The Cameroon native grew up around fashion, as his mother was a designer and boutique owner. He was always very artistic–he painted as a teenager–and ultimately moved to Paris in 2000. He started his career assisting at fashion shows and doing makeup for small magazines before securing a job at cosmetics company Dessange. He said, “I was the company’s main makeup artist and hairstylist. I worked with stars like Denzel Washington, Jade Jagger, and Elijah Wood.” In 2007, he quit Dessange to start his own hair, makeup, and photography company, Mario Epanya Productions.
