Our lives were radically changed by Coronavirus and our daily routines were put on hold, stuck, suspended or subjected to new rhythms that also had an impact on ourselves and on our personal spaces. We adapted our styles to less glamorous daily tasks that implied minimal social interaction and we transformed our personal spaces into creative studios, schools, offices and boardrooms for distance meetings.
Like all of us, Japanese hair artist, head prop designer and wig maker Tomihiro Kono (河野富広) also had to readapt. In March his new book Personas 111 - The Art of Wig Making 2017-2020 came out on Konomad Editions, but, unfortunately, the performances and interactive exhibitions scheduled to launch it had to be cancelled due to the Coronavirus emergency.
Yet you can't stop a creative mind and Tomihiro Kono decided to react by getting busy in his New York studio: the hair artist usually conceives his wigs as masks for the head, but with Coronavirus the attention has globally reshifted onto face masks, so he collaborated with Collina Strada's New York-based designer Hillary Taymour, embellishing her whimsical masks for her "Quarantine Collection" with long braids in bright colours, beads and sensual kisscurls.
While working on the face masks, Kono realised that with lockdown many people started missing the possibility of having access to basic services, like going to the hairdresser or the barber and getting a new haircut or changing hair colour.
Tomihiro Kono therefore came up with a a couple of different solutions: the first one is virtual and consists in an augmented reality filter designed by artist Sayaka Maruyama.
The filter allows you to apply to your selfies some of the most original creations by Tomihiro Kono, from his head pieces for Junya Watanabe's A/W 2016-17 collection to some of his most colourful designs included in his book Personas 111 - The Art of Wig Making 2017-2020.
The second solution isn't digital, but real: apart from his usual wigs, Kono created smaller and functional hair pieces.
Dubbed "Fancy Wigs", these fun wig elements - all available online from Tomihiro Kono's shop - are conceived as joyful building bricks, elements that allow you to create a new radical style even with the shortest of hair - or with no hair at all - in just a few seconds.
There are impossibly long and thin or jumbo caterpillar-like braids, romantic kisscurls, super wavy finger waves, punky spikes and magnificent mohawks in the most extraordinary colours - from dark black to cherry red, from flamingo pink and Creamy Mami lilac to emerald green and ocean blue.
The main idea behind the fancy wigs is to be able to change your style instantly, even when you're home and can't go to a hairdresser and even if you have the shortest hair or even a buzzcut, but to do so choosing a quality product.
All Tomihiro Kono's pieces are indeed made by hand, and for what regards the wigs he starts from the foundation, knotting hair strands into it and colouring, cutting and styling the wigs into the various shapes in a process that can be compared to Haute Couture.
There is also another point behind the fancy wigs: Kono conceives them as democratic gender neutral accessories. They are handmade but still affordable and they can be used by each and everyone, without distinction as to age, gender or race. The fancy wigs are an invitation to use your head as if it were a blank canvas and play at being a painter by creating your own masterpiece and a unique new style following Oscar Wilde's famous advice - "Be yourself everyone else is already taken."
Let's start from your augmented reality filter - how did you get the idea for it and how did you develop it?
Tomihiro Kono: Well, I had to postpone my interactive wig installations that were going to take place in March at the Vacancy project and the Japan Society in New York, but I had all my 111 wigs styled for the exhibitions. People kept asking me when the events were going to take place, but I had no idea - and I still haven't as we will have to wait till the end of the Coronavirus pandemic. So we decided to make a wig filter: all the wig photos used for this filter were shot by Sayaka Maruyama, and this was the first time she ever stepped into AR to make a filter. It took her 3 or 4 days, but she managed to and it has become pretty popular on Instagram!
You're in New York, how are things over there and in which ways has the Coronavirus emergency impacted on your creativity and your work?
Tomihiro Kono: The lockdown in New York coincided with the release of my new book, Personas 111, so there was no launch and no way to share with people the intensive work I did over three years. As you may imagine, I was disappointed, but then I realised there were other ways to reach out to people. Some of them started ordering the book and, since there were more people staying at home, I realised I could reach out to them via Instagram and share ideas, styles and, more recently, my filter. I ended up connecting with people from all over the world and it was amazing. I feel very energized and happy that people get inspired from my work. I get a lot of direct messages from all sorts of people with lovely words and I really appreciate it. It's an absolute pleasure to be able to share my creativity with other people as I think we need to share inspirations to go through these times.
Can you tell us more about the collaboration with Collina Strada's Hillary Taymour for the "Quarantine Collection"?
Tomihiro Kono: I created 7 pieces for Collina Strada. We worked in a very fluid way: they made masks using cute fabrics, leftovers from a previous collection, and I added hair pieces inspired by the prints and patterns on the fabric. Hillary gave me carte blanche to do whatever I wanted, so I had total freedom, but she wanted arty masks. So I customised the masks with hair or with embroideries made with hair. Then I sent the pieces back to her. I liked a lot what they did with the "Quarantine Collection" shoot as the images spread optimism and positivity. The masks are on auction till Monday 25th May, and 100% of the profit from the sales will go to various charities. This was the first time I took part in a charity event and I think it was great. I'm enjoying following the process of the various pieces as well, and some masks have gone up in prices reaching over $600. Check Collina Strada's site to bid.
Will you be doing more face masks after the ones for Collina Strada?
Tomihiro Kono: Yes, I might do some. Now we need face coverings all the time when we go out and it's becoming the new normal in New York City, but in the rest of the world as well. A lot of people want to be safe, but they are also looking for unique and fashionable designs, so at the moment I'm thinking about how we can protect ourselves from this pandemic, while trying to inject some positivity into our daily life.
While in lockdown in New York, which has been the thing that has kept you creative and has kept you going?
Tomihiro Kono: I have been really inspired by this global situation that has seen the entire world coming to a standstill with people staying at home, making their art, cooking, gardening and making masks. We could say that this pandemic has pushed many people to be more creative, showing the resilience of creativity in very turbulent times.
Your fancy wigs and fancy braids are very versatile - can you give us some style tips on how to use them?
Tomihiro Kono: Fancy wigs are basically partial wigs, casual hair accessories that are fun to wear for all sorts of people with no distinction of age or gender. These elements are designed for people who may not want to opt for a whole wig. The braids have got elastics, while other styles have pins, so you can easily attach them to your hair or position them on your head. There are also fancy bonnets, that is a combo of cap and mohawk style. Many of us don't want to risk going crazy with their own hair, but with the fancy wigs they can take all the risks they want and can instantly change style and take up an entire new persona. When they are tired, they can remove them or restyle them in other ways... the fun never ends with the fancy wigs.
Image credits for this post
All images by Sayaka Maruyama
Fancy Wigs and masks by Tomihiro Kono. All the pieces are available from Tomihiro Kono's shop
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