Crazy Color reported the death Renato Brunas, aged 82 years, and founding member of Renbow International Ltd. (London and USA).

Renato was born of Italian/Romanian parents in Paris on the 2nd September 1931. After living in Napoli, Italy through the war years, he returned to Paris, where he trained as a hairdresser and developed a talent for and love of colouring. He then came to London as a young man to work as a colourist and settled in London opening his own shop in fashionable South Molton Street. His fascination with hair colour led to his founding of Renbow International Ltd., manufacturer of hair products. He was joined in the business by his brother Gino and Renbow became a well known trade brand name. Renbow’s vibrant and shocking ‘Crazy Colour’ hair dyes became a fashion statement during the Punk era and Renato developed a reputation as a flamboyant and larger than life figure in the world of hairdressing and fashion.

Adopting a brave and avant-guarde approach to hair colour he encouraged young hairdressers to make hair colour as fashionable as haircuts, and became a mentor to many of the top names in the hairdressing industry during the late 70s and 80s. In the late 80s he moved to the United States and opened Renbow USA, a sister company in Reading P.A , bringing London hairdressing and colouring style to the United States.

Renato was a dedicated ambassador for the hairdressing industry and worked tirelessly to promote the industry worldwide, lending him the nickname of ‘globetrotter extraordinaire’ in some circles. His contribution to the hairdressing industry was recognised with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001 presented by the Professional Beauty Association, and at the Alternative Hair Show in 2007 he received a special presentation in recognition of his achievements.

"Renato was one of the people responsible for the modern hair color movement. If you look out at the show you are attending and see any bright pinks or purples, he invented that technology in the late 60s, early 70s. He had the largest hair shows in London, and he helped establish the Rusks, Tony and Guy, Tony Rizzo from San Rizz, Robert Lobetta, along with many more. That is just a small impact that he had on this industry," shared Robert Peterson of Beau Monde College of Hair Designs in Oregon.

Helen Oppenheim, former in-house Creative Concept and Public Relations Director for Vidal Sassoon Salons USA and Canada, shared, "I once went to interview Renato Brunas in Reading, PA, at the request of Moira Paulusz, then Features Editor of Hairdressers Journal. There had been some misunderstandings in the UK and this article was to make peace, I think. Or something like that. I flew by a plane so small, in bad weather, I was petrified. Renato made up for it, by being very very charming. He cooked me pasta at his home. He was a lovely man and made a huge dent in the hair world with his Crazy Colors and his ORO Vision and from the Facebook posts, he was loved and will be missed far more than he probably knew."

Renato leaves behind six children, Joana, Tanya, Katya, Bruno, Marina and Romina and four grandchildren, his brother Gino and sister Teresa, Sarah and Thea.