Released in March 2020, Tomihiro Kono’s latest book Personas 111 showcases a dizzying range of wigs that have been knotted, coloured and styled by hand by the Japanese hair artist. Below, he shares insight into some of the sources of inspiration behind his wigs.

Madonna, Lucky Star (1983)
I’ve always liked Madonna’s hairstyle in this video. There are some great textures that can only be made with damaged hair – the dark roots were very important for this wig to make it more grunge.

Parco (1970s)
Eiko Ishioka is one of my favourite art directors and costume designers. This is a commercial video she did for Parco in the 70s. Hairstyles in this period are always inspiring for hairstylists. I really like it when people create their own, unique self-cuts, even their mistakes make it look cool. It looks like a very energetic time!

Creamy Mami, the Magic Angel (1983-84)
Creamy Mami is a Japanese animation from the 80s. These wigs are based on the transformation of the main character.

Sex Pistols, Anarchy in the U.K. (1976)
When I was a teenager, my first impression of Johnny Rotten’s music was that it was kind of disappointing. But when I went down to a music shop and watched a video of him playing, it was a great shock. I got so much from his style and performance. Choppy, rough short hair is my favourite. The way he mixes the hair colours is not too clean, if it was too neat and perfect then it wouldn’t be punk.

Léon (1994)
Just a simple blunt cut, but I like the way it’s arranged in this scene – a bit messy and dishevelled.