Beauty industry legend Lee Sang-il revealed the secret to his success.
In the first episode of the EBS and E Channel entertainment program 'Seo Jang-hoon's Neighbor Millionaire' (hereafter 'Neighbor Millionaire'), Lee Sang-il, the 'first-generation male hair designer in South Korea', shared his success story. From a country boy dreaming of becoming a fashion designer to a student in Paris, and from a legendary hair designer to a painter today, he reflected on his life journey to explore the true meaning of 'wealth' and 'success.'
In the 1980s, Lee Sang-il innovated hair salons as 'premium hair shops' and was the one who named beauty industry workers as 'hair designers'. He worked as a hair artist for top stars of the time, including the late Shin Sung-il, Jang Mi-hee, and Kim Wan-sun, and is also the creator of the 'sheep head style', a symbol of the late Andre Kim's fashion shows.
Lee Sang-il's life began with a dream of becoming a designer like the late Andre Kim. On the day he moved to Seoul, his mother handed him a 'boiled egg', which became his soul food. He asked Seo Jang-hoon for '4,200 won' as a life lesson fee to share his success secret.
After accidentally translating a foreign fashion magazine, Lee Sang-il learned about the existence of 'male beauticians' and explained, "The translation fee for that magazine was 4,200 won. It was the amount that changed my life." Thus, he changed his career path from fashion designer to hair designer and set off for Paris without a plan. Seo Jang-hoon admired Lee Sang-il's decisiveness, saying, "In an era when going abroad was difficult, just deciding to study abroad after seeing a magazine is something not everyone can do."
After graduating from the National School of Beauty in France in 1981, Lee Sang-il returned to Korea and became the 'first male hair designer in the country'. He opened a hair salon with the innovative name 'Hair News' and charged 15,000 won for haircuts, which was ten times more than other salons at the time. By implementing a 'premium strategy' with top-quality shampoos, beauty equipment, and furniture, he opened the wallets of the wealthy. Lee Sang-il confidently stated, "I cut hair as if sculpting it to best suit the customer's face shape. I couldn't tolerate raising prices without offering something worthwhile." As a result, his hair salon became a huge success, with 'open runs' being a common occurrence.
Lee Sang-il declared that he would "never give his vast fortune to his children." When Seo Jang-hoon and Jonathan expressed surprise, he asserted, "I will leave only my funeral expenses and give the rest back to society." Regarding his success secret, Lee Sang-il said, "I never had the desire to make money or become famous. I only focused on 'how can I make this customer the most beautiful?' He added, "If you do your best at work, success and wealth will chase you like a shadow. With patience, you can become a multimillionaire."
On the 16th at 9:55 PM, an episode featuring 'Waffle King' Son Jeong-hee, a rising powerhouse in K-desserts with annual sales of 70 billion won, will be broadcast.
[Kim So-yeon, Star Today Reporter]
