsimons's Rise to Hairstylist For the Biggest Names in Hollywood

It didn't take long for him to discover that he had an aptitude for hair and thrived in a beauty setting. "I also loved being around women at the salon," he says. "For the first time, I felt like I didn't have to perform. No one had any expectations for me other than to be myself. I was able to relax in my own body."

Within two weeks of working there, he shaved his head and colored it bleach blond. "I tried to look as different as I possibly could as a rebellious act to say, 'I'm not going to just try to make everyone else feel comfortable anymore and sacrifice myself while doing that.'"

That summer forever changed him. "It was the start of my life on my terms." When it came time to go back to school in September, he only made it three days. He refused to go back, eventually convincing his mom and the guidance counselor to let him leave for good.

Shortly after, he began his apprenticeship under a master stylist. Then Fitzsimons was approached to do hair for a photo shoot: "I got my taste of being on set for the first time at 15 and loved it," he says. A few months later, he quit to pursue hairstyling full time.

Fitzsimons knew he needed a portfolio, so he walked into a bookstore, bought a family photo album, and added the images from his recent photo-shoot work. With it, he walked into a local agency and said something to the effect of: "You guys need to sign me. I'm the future of hair. I have meetings with a million different agencies." But he didn't. "I was just trying my best to fake it until I made it."

It worked. He was signed to the agency on the spot, allowing him to work in fashion, TV, and film in Ireland for about a year before moving to France. "I was 16 years old living by myself in Paris," Fitzsimons says. "I was doing Fashion Week, I did McQueen's last show, I was shooting the biggest magazines and really immersing myself in fashion, learning everything I could."

After five years, at 21 years old — purposefully, so he could legally drink — he moved to New York City. That's where Fitzsimons discovered the celebrity side of the industry. "I remember seeing my first photo shoot on a magazine stand," he says. "It wasn't a very popular magazine, but I thought, 'God, people are going to see what I did.' The power of being able to create something and being proud of it, and then having other people enjoying it, became intoxicating."

Fitzsimons's first celebrity gig didn't come quick. "I said yes to everything, because I knew even if I didn't love the idea of a certain job, there would be a stylist there who I could talk to or a photographer or maybe the model."

Then came the opportunity of a lifetime: working with Adele for the release of her album "21." Immediately after, the doors flew open. He went on to do hair for Mariah Carey, who he worked with for years. "We just got on as human beings," Fitzsimons says.

One of his most notable clients today is Megan Fox, who he met randomly on a job. "I was aware of her image, which was very, very alluring to me — I love vampness, I love darkness, I love the Vampira gothic kind of vixen-y siren vibe. I knew it was going to be really interesting to work with her." The pair immediately bonded. "She is a very witchy person, and so am I," Fitzsimons says. "If I had my way, she would be Morticia Addams every f*cking day of the week."

With Fox, Fitzsimons could really play with fashion, like for the 2021 MTV VMAs, where Fox wore a diamond see-through naked dress. For that event, Fitzsimons interpreted the look as "a '50s film-noir vixen who just came out of the ocean whose body is glistening in the moonlight," and her hair reflected that with the wet look.

"All of the clients who I'm closest to are a little bit more old school," he says. "Not necessarily tethered to pop culture, social media, or trends — we're outliers. Megan is one of my closest clients. Khloé is the exact same: she's a rebel spirit, a bit of an outlier."

Even with his long list of A-lister clientele, Fitzsimons wanted to do more. "I decided that I was getting way too much sleep," he jokes. When he first started out, he thought opening up his own salon was the "tippy top," but after traveling the world, he began to see himself as a nomad, and building an immobile, brick-and-mortar business felt inauthentic. "I wanted to leave a legacy, and I knew it had to be as free as I am, so a hair-care brand seemed like the perfect opportunity to explore that."

Thus came the creation of Andrew Fitzsimons Hair, and he poured every aspect of himself into the brand. "Being a person who is an outlier, someone who has experience as an LGBTQ+ person, someone who respects women and considers themselves a feminist and an ally, I knew these had to be the first principles of whatever the brand would look and feel like."

He was especially motivated to create a brand that is a safe space for people after seeing far too many brands exploit insecurities and use harmful advertising tactics to sell products. He set out to create innovative, world-class hair products that are great enough to use on his celebrity clients for major events while still being affordable. It was a tall order, but he made it work.

"As a hairstylist who can do all hair types — when someone sits in my chair, I can do their hair no matter what — that's my expectation for my business," he says. "There's something for everybody, and everybody has been considered from the very beginning."

He credits it all — who he is as a person, the brand he's created, and the successful career he's built — to his family: his grandmother, mom, and sister. "I come from a long line of incredible women," he says. "I'm incredibly, incredibly proud of what we've achieved."