Almond milk. Cacao nibs. Churro waves. These may sound like items from a shopping list, but they are actually just a few of Dimitris Giannetos’s celebrity hair transformations that have sent social media into a frenzy. Each perfectly styled look feels complete only once it has been given a catchy name. “I need to write a book with all my names,” the celebrated hairstylist and colorist tells Who What Wear with a laugh. His bob names alone could fill several chapters: the Prada bob, Valentine bob, flip-flop bob, cowgirl bob, and Jackie-O bob all deserve a permanent place on glossy pages. Until then, you can find them across his Instagram feed, featured in hair trend roundups, and likely stuck in your mind long after you first see them.
“My mom always wanted to hear a name,” he remembers from his early beauty school days. “I would give her a layered bob at the time, and she would ask, ‘What’s the name of this haircut?’” That simple question—“What are we calling this one?”—has followed him throughout his career, from styling Demi Moore for the Oscars to creating looks for Khloé Kardashian in Venice and Gigi Hadid at the Met Gala. The names? Studio 54 hair, the glazed bun, and boudoir curls.
We recently spoke with Giannetos about his creative approach, how he dreams up each name, where he finds inspiration, and the celebrity hair moment he considers one of his all-time favorites. Below, meet the artist behind some of today’s most talked-about hair trends.
On Breaking Into the Industry
“I’ve been working as a hairstylist for 26 years. I began my career in Greece. When I was 16, I enrolled in beauty school, and I spent 12 years there working with major magazines like Vogue, Bazaar, and Elle, while serving as an ambassador for L’Oréal Paris. I’m a Sagittarius, so I’ve always been someone who dreams big, sets goals, and goes after them. By the time I was 29, I had reached a major point in my career in Greece, and I thought, ‘Okay, what comes next? I’m going to move to America.’
“It was a very difficult choice because I didn’t know anyone, and I didn’t speak the language. I was so naïve, and that’s probably why I had the courage to do it. The first person I met was Maria Menounos. She’s Greek American, and I met her in Greece. I had already moved to New York, and she told me, ‘If you come to L.A., I’d love to work with you.’ So I went, began working with Maria, and then met my first agent, Charly Shahin, the founder of Opus Beauty. I credit him with helping me start my career here. He introduced me to people and helped put me on the map.
“I always felt very sure of my craft and what I could do, but it was challenging because, in the beginning, I didn’t speak English well. This job requires communication. You have to make your clients feel comfortable, confident, and safe. That was the biggest obstacle for me, but I truly believe that hard work pays off. I worked extremely hard, and I still do. Charly introduced me to so many people through Opus Beauty, and one person led to the next. I remember some of my earliest clients were Camila Cabello, who was still in Fifth Harmony at the time, Joey King, and Britney Spears.
“Later, I became part of Guido Palau’s team. He is a true visionary and, in my opinion, the greatest hairstylist of our time in the fashion world. I worked with his team for a few years and did fashion weeks in Milan, Paris, and New York. It was an incredible opportunity. I wanted to become the best at my craft, and I wanted to bring something fresh to my celebrity clients—something rooted in editorial work and fashion.
“Sometimes, when you do celebrity hair, you can feel boxed in. It can become, ‘This season, the trend is a ponytail, a sleek bun, or straight hair.’ I wanted to think beyond that. In Greece, we don’t always follow every rule. Of course, beauty school gives you the foundation, but I’ve always loved being creative and approaching every client in a unique way. Working on all those fashion shows helped me develop that even more.”
On When He Knew He Wanted to Work in Hair
“I remember being a little boy and always playing with my mom’s and my sister’s hair. They would sit at the table, and I would sit beside them and touch and style their hair. It felt very natural to me. But growing up in a small town in Greece—Thessaloniki—nearly 30 years ago, it was considered a bit taboo for a boy from a small community to want to become a hairstylist. It was difficult to tell my dad that this was the path I wanted to follow. I started therapy when I was young, and it was one of the best things I’ve ever done. My therapist helped me make the decision. She told me, ‘What are you going to do? This is your life. You don’t have to live according to the community.’ That changed everything for me.
“When I told my dad, I tricked him a little at first—I’m not going to lie. I said, ‘I think I want to pursue barbering,’ because saying barbering sounded easier. Then I went to beauty school, and naturally, hairstyling became my path.”
On Naming Each Style
“Everyone wants to hear a name. It started when I was a young hairstylist in beauty school. I remember doing my mom’s hair, and she always wanted a name for the look. I would give her a layered bob, and she would ask, ‘What’s the name of this haircut?’ At first, I thought, ‘A name?’ To me, it was just a layered bob. But then I realized I was trying to be creative, and people enjoyed that. When I gave Amal Clooney English toffee highlights, people wanted to go into the salon and say, ‘I want the English toffee highlights Amal Clooney has.’ When I gave Joey King the Prada bob, people wanted the Prada bob.
“That’s how the idea began. It happened very naturally. I’m simply trying to be creative. I do the hair first, and then I think, ‘Hmm, what does this remind me of?’ When I worked on Lindsay Lohan’s Vogue cover, I looked at the color and thought, ‘This really looks like almond milk.’
“People love a little fantasy. With social media, we are all so visual now. When you hear something, you immediately imagine it. So when you hear ‘almond milk hair color,’ your mind creates a picture. The Prada bob is technically another chin-length bob. If I said I gave Joey King a chin-length bob, it would still be beautiful. But when I call it the Prada bob, it suddenly feels more interesting.
