During my month in Tokyo, I had the chance to meet with wig maker and hair stylist TomihiroKono and photographer and art director Sayaka Maruyama, immersing myself in their creative process at the occasion of a studio visit. Hair, with its transient yet regenerative nature, both embodies a state of constant transformation and holds power to transform, shaping our self-expression and perception. Tomihiro Kono’s practice encompasses a variety of techniques and personas, creatures and characters one can embody which Sayaka Maruyama captures through striking visuals all meticulously documented in books they publish under their label Konomad.

Tomihiro Kono: Let’s start with books maybe, I think it explains more.This one HEADPROP studies 2013-2016, dwells into my creative process and wig-making. It started when I worked with Junya Watanabe and Comme des Garçons.

C: How does the collaborative process happened? How do you usually work around the concepts for brands?

T: For the shows, I kept proposing the concepts and the designs for the hair until they confirmed the final head design. Then I decided on the best materials I would use. This book features this creative process: how I developed the ideas and the designs.

C: Do you always follow this specific process when working with brands? Is it a code, a set of general guidelines?

T: Mostly yes, when I was working with Junya Watanabe. But I work in a different way when I work with other designers. This creative process is quite specific because the designer didn’t show me the upcoming collection – the clothes or shared their inspirations so I needed to come up with my own ideas. There are trials and errors in the creative process, especially when I’m working with a client. Their opinion matters, but at the same time, there are so many great ideas left in the designs which don’t get the opportunity to be picked up.

I think the overall creative process is more interesting than the result, that’s why I decided to publish it as book.

C: Typically, we're shown only the final product, with the creative process remaining hidden, especially the back-and-forth with the clients. It’s very original how you’ve systematized it while still embracing the essential elements of creativity—trial and error, intuition, sensitivity, and emotion. Is it something you intended to showcase, this process of achieving an original piece while still adapting to the context?

T: It seems like you can do anything you want, and it’s a lot of freedom but in the meantime, the designer was expecting a completely new design that he had never seen, and I had never made before, which was challenging to me. Also, because it was for a catwalk, I had to anticipate on the comfortability for the models, the wearability, it needs to stay in place while walking, to adapt with the outfit.

C: Would you say adaptability is core to your practice?

T: It depends, sometimes designers will give complete creative freedom, sometimes they already have a concept and, I have to adapt to it.

But I still consider adaptability as important to some extent, because then it looks beautiful as a total look.

C: Especially during shows, elements such as hair and makeup are essential for the overall coherence of collections and looks. Adaptation is key. I’m interested in this notion on a deeper, more organic level. In your project ‘Fancy Creatures,’ I believe you brilliantly showcase how we, as human beings, can transform into different creatures and emulate the natural world. Could you share more about this project and concept?

T: Yes, it’s very present in ‘Fancy Creatures’ for instance, it’s a concept I came up with when working with Collina Strada in 2020. Usually, hair always comes up through fashion or music. I’ve been in this industry for more than 20 years; it sometimes becomes difficult to think of new ideas. With everything around, all these images, it’s a bit saturated. Kids who were born in the recent years might have less access to newness I believe. But nature, it has always been my main fascination, with technology I think we gained access to more “unseen” creatures, I always see them on my phone. That’s my inspiration. And then, I think nature designs the most incredible things already.

You know, every single creature looks comfortable and adequate, in their shape, their color, their essence.

When it’s human-made sometimes it’s not enough, too much, or too chemical. I try to respect Nature especially color-wise and shape-wise.

C: It is true that every single creature looks adequate; it’s also noticeable in ‘Fancy Creatures’. The way the hair reframes the facial features of the models and redefines their field of vision, they become hybrids. How do you technically achieve such adequacy? Does the idea lead the creative process?

T: Sometimes, the idea happens after the making process, the concept is secondary. In the 1990’s for instance, the technique of finger waving was very famous. It’s very classic, and I was very obsessed by this technique. I thought I could create something new out it.

All the waves come from finger waving; they are organic shapes which cannot be reproduced by machines.

I think the way to create these waves is very similar to nature’s way of curving things. The technique is very classic, I re-interpret it in a more modern way.

C: Yes, in design theory for instance, there's the concept of automatism and innovation. Techniques and traditions are internalized through practice, becoming second nature. This automatic instinct opens space for truly original expression. It echoes a bit to this saying “art imitates life”.

T: Yes, sometimes I don’t really think of a concept beforehand; I will start working with my hands and shape the hair, then I see something in it. But when I work with clients, obviously it’s different. When I worked with Björk, she already had this amazing idea of a fungi, the color and the shape was key here to create the wig. The technique then follows, a long strand of hair for instance, makes the wig more suitable to the face, it creates more mystery, it gets the movement.

C: Do you sometimes happen to modify the wigs after completion or are they autonomous objects you do not alter? I assume that just as our hair, wigs are not necessarily static. I’m interested in knowing more about the structural aspect of your creations.

T: Sometimes I arrange them. But the way I create wigs is more about these “objects”. I sometimes work around a wire structure to create a wig whenI need to make a bigger size like a Marie-Antoinette-esque wig I can make a unique shape with it. The frame helps conservation, because

the hair is organic, and it connects and reacts to the environment, with this technique it can hold the shape and the movement.

I work a lot between 2D and 3D – volume and flat. And then, I started Fancy wigs because people told me they wanted to wear my pieces, I found a less expensive alternative in these, it’s more of an accessory.

C: I would like to go back to the notion of “fragility” and impermanence, especially with hair – as you said it hair reacts to the environment. How do you challenge or channel this in your practice?

T: Hair as a material lives longer than us. It can be stored for a longtime of period. If we go to a museum, we get to see some pieces related to hair. Hair color reacts to the sunlight. It fades when they are exposed in the direct sunlight.

