Meet the Greek man behind the Hollywood glam, Dimitris Giannetos.
Hollywood’s most in demand glam-artist, Dimitris Giannetos is a hair and make-up artist whose career commenced working with Despina Vandi, Fay Skorda and Kalomira to name just a few.
Recognised for styling the mane of top client and close friend TV host/ personality Maria Menounos, who was instrumental in his move and transition from Greece to America, Dimitris Giannetos has glammed the tresses and styled the faces of some of the most beautiful and famous women in Greece and around the world.
Dimitris Giannetos grew up in a small town in Thessaloniki and right from his early childhood years he already knew that he wanted to be a hairdresser.
He often loved to style his mother and sister’s hair and replicate hairstyles he would see editorially.
There was no questioning his passion for the craft and desire to pursue it as a profession, and over the years he persevered to make that dream his reality.
After finishing beauty school in Greece he immersed himself in as many on-the-job hands-on experiences as he could, including workshops in the U.K. during his extensive travels.
His years of hard work and tireless hours had the artist flying endlessly between Athens and Thessaloniki glamming some of Greece’s finest ladies of stage and screen.
His reputation and work caught the attention of L’Oreal Paris in Greece who offered him a 3 year contract as brand ambassador, which Dimitris refers to as a “golden deal.”
This deal saw Dimitri's work featured on covers of fashion magazines such as Vogue, Elle and InStyle.
His close friendship with star client Maria Menounos led Dimitris’ move to Los Angeles.
The TV personality believed in his talent and ability and foreseeing his success consistently encouraged the artist to take a leap of faith and join her in ‘La La-land’.
This huge risk Dimitris took to start from the ground up to grow his identity in the industry in a new country, was one that paid off.
Today his client portfolio reads as a who’s who of Hollywood, including the likes of Cindy Crawford, Britney Spears, Camilla Cabello, Nicole Scherzinger and many more.
Dimitris' attention to detail, creativity and commitment have earned him the title of a stellar artist in his field that takes him around the world from working at high-end fashion shows in Paris, Milan and NYC, working his magic on models like Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid, to working with Irina Shayk and Adriana Lima for international publications like Vogue, Marie Claire and GQ.
He is booked out well in advance for elite red carpet events such as the Emmys, Grammys and Oscars with his hairstyles always counted on the ‘best of’ lists; and ultimately winning him the “Best Beauty Award” by Harper’s Bazaar for Maria Menounos’ hair at the 2014 Oscars.
Dimitris possesses the same likeability and warmth that Greeks are well-known for and these qualities have helped him to build strong lasting friendships with many of his clients who repeatedly choose to work with him.
Whether it’s fashion designers wanting to collaborate on shows or shoots; models, singers, film and TV stars wanting to be glammed for media appearances or concert tours; Dimitris' schedule is consistently full leaving him little free time.
As he shared last year with Fay Skorda on her ANT1 morning show, whilst working with Meghan Trainor, the songstress asked him if he ever wanted to breakdown and cry from exhaustion to which he replied, “Sometimes I do, I feel crammed but then I say to myself, "Dimitri wake up you’re living your dream how can you even think of complaining?"”
One of Dimitris Gannestos' early clients upon arriving to America was Camilla Cabello when she was working as part of the popular girl group Fifth Harmony.
After Camilla left the group she escalated to fame and success as a solo artist and to this day still chooses to work with Giannetos.
Another early and long-time client is pop sensation Britney Spears, who recently was freed from her ongoing conservatorship battle and celebrated her new lease on life with a fresh do. The Las Vegas residency star and Grammy award winning Spears, had Giannetos tend to the task of sprucing her golden locks.
Dimitris' playful personality is often showcased in ‘behind the scenes’ Instagram stories of the starlets that he is working with, as he has fun with some of his regular clients that he considers his friends.
Aside from being an exceptionally talented hair and make-up artist, it’s evident Dimitris is greatly loved by his clients. During Christmas he had shared to his Instagram stories all the generous gifts he received from his all-star line up of loyal clients. It’s a testament to his character, confidentiality, and likeability.
Some of those clients have turned into close friends and now family, with Dimitris becoming one of Menounos’ koubari (best man) at her 2018 wedding in Greece and a koubaro to Kalomira when he baptised her daughter Anastasia, taking on the honour as godfather to the child.
Giannetos has never forgotten either of his koubares for their part in his success and will always credit them with that. So he does the same particularly with all the women he worked with in Greece in the early stages of his career as he humbly remains the same grounded person that he always was prior to his new Hollywood life.
The proudly Greek glam guru has not dismissed his Greek roots nor his original Greek clients and still visits his mother country for work and play.
Dimitris Giannetos is a multi-talented skilled hair and makeup artist creating styles and trends that are now inspirational to up and coming artists who replicate his work, just as he once replicated the work of the artists he admired as a young child in Thessaloniki with big dreams.
Giannetos often shares encouraging advice to young hopefuls dreaming of the success he has achieved; which is to continue pursuing your passion, work hard, never give up and realise it’s not about luck, it’s about timing - being at the right place and the right time. However, he advises that if the hard work hasn’t been applied, one will not be armed with the necessary experience when the time comes and therefore will be unable to proceed - so hard work is imperative.
Dimistris Giannetos is a true believer that a positive attitude and smile can be life changing.
With this belief his own life certainly did change and as the saying goes he is now 'living the American dream!'
Photo Credit: Dimitris Giannetos Instagram Account
