When Bradley Irion answered a call for last minute hair help, he couldn’t have imagined it would lead to a rising career as an A-list celebrity hairdresser.

It was a chance phone call, and Bradley Irion was in the right place at the right time. A seasoned hairdresser, he had left the salon he worked at for seventeen years and his home in Spokane, Washington, and relocated to NYC to work at a friend’s new salon.

One morning, about two months in, the salon phone rang and Bradley picked up. It was a client of the salon who was a publicist and in the midst of a crisis. A hairdresser who had been booked to do a job couldn’t make it, and they were hurriedly trying to find someone else to do the job. “She had a model who needed her hair done very last-minute for a Sports Illustrated party,” Bradley noted.

Luckily for Irion, he was the only hair styling expert in the salon who also happened to be free at the time. ” I was the only one free, and that girl was Petra Nemcova (Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue covergirl in 2003). “Sometimes you just got to show up,” Bradley said humbly. “After that night, I started styling her hair for Red Carpet events, television appearances, campaigns, and editorial shoots. The coolest thing is…not only did I get a supermodel, but I got a true friend for life.”

Soon, Irion began working his magic on the tresses of A-list celebrities including Leighton Meester, Mariah Carey, Taylor Swift, Kirstie Alley, and, perhaps most famously, Real Housewives’ star Kelly Bensimon, who also happens to be one of Braley’s closest friends. In just a few years, Irion has had mentions in top-tier magazines, buzz worthy fashion sites, beauty blogs, and style shows. We caught up with the hilarious Bradley Irion a few weeks ago and got the scoop on how he got his start in the business, RHONY gossip, his advice on success, and more.

BANGSTYLE: How and when did you become an A-lister celebrity stylist?

Bradley Irion: Well, I used to look at magazines with clients when I worked in Spokane, and I would see these pictures in cool locations and wonder, ‘How the hell do you get a job like that?’ I moved to New York City and the idea of styling celebrities seemed so far-fetched, I used it as a punch line. When people from home asked me why I moved, I would always laugh and say, ‘Well, I guess I will just meet a supermodel and do her hair.’

BANGSTYLE: What does it take to be successful in the industry?

Bradley Irion: You have to be able to handle the good and bad can’t let ‘no’ ruin you. As long as you don’t let that ‘no’ word bring you down, it makes you work harder, and you can do whatever you want. Don’t let ‘no’ decide whether you can do it or not. Stay away from ‘no.’ My advice to a young stylist is to never arrive at a job as a fan; it will be the death of you.

BANGSTYLE: Friendships with clients, do or don’t?

Bradley Irion: Be friends, but know you are one sausage in a very long link. ‘Don’t f*** your bank.’ Business and pleasure; Word gets around.

BANGSTYLE: Favorite part about being a stylist?

Bradley Irion: Traveling and the people I meet. I’ve met so many amazing folks that I would never have met sitting behind a desk in an office somewhere. And the kind of contact you get with people. If you think about our career, there are very few professions out there where you actually have physical contact with someone. The connection you have between the hairdresser and client I think is so special. Really, I think it’s that human connection I’m most attracted to.

BANGSTYLE: Least favorite part?

Bradley Irion: I don’t have one. Everything is happening [for me] now. Nothing, yet. Shooting dry hair outside when it’s raining.

BANGSTYLE: Greatest creation/look you’re most proud of thus far?

Bradley Irion: I like to construct hair. Take someone with no hair and make something. That’s the kind of stuff that’s really magical. Love smoke and lights of photo shoot. I really love working with famed photographer Daniela Federici

BANGSTYLE: How has your role as Real Housewives star Kelly Bensimon’s BFF changed your career, daily life?

Bradley Irion: Petra was in England after the Tsunami. I linked up with Kelly’s publicist. The second I saw her and how gorgeous she was, I decided they would be growing her hair out. She looks 10 years younger now than she did before. We have a really close friendship. We have gone through ups and downs together. We have been a great support for each other. She’s amazing; she tweets about me. She is so supportive. I cannot say enough good things about her.

BANGSTYLE: Any S/S 2012 trends we have never seen before? 

Bradley Irion: Set looking hair is in. Hot rollers, not as beachy. 

BANGSTYLE: What trends are on the way out?

Bradley Irion: Done ombre, beachy hair. 

BANGSTYLE: Future goals?

Bradley Irion: Retirement. Own an apartment. Maybe go into something in TV, on-camera. Maybe doing hair on camera.

BANGSTYLE: What’s your motto?

Bradley Irion: ‘There’s no I in team, but there’s an M and an E, and that spells me,’ as well as ‘Never move to NYC to be a back-up dancer.’

Keep up with Bradley on BANGSTYLE, and check out more looks from his ever-growing portfolio here.