Farewell to SA’s king of snippers: SA hair and beauty legend Arturo Taverna dies aged 85

Hair and beauty luminary Arturo Taverna, who brought international styles to South Australians for decades, has died.

SA hair and beauty industry luminary Arturo Taverna has died aged 85. Picture: Supplied by family

Work will stop at an Adelaide factory this Tuesday to allow a fitting tribute to a South Australian hairdressing trailblazer, genuine fashion A-lister, inspirational visionary, successful businessman – and a true gentleman.

Hair and beauty industry luminary Arturo Taverna, who brought Croweaters international hair styles from the 1960s to the 90s, died during the week, aged 85, after a short illness.

The young Arturo took over his big brother Anton’s hairdressing salons in Glenelg and at the Moore’s Department Store in the city in 1958 soon after doing an apprenticeship under him.

He soon discovered he was the family member with the true flair for hair.

A decade later, he opened his first store in the new Westfield Marion, quickly expanding to 30 sites across the state, with 30 to 40 staff employed at a single salon.

“Dad grew at a time when industry and commerce were growing and shopping centres were a new feature,” eldest son Anthony, 57, said.

“He travelled a lot within the industry and was respected in trade shows here and overseas … a lot of people are ringing and messaging us and saying the world has lost a true gentleman.”

Arturo Taverna … a hairdressing trailblazer. Picture: Supplied by family

Hairdresser Arturo Taverna in front of his hairdressing salon in Currie Street.

The SA-based empire would grow to become a globally recognised hair and beauty manufacturer under the name Artav Australia, where Anthony is the managing director, adapting to meet changing demand and even stepping up to produce hair sanitiser when COVID struck.

“Up until six months ago Dad, who was an early starter, would leave home at 3.30am so he could be the first at the office to make sure the environment was comfortable for everyone, that the airconditioners were on, the coffee machines were on and everything was prepared … he would be there in the morning to greet all the staff – factory and office – when they arrived for work,” Anthony said.

Arturo Taverna, centre, with sons Andrew and Anthony, who are part of the business. Picture: Supplied by family

“Dad treated everyone evenly and fairly and never boasted about his success … he treated his staff as family and I think that was part of his success, hundreds and hundreds of staff were trained underneath him in a family atmosphere.

“He allowed his staff to be the success of the business. He always said to me, ‘you need to employ staff who are better than yourself, if you employ staff who are better than yourself, you will be successful – don’t ever think you are the success of the business, it is the staff around you who are’.”

The hearse will stop at the Regency Park factory on Tuesday to allow the 100 staff to pay their respects.

Mr Taverna is survived by wife Lina, 79 – who he had been married to three weeks shy of 60 years – children Sonia, Anthony, Jeannette and Andrew and grandchildren Alanna, Alexander, Lawrence, Arturo I, Arturo T, Steven and Ronald.

His family said giving back to the industry he was so passionate about was always important, reflected in the many roles he held including: Master’s Hairdressers Association of South Australia president, Hairdressers Cooperative of South Australia chairman and Honorary Life Member and Hall of Fame Inductee of the Hairdressers Association of South Australia.