Oh my God, it looks so pretty!
Oh my God…
Aw, this is so nice - I love it.
Oh my God.
Hair is very much an integral part of any performance.
But sometimes it can be the main attraction.
A perfect example of that:
the Detroit hair shows.
Thrown by legendary DJ and producer, David Humphries,
these shows were part runway performances, part dancehalls,
and all about highlighting Detroit’s local hairstyles.
Thirty years later, the pageantry is still widely celebrated
within the beauty world.
Just this year, MoMa PS1 - in New York City - hosted its very own hair wars legend.
And newbies from the scene created their futuristic updos, wigs, and weaves-
working hair into fine art.
In this episode of Mane, we talk to stylists about the legacy and impact of hair wars
on up and coming hair stylists and the future of hair as art.
Joining me today are Tamara,
Katrina,
and Bianca.
First things first,
what comes to mind when you hear the term "Hair Art"?
Anything ethnic, I’m all for that.
Because it’s always super tiny and precise, or large-
It’s just a lot going on—
beads and everything, that’s my thing.
Right. Like intricate, African hair.
What about you, Tamara?
Someone’s head—hair
is your canvas,
so just imagine - you know - having to paint
your work onto someone’s head, like that’s amazing.
It’s hair art!
I see so many colors, shapes, and textures, I’m excited.
When you guys walked in, I was like, “that’s art."
I want to see pictures of you on the walls of every museum in New York City.
That would be awesome.
Who would be your ideal celebrity hair client?
Very eclectic, but I love sophistication.
So I have two in particular:
FKA twigs.
So funky- I just love the way that she wears her hair.
And she’s just authentic and she’s her.
And then I have Tracee Ellis Ross.
She’s just amazing.
She just exemplifies sophistication with an edge.
And that’s me, you know?
Erykah Badu.
Because - I have no idea, I don’t even know her -
but I just feel like she’s just like ‘do what you do.’
Right.
You know? Because the hairstyle she has-
I’m like, ‘that’s wild.'
I want to do her hair.
I want to be able to do her hair.
Plus I want to do Solange’s hair - of course - because she started it.
I have to because I feel like she was the main one that made it possible for me to get the
clients that I want because they knew I could do those styles.
People come in and say, "I want the Solange."
"I want the Solange, I want the Bey." She did.
What was the first hair art that you ever created?
That’s a tough one-
Cornrows.
What kind of cornrows were they?
They were zig-zags on my brother.
And I remember his hair stopped right here.
[Laughter]
And I was the only one who can grip it, so I was the one doing hair in the neighborhood.
I feel like when Bow Wow came out, is when people started paying attention again to designs.
When I was younger, I didn’t want to become a hairstylist.
That wasn’t my goal, it was to become a doctor,
you know? So, I kind of just did it for fun, as a hobby.
So, to be honest, it wasn’t until maybe when essentra strands was born.
Around 2015, 2016 is when I really started getting into more hair art.
And bringing some more of myself out.
Let’s take a look at some of your work.
Honestly, I didn’t really know what I was going to do with her hair.
She has a lot of hair, right?
I honestly wasn’t sure what I wanted to do.
So, when I touched her hair, right? Because that’s usually how I create.
I have to have the person in front of me, I have to feel their hair,
the energy transfers, right?
I have some ideas in my head, she may have some ideas,
so we kind of worked together like that.
So I just started braiding, you know?
And the way this style came about is it just formed into a style.
It took a long time.
When hair art was considered hair art, within US culture,
it was weaves, gels, and that is what I remember.
Because I feel like everyone has an auntie that had like red or burgundy finger waves.
[Indistinct conversation]
I grew up in Caribbean neighborhood, right?
In Flatbush, Brooklyn.
And I remember my cousins, they would go to these parties
and they would have these weaves and it would be like this color
in orange, fluorescent, and you know
it’ll be sticking up, it’ll have these different shapes.
And that’s where I was like, “Hey, I like that."
I want to get to know more about that.
