Vidal Sassoon made the cult of hairdressing available to the masses, becoming a household name for his innovative cuts that are inextricably linked with an epoch. Only the rich and/or famous could visit his London salon – Mary Quant, most prominently – but that didn’t matter: the dynamism he proposed was imitated countrywide, giving identity to a generation.

The British icon, synonymous with swinging London, passed this Wednesday and to commemorate the great man and the legacy he left behind – a brilliant catalyst of youth and style – we asked Dazed & Confused's regular contributing hair stylists for their thoughts and tributes. We also invite you to read this archive interview with the man himself, regarding 'Vidal Sassoon The Movie', a piece of cinema worth searching out.

"Sassoon is the roots of every hairstylist working today – whatever I do, it starts from him. His cuts changed the world just as Einstein did when he found the Theory of Relativity." Tomo Jidai

"Sassoon's impact was in his ability to bring geometry to the technique of hair cutting and styling. His influence on me was only his concept of change to our art. What I admire most about him is that we share the same birthday: January 17th. A true revolutionary." Bob Recine

"He revolutionised the world of fashion with his haircuts and has inspired every modern day hairdresser. It is a shock and truly sad that he is gone, but what he did and what he created will live on forever." James Pecis

"Vidal Sassoon's impact is the fact he is still impacting the world of hairdressing. I still turn to his creations for inspiration and very regularly turn up on set to find pictures of his hairstyles for references. He influenced me greatly due to the fact that he began to do things with women's hair that at the time caused a stir and he did it with such conviction and such drive. It was tremendously rebellious to me, and most of all I admire a rebel." Anthony Turner

"Sassoon was the master in the world of cutting, creating outstanding styles that had never been seen before and will forever reflect the time in which they were created. Coming across the book 'Cutting Hair The Vidal Sassoon Way' whilst training to become a hairdresser – seeing pictures of the perfectly shaped heads, like amazing architecture – was a great influence in approach to both cutting technique and hairstyles in general." Christian Eberhard

"The most inspirational and influential hairdresser that I have ever had the pleasure to meet. He will be sadly missed." Martin Cullen

Click HERE to read our interview with Vidal Sassoon about 'Vidal Sassoon - The Movie', where these images are taken from