Scotland’s first lady of hairdressing Rita Rusk passes away at 75

Rita Rusk, a legendary Scots hairdresser, passed away at the age of 75.

Rusk began to work as a professional hairdresser in the 1970s. The Glasgow-born stylist was regarded as a "pioneer" and "trailblazer" in the field. Throughout her more than four-decade-long career, she worked with royalty as well as celebrities.

Rusk and her then-husband, Irvine Rusk, shared the 1987 award for British Hairdresser of the Year, making Rusk the first woman and the only Scot to hold the title. She has received four Best Hairdresser in the World awards from the French fashion publication Metamorphose. She was hailed as one of the finest hairdressers in Scotland. Condolences from her distraught friends in the business have flooded in.


Owner of the Alan Edwards Salon in Glasgow's Merchant City Alan Edwards posted an emotional tribute to the stylist on Facebook, calling it a wonderful thing to have such a great hairdresser leave her legacy on the industry. Rusk, according to Alan, was a pioneer in hairdressing in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s.



Along with Irvine Rusk, Rita was the first woman and the first Scot to win the title of British Hairdresser of the Year. Together, they questioned the way hair was done! Rusk provided the hairdresser industry with many gifts, including invention, design, creation, and innovation. Rita and Irvine Rusk established their first salon in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, in the 1970s before moving their operations to Glasgow, where they later developed three more stores.

The couple, who had a son named James, travelled the world in the 1970s to give exhibitions and seminars in Europe, the US, and Japan. They also gathered a remarkable clientele along the way, including the Duchess of Kent and the actress Greta Scacchi. Rita kept building the business after the couple's separation in the late 1980s.

FAQs:

1. Where was Rita Rusk from?
   She was from Castlemilk, Glasgow, Scotland.
2. What does Rita Rusk’s husband do?
   He runs a salon in Glasgow’s Merchant City.