I made some creature wigs and was exhibiting at Kanazawa 21^st century museum of Art last year. The ones exhibited on the corridor by the window faded as time goes by. But I like the change of before and after. I enjoy keeping the space for unintentional changes.

C: There’s a question that has been on my mind for some time now. Growing up immersed in Harajuku fashion played a significant role in sparking my interest in fashion. I’m fascinated by how you’ve incorporated anime culture into fashion accessories, especially with the ‘Kira Kira’ extensions. Could you share where this idea originated?

T: From a client, I had complete creative freedom, but it had to be related to Japanese street culture. I think for the Japanese people, expressing this culture, animation, before it was less fashionable, now it’s more mainstream. It has changed a lot over the past 5 years I believe. I had seen a lot of “anime eyes” in the make-up sphere, I thought to myself I had never seen this on hair.

The drawing part on hair is actually quite magical, how the model moves with it, it look so alive then.

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‍C: Both ‘Fancy Creatures’ and ‘Kira Kira Eyes’ convey a sense of animation and vitality. Was it your intention to bring these characters to life through your work?

T: I grew up as a hair stylist with hair as my medium, I think it’s more about trying to create something new always, that people have never seen before and somehow, my passion always goes in that direction. Maybe the body practice for me is that I don’t take interest in me when create, it’s more about the other, the model so I always try to change the character of the person. Hair has this power of transforming and changing people in an instant. The meaning I think, people bring it to my attention.

C: It is true that hair has this somehow sacral charge, it’s self-regenerative and is very transformative. I’m very sensitive to our hair’s ability to disclose something of our real self. Does wig making adds another layer of this transformative power?

T: Hair is very important for every individual you know. I first worked as a hairstylist, then I started fashion and now I’m a wig maker, which is maybe a hair goal – you can make it from scratch while a hairdresser always works on a preexisting material. Now I think that I can do what I want to do with hair, not only styling and face framing.

Even with the robot I have collaborated with recently Alter 3, hair was important for its “humanization” in a way. And robots might become important characters in the future, I don’t know what’s going to happen with them and wig making, but it is good to have multiple techniques.

C: And though, Alter 3 is wearing a wig from ‘Fancy Creatures’, it taps into this “hybrid humanoid” aspect of transformation.

T: Yes, I agree. My creature wigs are hybrids of human and organisms.That’s what is in my bran – new hybrid creature that don’t exist in real life.These creature wigs are not full lace wigs that cover the entire head. I’ve made a new category of wig. When I was working on ‘Fancy Creatures’, I drew inspiration from nature and the creatures, including fungi, sea creatures, butterflies, spiders, frogs, dragons etc. I believe human always have a desire for transformation. That’s why people play with hair and make-up, nails and fashion. Should we talk to Sayaka? I think it’s important!

C: Sure, I would love to!

T: She’s the one, we always come up with concept together, I more into craftsmanship and Sayaka does all the photography and art direction – we always work together.

Sayaka Maruyama: Yes, we always work together!

C: We were talking about incarnation and transformation, are these concepts also key to you practice as a photographer but also in your editorial process?

S: Transformation has always been a fundamental concept in his work with hair and wigs. Hairstyles have such a transformative power on us, both visually and mentally. In a book title PERSONAS 111 we published in 2020, the images express the power of wig transformation by capturing one model wearing 111 wigs made by Tomihiro Kono. FancyCreatures (2023) is considered as an extension of the wig transformation, but to make a difference I selected a word ‘interspecies transformations. Expressing hybrid humanoids which are somewhat mythical, imaginary, new creatures. The word incarnation hasn't been appeared in our books so far but that religious idea is also interesting.

C: Are books a way for you to explore a new dimension of your creative process and sign your collaborations?

S: We create books after we finish a project and move on to the next one. For memorandom 1 [𝘍𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘉𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴] (‘memorandom’ is a series of books compiling the artistic practice bySayaka Maruyama) for instance, we used hair on bodies.

The idea of memorandom is to play with ideas. It was more interesting to see hair interact elsewhere on the body that strictly on the head and around the face, it’s more poetic and adds more fantasy.

I wanted to change the notion of “hair nude” with wigs and also create a book, I’m very interested in book making and graphic design so it’s always a way to combine all artistic practices at once.

C: It is very inspiring to see how your practice merge together, especially in books, it transcends time in a way. I believe it’s key to archive creative productions in such editions to counter the way we encounter them on the daily, on Instagram or on the internet. It seems very organic to you; can you tell us more about the togetherness in your work?

T & S: We consider the way we work together is very organic so that we don’t even discuss much to begin with. We start off making something and help each other to let the idea grow until it becomes a shape (an art piece, a book etc.) The idea or motivation of the creation needs to be pure in the first place. The meaning and the concept come after.

Sayaka does the art direction such as photography, book design, book concept, graphic design, drawings… She handles all the visual designs of the artwork.

Tomihiro does the creative direction. He also manages the visual direction with me. We are always searching for new possibilities of designing wigs and hair styling. Ha is great at introducing our work to people.

C: Going back to you publishing activities, Sayaka and you mentioned it was a way to move on to a next project, is it also a way for you and Sayaka to showcase your work in a different way, like in memorandom 1 [𝘍𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘉𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴], it seems that Sayaka is adding layers and levels of understanding to hair and how we corporally interact with them. Can you tell us a bit about this?

T & S: A creative project always consists of a sudden urge of creation and a decent time dedicated to editing a book. Like we told you, the pure motivation is very important when we start a project, but at the stage of editing a book, Sayaka takes quite a long time for the editing process, that’s when a project becomes more profound and meaningful. Sayaka takes time to think about the meaning of creating a book.