For Yuho Kamo, hairstyling is a type of destruction. Distorted and deviant, his experimental work draws on counter-cultural references and bad taste to supply an antidote to the tasteless and standard hair that dominates the mainstream. It’s a method that has seen him tapped for collaboration with the likes of Heaven by Marc Jacobs, Rina Sawayama, and Megumu for i-D Japan. Now, the Japanese hairstylist is releasing a recent zine, HAIRMASTER, and it’s his most radical work yet. 

Photographed and directed by Kamo, HAIRMASTER is packed stuffed with styles cut to spike opposition to popular beauty. Taking inspiration from horror and thriller movies like The Cell, the zine features ultra-spiked hair on apocalyptic, distorted CGI images. Each hairstyle has either an animated or hyper-realistic rendering of wigs, including with super-pigmented dye and frosted suggestions. Beauty and bad taste mix through the usage of only synthetic, plastic-like hair, while the photographs are rendered within the distorted horrors of London. “Even when it’s a nasty taste, I even have an accurate answer inside myself,” says Kamo. “I just wanted to specific what I believed was cool and exquisite.”

Punk is clearly a giant influence on the work, with buzz cuts and exposed wig tracks evoking the deviance of counter-cultural movements and the vandalism and taboos that come when people don’t feel like they’ve a stake in society. One image within the zine sees a chipped-tooth figure with a pointy pixie cut smoking from a skull-shaped pipe held in bandage-wrapped fingers. Kamo’s use of distasteful modifications within the zine may feel uncomfortable — an indignant growl from a boy with spiked, green hair within the foetal position – but that discomfort and dysfunction is the purpose. Moulded and set into sharp spikes, the styles reveal the horrors of arrogance and grotesque beauty within the “weird” alternative genre of Japanese-British subculture Kamo exists in. 

HAIRMASTER will likely be a limited edition, with just 100 copies available when it drops in mid-June. Dazed spoke to Kamo about bad beauty taste, must-watch sci-fi movies, and the way his recent zine is all in regards to the scary taboos in underground London.

What’s the meaning behind the name HAIRMASTER?

Yuho Kamo: I don’t have any theme or concept for this book. I just wanted to specific what I believed was cool and exquisite. There is no such thing as a meaning. 

Why do you like bad taste versus traditional beauty? 

Yuho Kamo: Beauty may be very nice, but there are numerous hair stylists who’re higher than me. Even when it’s bad taste, I even have an accurate answer in myself, so it’s cool. Inspiration comes from on a regular basis play and conversations with friends. There are not any boundaries between work and play. There are numerous people within the industry who’re rather more technical than me.

How would you describe your zine? 

Yuho Kamo: While you come to the UK, style is your freedom. After coming to London, it became somewhat clear I don’t wish to pursue hair. I made it [by] eager about fun things. My inspiration [is] terror, grotesque beauty, and arrogance. Not beautiful [things], but weird. I believe I even have eye and might make any character. 

What subcultures do you employ as a reference in your work?

Yuho Kamo: I take advantage of every thing. I don’t wish to do exactly one thing; I live in an area with kids, uncles, old men, families – [just] a very general, normal area. I’m very excited by everyone. It looks weird sometimes. In Japan, the culture may be very straight, not too interesting, but here it’s very interesting. Persons are very indignant on the butcher and fish shop. I actually like colors, sports cars, racing cars, motocross, motorbikes, extreme sports. I actually like Top Gear Official Annual 2011, [and] I used to observe the WRC [World Rally Championship], a European racing game. I believe my inspiration has at all times been like this.

Why did you simply work with synthetic hair?

Yuho Kamo: Everyone normally uses human hair, but I don’t wish to do similar to everyone else. That’s why I take advantage of synthetic hair. I also really like synthetic hair since it looks like plastic. I feel like a child. I don’t intend to make big hair like a classic style. I don’t like classic styles. I like recent and fresh things, and I actually like spiky hair, but I don’t think it looks punk, I like more costume looks and sci-fi, grotesque, scary things.  

CGI and digital art is a typical theme in your work. What do you want about it? 

Yuho Kamo:  I’ve at all times loved digital, and I used to observe BEAST WARS: TRANSFORMERS lots once I was a child. But I didn’t do CGI by myself. The photographer has CGI skills, and I discovered him two years ago and I actually like him. I actually like cheesy graphics, bad comedy and anime. I posted his work on Instagram stories once I found him and he sent me a thanks message and after a 12 months we decided to collaborate. [AI allows me to] catch up with to my ideal. 

Did you collaborate with some other artists on the hair zine?

Yuho Kamo: I did direction, hair and shooting. I created an environment where I could maximise my expression with as few people as possible. Nonetheless, with regards to make-up and calling models, I selected someone with newness and character.

How would you describe your hair styling process?

Yuho Kamo: [I just] create recent work, I don’t think in regards to the process. Sometimes I start with a drawing and sometimes I choose a method while touching the hair. I even have assisted Kiyoko Odo 10 times, studied photo shoots and hair styling for shooting in a hair salon once I was in Hiroshima, a creative hair salon. The owner appreciated UK culture, that’s why I do creative photoshoots and styling. Japanese hairdressers often do every thing for seven years at hair salons in Japan. I moved to London three years ago, so my style has modified considerably. The things I used to like have returned from the past. I even have plenty of fun working on it now.

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