Michael Gordon is a rebel in the world of hair. Over the course of an innovative, intuitive and non-conformist career, the founder of Bumble and bumble has built a reputation for developing brands, creating products, and cultivating talent.

At Bumble and bumble, Gordon invented revolutionary hair products including the now-cult Surf Spray. He reimagined the traditional hair salon in 1977 with his first New York establishment on 57th Street, where he fostered a culture by bringing his downtown crowd uptown—mixing artists and aristocrats, mothers and students, who gravitated towards his buzzing universe. Under Gordon’s direction, Bumble and bumble became an incubator for talent and a blueprint for the modern hair salon. To this day, his knack for collaborating, connecting people and building creative, eclectic environments (Hairstory Studio was dubbed “the Warhol Factory of hair”) has cemented his legacy as an industry innovator.

After selling Bumble and bumble to Estée Lauder in 2006, Gordon went on to produce Vidal Sassoon: the Movie, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2010. His most recent brainchild, Hairstory, and its star product New Wash—a detergent-free cleansing cream—was ignited by Gordon’s desire to do away with all the unnecessary bottles that line our bathroom shelves; to do more with less, and take hair back to its best state. After identifying detergent as the source of nearly all hair problems, his mission was clear, and a new movement in hair was born. Hairstory Studio was a platform to develop new ideas in hairdressing, image-making, content, and communications, with a team of young, passionate artists and thinkers by Gordon’s side, whom he mentored in everything from product development to street casting.

In November 2016, he resigned as President from Hairstory Studio. Finding his groove as a producer in the greatest sense, Gordon is in high demand to share his experiences with audiences from coast to coast, which has led him to follow a new path in public speaking, coaching and consulting. Meanwhile, he continues to see the industry through fresh eyes with the ongoing development of new product lines and creative projects.