The way that the shapes were forming, right?
Is the same style - I would say - of braids
that the slaves were doing.
During the slave trade, they were trying to escape and they would do these elaborate
braid styles in their hair.
Once they escaped, they knew exactly where they’d be going.
You know?
Where the escape route is.
I’m glad you brought that up, because that’s a hidden gem maybe a lot of people don’t know.
Is that we used our hair to communicate messages.
That’s basically a lot of what was passed onto us is from slave time.
You know, that’s why it’s unfortunate that more intricate styles are - in professional settings -
are considered unprofessional or all these other negative terms
when in reality it’s like—it’s still a little bit part of our culture that we have
that we can pass along.
And it’s terrible when it’s criticized, but it’s a beautiful thing when it’s celebrated.
Right.
When did we stop seeing this hair on street corners and it start being considered 'couture hair' ?
And seeing it in different spaces, like museums.
More people are becoming more expressive and creative and
wanting to actually tell a story, you know?
Once a celebrity does it, it’s like, now everybody wants to do it.
It be a wave.
And it’s cool and everything but it’s just like...
that’s always- you know what it is- that’s always going to happen.
If someone does that,
you have to make sure that you’re stepping in, right?
And you’re educating them.
You know, because the masses that they’re kind of targeting, you know?
Are probably those who don’t have the education of where these hairstyles have come from, you know?
So it’s co-opting and appropriating a certain culture for it to be consumable by mainstream.
I agree with all of that, but it’s like, how do you…
it’s like figuring out how do you actually pay homage and actually give true credit.
Because I agree there’s a lot of celebrities…
You would even see someone like Lady Gaga, for example.
In some of her elaborate hairstyles, some people consider that hair art.
But then it’s like you also have you guys here, who are talking about it,
but then other people are hustling on Instagram or using their social platforms
to showcase something they’ve been doing for years.
Right.
And it takes- sometimes it just takes someone to lead it.
Because then they’ll feel more comfortable
because a lot of people don’t have the confidence to just rock it.
They’ll do it for the take down,
but they won’t just wear it.
A lot of people do it, yes.
But now they’re doing it, not before.
You feel me?
Like it’s just the wave is getting better
because certain celebrities are displaying it
and it looks really good
because, I’m telling you, before that…
it was just like 'Give me the straight back, give me the box braids,
I don’t want to wear that.”
You can do that, that looks good on you.
I didn’t think I’d feel accepted
That’s crazy, that is so real.
I know!
And it it’s something like - you guys are so pretty and so beautfiul
and it’s like, it should be something that is acceptable
and it sucks that it does have to take a celebrity to make it trendy,
but at least now more women - like someone like me
is more interested in trying to do something like that.
Where do you typically find your inspiration from?
I have to sit still within myself, right?
I have to have that solitude.
I have to make sure that my mind is clear so I know what I’m doing.
I’m feeling it, its not impulsive, you know?
Another way would be for me to travel, right?
Look at magazines and books that have colors, that have shapes.
Is there a certain type of hair that works better for hair, and what is that hair?
Your hair has to be healthy, you know?
A lot of clients, they come and they want us to work magic, you know?
Yes.
They want us to work magic, but they...
This is a good stylist, right?
It is one that will consult you and tell you and be straight up with you
and say, 'listen, your hair is not healthy for this, this is going to cause more breakage.'
What do you think distinguishes every day hair from hair art?
It’s not just getting like cornrows or box braids, it’s something a little bit more elaborate.
It’s something that I could see on the corner in the Bronx or in the MoMa.
And it’s something that’s always been in our communities, but
it’s nice to see it…
being celebrated.
Where do you think the future lies for hair art?
It is what it is. Nothing is new under the sun.
You know, it’s just reinventions of what has already existed.
So, the cool thing about hair is that we’re always going to be in business.
Unless they just making robots that’s doing it,
other than that…
Oh, God. Don’t do it.
Yeah I mean, it’s coming probably.
I don’t know, whatever.
[Indistinct Conversations]