From pet-groomer to wigmaker, Tomihiro Kono is the game-changing Japanese artist working his hair-styling prowess
This is A HOT MINUTE WITH, a quick-fire interview series championing all the rising talent catapulting into fashion, art and music’s fickle stratosphere. From pinch-me moments to bad dates and even worse chat-up lines, think of it as an overindulgent conversation – like the ones you have in sticky club toilets at 4.A.M. Except these guests don’t regret the overshare…
Having worked for the likes of Björk and Junya Watanabe, Japanese hair artist Tomihiro Kono defines hairstyling as a conduit to personal transformation, giving wearers a new identity.
Courtesy of @tomikono_wig
NAME TOMIHIRO KONO
LOCATION Japan
STAR SIGN Aquarius
Shriya Zamindar: Was becoming a hairstylist always your dream? What brought you into this line of work?
Tomihoro Kono: I’ve always liked animals so at first I wanted to be a trimmer. Then my mum suggested I begin with human hair instead because she said humans would say thank you to me, so I decided to be a hairdresser.
SZ: Thinking back to your journey from starting out as a hairstylist, shifting cities, styling editorials, and now creating legendary wigs, how did you deal with all these transitions? What was the main life goal for you?
TK: I’ve followed my creative journey as I shifted cities and it was a kind of a natural transition, I would say. It’s mainly my passion that leads me through, and I was basically searching for the mission of my life as a hair artist.
SZ: What is a memorable moment from your time (hair)styling for JUNYA WATANABE?
TK: The process of working with Junya Watanabe was quite unique, as he never showed me any clothes until we got into Paris. So I was proposing hair designs without seeing the clothes, let alone the concept of their new collection. As a result, when I found out that my hair and head designs with Watanabe’s clothes were the best matches, it was very impressive.
SZ: You released your second photobook Persona 111 last year, what was the idea behind publishing these books?
TK: Hairstyles are closely related to our identity, they create both our inner and outer self. This can reflect our personality or, in some way, can hide our true self. We can suddenly make ourselves look like a different person by wearing a wig. A wig is a kind of mask, designed on one hand to make a definite impression upon others, and on the other to conceal the true nature of the individual. Changing how we look is an act of self-reflection, self-assertion, and self-defence. We live in the spiral of the world by defining ourselves and being defined by others. Tomihiro Kono finds the diverse possibilities of instant transformations with wigs.
SZ: What was the message you wanted to communicate?
TK: My wigs are artefacts to encourage and foster continuous transformation. So, ask who you want to be, choose your wig and step into your new life.
SZ: What is the philosophy behind your practice?
TK: Continuity is the father of success, persistence pays off.
SZ: Describe your aesthetic in three words.
TK: Nature, Punk (mentally, not visually) and Tradition.
SZ: One personality you’d love to create a wig for?
TK: BJÖRK (surprisingly my dream came true recently so I can’t think of any other at the moment).
SZ: Favourite city you’d love to live in?
TK: I’d love to be surrounded by the beauty of nature with birds and creatures.
SZ: If you had to live in a past era, what would it be?
TK: The 1920’s.
SZ: You explore your work in a lot of colours, but if you had to choose only one colour to work with, what would it be?
TK: Black. I’m going to explore shape, texture, and haircut.
SZ: Instagram or Tiktok?
TK: #carnivorousplant.
SZ: A song you’re playing on repeat?
TK: The Homeless Wanderer by emahoy tsegue-maryam guebrou.
