Born in The Netherlands Rutger began his career in Amsterdam. After graduating at the Vidal Sassoon Academy in London, Rutger worked in salons for a couple of years before moving his work into the studio around the mid 90’s. Quickly rising as a trusted assistant to master hairstylist Guido Palau, he learned the ins and outs of the international fashion industry before moving to NYC in 2007.

Rutger has collaborated with photographers such as Inez & Vinoodh, Annie Leibovitz, Richard Burbridge, and others on work that has appeared in magazines such as Vogue, i-D, Dazed & Confused, W Magazine, and V Magazine. He’s been a key hairstylist on a variety of runway shows for clients like Givenchy, Reem Acra, and Calvin Klein.

He was a creative consultant for L’Oreal for over 10 years and now enjoys helping young, new hair companies build their brands.