Dyeing to Get Together
It May Be a Canadian Record: Almost 100 Hairdressers in One Family
 | They See One Another Often - At Hair ShowsIn the cutthroat world of hairdressing, no one in Canada competes with the Costa family. At least not quantity-wise. "We have 86 hairdressers in our family that I can count off the top of my head," says Dominic "Mico" Costa, the eldest of four brothers, three of whom work at Alta Moda Hair Solutions in Calgary's wealthy Mount Royal Village. "We're everywhere. And, amazingly, not one of us is gay! Well, maybe there's one." "Yeah, we all looked at your ass when you walked in," adds Riccardo, the brother who opened the salon in 1997. "I bet the number is now closer to a hundred." He begins to count. "There's Uncle Carmen, Uncle Rocco, Luciana, Silvanna and Sophia. All five of one of my aunt's kids are hairdressers and all three of another of our uncle's kids are hairdressers. Then two of my Uncle Vito's kids are hairdressers. My Aunt Rosetta's four kids are hairdressers. I could go on and on." There are hairdresser family members (not all have the Costa surname) from Alberta to Ontario. |
So how did the Costa brothers end up in the family business? "We grew up in a small northern Ontario town, near Thunder Bay. My father was a grocery store owner and butcher. We moved to Winnipeg in 1980. We were a bunch of country bumpkins. We hand't even been on a bus before," explains Mico. "Riccardo said, 'The heck with high school,' and he and my mother and I all went to hairdressing school. In our family, you either are a butcher or hairdresser."
Even before hairdressing school, their mother, Laura, was cutting hair out of their home in northern Ontario. "I remember all these women leaving our house with big high hair to the ceiling," he says, waving his hands above his head. "Way way up here!" In fact, none of the brothers graduated from high school. "I made it to Grade 11," says David, 35. "I had one more year to finish, but I went to hair school, too, and I was just so good at it. I was winning hair competitions after six months, so I never went back."
Along with their mother, Riccardo's wife, Angela, also works at Alta Moda. A sister, Carol, has just moved to Calgary and will be joining the cutting team shortly. (Laura usually brings in homemade Italian lunches for clients each day, a perk for those who have noon appointments.) Thanks to their careers, members of the family see one another quite often - mostly at hair shows. At Canada's largest hair show, hosted by the Allied Beauty Association, the family are constantly finding themselves in competition - against one another. "And we take first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth places," says Riccardo. "Last year, at a show in Toronto, there were eight first cousins and one uncle all who won."
The extended family gathered recently for their grandmother's 90th birthday. "Of course we talked about hair. That's all we talked about," says Mico. "That's all we ever talk about." Do they ever get sick of talking about hair? "Yes and no," answers Riccardo. "We don't. But sometimes when the whole family gets together, I can tell they're fishing for hair tips and secrets." (The brothers, who cut an average of 25 heads a day each, are famous for a cut they call the Wedge, which makes the hair look thicker à la Jennifer Aniston.) "You'll never hear anyone say, 'Gee, I like your hair' when we all get together," says Riccardo.
How does their father, the only non-scissor-wielding member of the family, deal with all the hair talk? "He doesn't have any hair!" says Riccardo. "You can't get sick of talking about something you don't have!"
It's clear the three brothers love their work. But it's also clear they are siblings. "No, we hate each other," says Riccardo, jokingly, when asked if they always get along. "There have been fist fights between us in here. There has been blood. But we get along as good as you can, working so close to each other." Asked who does whose hair - the brothers cut one another's - a verbal fight breaks out in the salon, to the amusement of clients who can't ignore the booming voices. "Remember what you did to me last time?" Riccardo asks Mico. "I've still not forgiven you."
"For a week, he complained that I cut it too short," explains Mico, rolling his eyes. Riccardo responds with" "I'm sorry that you're bald, but you don't have to take it out on me! You know what they say," he continues. "Behind every good hairdresser is another one who is rolling their eyes." Still, every Monday when the salon is closed, they play golf together. (All three brothers also quit smoking together at New Year's.)
What is possibly the largest hairdressin gfamily in Canada could one day be even larger. The family is multiplying, passing on the hairdresser genes. Mico has one child, and twins on the way. Dave has two children, as does Riccardo. "I hope my kids don't become hairdressers. It's such hard work," says Dave. "But I bet they will."
"I named my kids Valentino and Paloma," says Riccardo. "Those are definitely hairdresser names, don't you think?"
February 2006
Rebecca Eckler
Source: Maclean's
