Hiroshima-born, London-based hairstylist Yuho Kamo cuts playful, colourful shapes with his work. Whether styling the locks of Kiko Mizuhara for the cover of Marfa Journal, turning Rina Sawayama punk, or capturing fresh faces for the latest Heaven by Marc Jacobs campaign, Yuho is constantly questioning the very concept of what constitutes a hairstyle and then flipping the answer on its head. Clearly resonating with his aesthetic is his frequent collaborator, the London makeup artist Ana Takahashi, who teamed up with Yuho and Tokyo model Megumu for this punk-inspired shoot.
This rebellious spirit has lived in Yuho since attending beauty school in his hometown, after which he began working at his local salon, SNOB, while developing his own style and shooting with photographer friends. At 27, three years ago, he moved to the UK and while his eccentric tastes weren’t immediately accepted by his new city, the discovery of a book by the late hair artist Katsuya Kamo – a unique talent known for his collaborations with designers Junya Watanabe and Jun Takahashi – reassured him that he was on the right track.
“When I saw the book, an electric current went through me,” he remembers. “I learnt that there were hair stylists who were expressing themselves so flexibly and freely, and for the first time I felt that I had been making hair with trepidation. I had felt quite depressed, thinking that maybe this job wasn’t for me. It’s thanks to Kamo-san that I am still working – that’s how much power there was in his work.”
With a new drive, Yuho began working in London salons, assisting at shows and getting creative in editorials. And while pandemic-induced lockdowns were far from ideal, the downtime provided him with the space to hone his sensibility. “I was so bored but as I spent more time in London, I discovered new things about my everyday life, habits, the streets and parks I walked through,” he explains. “I was able to immerse myself in my surroundings. It gave me a completely different perspective and helped me to look at myself objectively.” It was this time alone that showed Yuho how interesting it can be to create from a completely different perspective; to take inspiration from the textures and shapes of familiar objects like furniture, crockery and cars. “There are so many materials out there – I really want to broaden my range of expression and always challenge myself,” he notes.
After all, for Yuho, creativity is not something that comes from a place of self-satisfaction, but something through which he continually questions his environment. With his work, he tries to understand the incomprehensible and pushes to create a society and system that is inclusive of the individuality of each person. “I feel I have to keep making art for people who feel the way I do,” he says, referring to his introversion and feeling like an outsider in the industry.
Across his work, Yuho centres being true to himself — something he leans into fully here with his wig designs. “It’s important to realise that when making art you are expressing yourself unconsciously,” he says. “As your inner voice grows, I think expressing yourself in this way becomes second nature. A way of life.”
Credits
Hair Yuho Kamo
Photography Josh Wilks
Make-up Ana Takahashi
Styling Elle Fell
Nails Mari Kuno
Model Megumu