Juan Blas Perez de Corcho Herrera was born July 3, 1966, (he was 45) in Moron, Cuba,
to Blas, who worked in bank management, and Elva (Herrera). He had a
brother Carlos, who works at a Cuban resort, and a sister Lourdes, an
engineer.
Perez, who picked up English very quickly, learned hair-styling
apprenticing at The Head Room (St. Johns' in Canada) and training at what was then called
trades school.
He was creative and innovative and had great taste. A
good hair stylist has an eye for fashion and the stamina to spend hours
standing and Perez had both and more.
He was quite driven, and always
personable, for example taking time to compliment other The Head Room
clients, not just his own.
Platform Artist For Goldwell
Alongside his successful work in St. John’s, he rose to the top ranks of
the industry, becoming an International Platform Artist with Goldwell,
the international salon product and service supply company.
This meant
he helped develop new color trends and demonstrated them from a stage
at trade shows where his audience could be as large as 60,000 people.
Companies like Goldwell would fly Perez all over the world – Berlin, New
York, Miami. Perez, who became a Canadian citizen, also visited his
family in Cuba.
St. John's, Canada Was Home
But St. John’s was his home. There was room for his skill and his
potential, and time for his interests in cooking and practizing
meditation and Buddhism.
“He came in at a time when a lot of people were coming from Cuba,” said
Bridget Foster, executive director of the Association for New Canadians.
“Juan made good connections,” Foster said. “He had a terrific desire to work with hair. An enormous talent.”
Similar To Vidal Sassoon
Foster said Perez’s flair and charm reminded her a little of Vidal
Sassoon, dubbed the rock star hairstylist “who changed the world with a
pair of scissors.”
Juan Perez, who left Cuba at age 17 to study for – and
complete – an electrical engineering degree in Russia, and who defected
in 1990 at Gander as his flight was refuelling. He wanted to make a new
home, and to forge a new career.Perez wanted to become a hair stylist.
When he arrived, Perez didn’t speak English. But he was determined to
pursue his chosen trade. He asked at the ANC for the name of a really
good salon. They suggested The Head Room, and off he went.
The Head Room Salon
“He came in looking for a job,” said Trish Molloy, owner of the salon.
“He was really, really sweet, charming and handsome, and he was very
smart. I hired him that day.” Molloy said Perez’s life “was an immigrant
story, and a Canadian story.” He had a dream and with hard work he made
it happen.
Lung Cancer
Perez died Dec. 6 in St. John’s of complications from lung cancer. He
had never smoked and his diagnosis earlier this year was a shock.
Juan Perez leaves his parents, Blas and Elva, his siblings, Carlos and Lourdes, and his partner, Sean Freake.
“What an amazing journey he had,” Foster said.