“For Joey King, I was inspired by the fashion shows I worked on with Guido. We used to create these strong, severe side-part bobs. So there is real inspiration behind it. It’s not just a random name.”
On Coming Up With Each Name
“As an artist, I want to stay present in the moment. For me, it’s all about the energy. Hair is not only technical. Of course, I’m grateful to have the foundation and to know the techniques, but for me, it’s about reading the room and being there with the person on that day. You have to see what the feeling is in that specific moment. I even had this conversation with Gigi Hadid. Some people love doing hair trials, but I feel like you need to see what happens on the day. When we did the Met Gala, we sat down, talked through ideas, looked at the outfit, and asked ourselves, ‘What do we feel right now?’
“Hair behaves differently every time. When you try to recreate a look on your own hair, it will never look exactly the same. It can come close, but it won’t be identical. It’s hair. It’s not like building a table out of wood. So we decide in the moment what we’re going to do, and then I’ll look at it and think, ‘Oh, this looks like something,’ and the name comes to me. I’ve created so many names that I forget some of them. I really do need to write a book with all of them.”
On What Inspires Him Most
“Most of my inspiration comes from fashion and the runway. A designer is not only creating clothes; they are creating an entire image, and hair plays a major role in that with the help of experts. I’m always trying to mix in old-school hair references from different decades—the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s—because that helps keep a look timeless. It’s very easy to fall into the trap of doing something too trendy, and then 10 years later you look back at a photo and think, ‘What was I thinking?’ I try to follow trends while keeping something classic and lasting.
“At the end, I always want to add my own twist. I want the look to feel alive. If I’m creating ‘perfect’ hair, I usually do something to disturb the perfection a little. That gives the style more life. When hair looks too perfect and too polished, it can become boring. When I styled Dove Cameron for Nylon magazine, the original idea was a middle-part slick bun, but I felt like something was missing. I wanted to give it a twist. So I dropped a small strand of hair down the center of her head, and it brought the entire look to life. I feel like that detail created the moment.”
On His Favorite Look of All Time
“There are so many. I love my girls, but one of the biggest highlights of my career was working with Brad Pitt and George Clooney for the cover of GQ magazine. They are two of the most iconic people on the planet, and they have inspired me throughout my career. Being around them, feeling their energy and confidence, was incredible. Another favorite moment was the 2024 Venice Film Festival with Amal Clooney. The energy around that look was electric. Gigi Hadid at the 2025 Met Gala was such an honor. I created the victory rolls, and that became such an iconic and beautiful look. Those are probably my top three.”
On His Hair Trend Predictions
“I’m seeing a lot of bangs, and I love bangs. There are so many different versions. People are often afraid of bangs because they worry about how they will grow out. We tend to think about what happens afterward instead of enjoying the moment. I always say, ‘It’s hair—it will grow. You’re not cutting an organ.’
“You have to live in the moment, and there are so many ways to wear bangs. You can try strong, severe bangs or soft curtain bangs. Every face shape can work with some type of bang. Even if you pull your hair up and leave out a few face-framing pieces, it looks so beautiful. It makes the style feel more interesting.
“Bobs are still very strong. They are always considered ‘back’ because they are timeless. The icon herself, Anna Wintour, has worn a bob for her entire life, and it remains chic, elegant, and sophisticated. No matter when you see a photo of that haircut, it still feels cool. I’m seeing more lived-in bobs with layers now, and I really like that direction.”
On His Hairstyling Starter Pack
“My all-time favorite is Elnett Hairspray by L’Oréal Paris. It’s classic and essential. It smells amazing, gives the perfect hold, and smooths flyaways. If you want to refresh your hair at home between salon visits, the Color Gloss toner is great. It adds shine and gives the hair a little extra zhuzh.
“We definitely live in an era of extensions, and my favorites are Great Lengths extensions. The quality is the best. You have to go to a salon for them, which is part of what makes them special. You can use them to add volume, not just length. People think extensions are only for making hair longer, but if you have layers and want the hair to look more even, or you want more body, you can add extensions in your own length. If you don’t want to color your hair but want the effect of highlights, you can use extensions for that, and it looks amazing.
“I love my Dyson Supersonic. It’s amazing and very fast. Everyone is in a rush, so you can grab your Dyson and get a beautiful blowout quickly. It’s lightweight, which matters when you do hair all day. Even when people do their own hair, it can feel like a shoulder workout. I like my Bio Ionic curler when I want to create soft bends. I love the flat iron, too, because it helps protect the hair from heat.
“I always use L’Oréal Elvive Extraordinary Oil because it protects the hair before a blow-dry. You can put a few drops in to style your hair as well. It’s amazing. One product I take everywhere is root touch-up spray. It’s not only for gray hair. If you wear extensions, you can use it to cover them. It comes in many shades, it’s easy to use, and it can save you money because you don’t have to go to the salon every three weeks for your roots.
“I like the Wet Brush because it’s so easy to use. When your hair gets tangled, take it into the shower, and it helps detangle everything so quickly.”
On His Must-Haves for Red Carpet Touch-Ups
“My Elnett, always. I need a tail comb and some pins in case anything moves out of place. And my Celsius,” he says with a laugh. “I love an energy drink. People ask, ‘How do you have all this energy?’ Celsius. Peach Vibe is my favorite flavor. It’s so good. And Eternal Water, because hydration is important.”
