Andrew Fitzimons, a 29-year-old hairdresser from Dublin, has revealed how he landed the role of Kourtney Kardashian’s personal hair stylist.
The stylist, who hails from Ballinteer, has worked on some of the biggest stars in the world including Ashley Graham, Joan Smalls, Kendall Jenner, Irina Shayk, Bella Hadid, and most recently – Kourtney Kardashian.
Now, Andrew has revealed how he went from working in a salon in Dublin’s city centre – to travelling the world, most recently Costa Rica, with the Kardashians.
“When I was younger, Dublin was not the place for a young, sensitive, gay boy. I know it’s changed a lot now and Ireland was one of the first countries to pass the gay marriage vote, and I’m very proud of that,” he told Independent.ie Style.
“After working in the salon for the summer, in September of second year I went back to school and I realised it was the wrong place for me. I wanted to be out working and give myself the education I wasn’t getting. I was happy to leave and be good at something. Two weeks later, at 14 years-old, I made the executive decision to leave school, much to my mum’s dismay.”
“She made me make an agreement to take my job seriously, be responsible, work full time and get to the top of my field. It’s been 16 years since then and I haven’t taken one sick day, and I’m still trying to reach the top of my field,” he said earnestly.
“I knew leaving school so early would affect the rest of my life. The structure of life and education did not cater to me. I was told: ‘You need to change, to play rugby.’ But I chose to create my own reality. I was determined.”
Soon after leaving school and gaining some experience, Andrew worked on some Irish famous faces including Grainne Seoige and Miriam O’Callaghan.
“I was doing small jobs for advertisements and editorial work as a hair stylist when I did Grainne’s hair for a day time talk show on RTE. We got on really well and I learned a lot from her.”
“I really respected her hustle and drive and she taught me a lot about professionalism and taking a job seriously. In Paris, New York and Los Angeles that’s the attitude that successful people have. She’s the first person I learned it from first hand, and I’m really glad I did.”
After working in Dublin for a number of years, Andrew decided that he wanted to broaden his horizons, and worked in Paris for a short time before eventually moving on to the big bright lights of New York City.
“I wanted to be around people who lifted me up, so I changed location and moved to Paris when I was 17 or 18. I didn’t love fashion enough to be miserable in Paris with no money, so I moved to New York; the holy grail of every industry. When I moved to New York, I had to start all over again. I had to start hustling. I had no money. I had my suitcase and my kit but I didn’t have $2. I started doing test shoots. If I had an ego when I was working, it would have ended my career.
“I used to walk for two hours, rain or snow, to go to a job because I couldn’t afford the subway. I was sleeping on couches, doing anything I could to put myself out there and learn. I was getting everything I needed from work – it fulfilled me that way.”
Then, Andrew landed the huge job of working with Adele, which led to him working with Mariah Carey – and eventually, Kendall Jenner.
“She was promoting her album 21, and we got on so much. We p***ed our pants laughing together. It was great to talk to someone from the UK. We talked about how much we loved Cheryl Cole because that’s when she was trying to break America for the X Factor. That was my first stepping stone. Then I worked with Mariah Carey for a few years and it all stemmed from there.”
“I was working on an advertisement and I was asked if I wanted to stay around to do the hair of a new face that was coming in after,” he said.
The ‘new face’ was Kendall Jenner, and Andrew said, “She was very quiet, sitting on her phone. This was when she was trying to make it as a model in New York. She was amazing for the whole shoot. She was transforming into a celebrity in her own right.”
“I worked with the family in New York two years ago for Fashion Week. I think it was Kanye’s first season for Yeezy. I did Kourtney’s hair and when she walked in we were both wearing the same outfit; a band tee, ripped skinny jeans and boots. We got on really well.
“Kourtney is a great friend. I see her almost every day. Kim is amazing too,” he told Independent.ie. “Kourtney, Khloe and Kim are the most down-to-earth, sweetest people I’ve ever met. They’re always on time. They’re so professional, friendly and work so hard. They remember the details you told them the last time you were working with them. I’m blessed to be working with them.”
“I have great self belief and I knew if I applied myself and believed in myself I could go where I needed to go,” he added.
