Hair Wars is an annual touring event which has become one of the biggest hair shows in the United States.
| Hair Wars | |
|---|---|
| Status | Active |
| Genre | Touring Hair Show |
| Location(s) | Detroit |
| Inaugurated | 1985 |
| Founder | David Humphries |
| Most recent | 2024 |
| Next event | 2025 |
History
editHair Wars was started in Detroit in 1991 by David Humphries (a.k.a. Hump the Grinder) as an hair show for black people. Humphries was a DJ and started to organize a hair show to add a show to his sessions. The event began touring nationally in 1994[1][2] and has a circuit of about ten cities including Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Miami and New York City.
"Hair Wars The Supreme Salon Tour" Top SALONS compete down the RUNWAY for the title "Supreme Salon" in a THEMED runway show that is judged and awarded. This show produced by Windy City Media's entertainment director, Benjamin Moline and marketing director, Dan Baron. Hosted by celebrity hair stylist Ben Mollin, from the hit BRAVO TV show "Shear Genius". The top three salons in each city will move on to a National Finals that are held in Las Vegas.
The show was halted during the covid outbreak and returned in 2022.[3]
Description
editHair Wars is a showcase for artists and salons to create unconventional, elaborate, vibrant hair styles and fashion ("ingenuity and flamboyance" as per Metro Times) using primarily human hair as the medium. Each hair designer organizes a show to showcase their styles. Noteworthy creations include a web spider head piece by Kevin Carter, a flying "hairy-copter" by Mr. Little, and a full Vegas showgirl outfit by Lisa B.[1] Teddie “the Braid Artist” Nairobi, “Weaven” Steven Noss,[4] and Keith Matthews[3] were among the prominent participants.
Hair Wars holds an annual edition in New York City at the Moma PS1,[5][6] in Baltimore and in Atlanta.[4]
In parallel to the organization of the touring event, Humphries' Hair Wars activities include the Hair Wars Beauty School Showdown (school) and the Hair Wars Ad Agency (marketing).[7]
Bibliography
edit- Lenander, Johanna; Yellen, David (1 November 2007). Hair Wars. PowerHouse Books. ISBN 978-1576873991.
Filmography
edit- Dosunmu, Andrew (1999). Hot Irons.[8]
- Kimbell, Regina; Bluemke, Jay (2010). My Nappy Roots: A Journey Through Black Hair-itage.
See also
edit- African American hair
- Hair Show (2004 film)
References
edit- ^ a b Klein, Sarah (2004-07-04). "Tressed to kill". Metro Times. Archived from the original on 2004-05-31. Retrieved 2024-06-19.
- ^ Headlee, Celeste (20 February 2008). "Hair Wars: Redefining the Updo". NPR. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
- ^ a b Maney, Sarahbeth (2022-09-23). "How Hair Wars legend Keith Matthews got his start". www.freep.com. Retrieved 2024-07-03.
- ^ a b Gray, Madison (2010-08-02). "Detroit's Hair Wars: Part Art, Part Trade, All Attitude". TIME. Retrieved 2024-07-03.
- ^ "Fantastical Hair Sculptures From the Detroit Club Scene". The New York Times. 2018-03-19. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-07-03.
- ^ "The Fantastic Designs of "Hair Wars"". The New Yorker. 2018-03-09. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 2024-07-03.
- ^ Staff, T. N. J. (2014-08-04). "David Humphries Talks the Future of Detroit's Hair Wars". The Network Journal. Retrieved 2024-07-03.
- ^ Finnigan, David (1999-04-26). "Hot Irons". Variety. Retrieved 2024-06-19.