In loving memory of Jean Rennette
Let’s all celebrate the life of Olivia Garden’s founder, Jean Rennette!
It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our founder, Jean Rennette, who passed away on January 3, 2025 at the age of 82. Born in Liège, Belgium in 1942, Jean’s visionary spirit transformed the salon professional industry and laid the foundation for one of the most respected brands in professional and consumer hair care.
In 1967, Jean and his wife, Micheline, founded Olivia Garden in Liège, Belgium, driven by a commitment to providing hairdressers with high-quality, innovative, and beautifully designed salon tools. Their journey began with synthetic wigs, curlers, and a groundbreaking blow dryer. In 1985, the Rennette family moved to the United States, expanding Olivia Garden’s reach by introducing its cutting-edge hair curlers to the U.S. market.
Over the decades, Jean, joined by his children Pierre and Anne, transformed Olivia Garden into a global leader in the hairdressing industry. His journey is synonymous with the Olivia Garden journey — his dedication and creativity propelled us to be a brand that’s celebrated across the globe with a position as a market leader. His passion influenced our teams in the Belgium and US offices, but his impact reached far and wide to hair salons, distributor partners, industry leaders and of course, his loving family, friends and colleagues.
As a team and as a community, we mourn his loss but we are ever more impassioned to carry his vision forward — a passion his children and current co-owners, Pierre Rennette and Anne Maza, believe in wholeheartedly. Our thoughts are with his dear family and everyone who knew and admired him.