With years of experience in editorial work and shows, including the spectacular show by Viktor & Rolf and covers for Numéro and ELLE Netherlands, Wiardi Koopmeiners is now joining the KURO Rotterdam team as a new hairstylist on Fridays. As Bianca van Zwieten’s regular first assistant and winner of the 2025 Coiffure Award, he was already at the top of the profession. Now he brings his eye for detail, trend awareness, and experience from the fashion world to KURO, where he lets clients enjoy looks that are both timeless and innovative – and provides training in the KURO Academy.
With years of experience in editorial work and shows, including the spectacular show by Viktor & Rolf and covers for Numéro and ELLE Netherlands, Wiardi Koopmeiners is now joining the KURO Rotterdam team as a new hairstylist on Fridays. As Bianca van Zwieten’s regular first assistant and winner of the 2025 Coiffure Award, he was already at the top of the profession. Now he brings his eye for detail, trend awareness, and experience from the fashion world to KURO, where he lets clients enjoy looks
You've been working for years as KURO’s Bianca van Zwieten's first assistant, are now taking more of a leading role yourself, and joining the KURO team. What does this step mean to you personally?
“As Bianca’s first assistant, I’m involved in major shoots and shows, like the recent one for Vogue Arabia in London. We work really well together: I know exactly what she needs and wants, so she doesn’t have to think about it all the time. I anticipate, answer team questions, and make sure she can fully focus on her work. I take a lot off her plate. I’m really looking forward to working together in the salon too.”
“Four years ago, I assisted her for the first time. She had posted a call on Instagram, and I responded. Since then, I’ve always joined her. Before that, I already knew her from the Coiffure Awards, where she’s a prominent name.”
How did you get into the profession?
“Since I was a child, I’ve always been busy with hair. My aunt is a hairdresser too and once gave me a training head. I spent hours watching YouTube videos about braiding and curling. At sixteen, I went to hairdressing school and then worked in a salon. I quickly realized I wanted to move into fashion, but at my previous job, that only meant one show a year, like the Coiffure Awards. The rest of the time was regular clients and repetitive treatments. I wanted to work more creatively, so I started doing personal projects. First I took a hairstyling course, and then paid assignments started coming in more frequently.”
How did you combine that with salon work?
“It became difficult to get time off with an employer, so I decided to go freelance and rent a chair. That gave me a lot of freedom to work on my own projects and in my own way. That was four years ago now. I started in Hoorn, later rented a chair in Amsterdam, and now work one day a week at KURO in Rotterdam.”
And how are those creative gigs?
“Super fun, because I can really express myself. My shoot for the Coiffure Awards was especially meaningful because you create the concept yourself and bring it to life visually. This year, I even won the title of Best Women's Hairdresser with it. My style is classic but translated into something new. A technique like the wave can look dated quickly, but by applying it differently and refining it, it becomes something modern and surprising.”
Award winning foto's Coiffure 2025