fashion: The Ryukyu 'Do

Take a quick glance at any hangout popular with Okinawa’s youth, and you’ll see a profusion of
wickedly wild haircuts accented with highlights in every color of the rainbow. In contrast to the tidy cuts worn by most of our base population, these youth (of both genders) sport styles ranging from cutting-edge cool to looking like a weed whacker attacked their head. But where did this hip and funky style come from?

The answer appears in the archives of a highly popular 1990s FujiTV series called “Scissor Series.” Featuring top Tokyo stylists dueling in real time to produce the most superior style, the show made a star of hairdresser Masayuki Aoyama, whose flamboyant razor-cutting techniques (relying on angled cuts to give depth and movement) quickly became all the rage. In the hundreds of salons that dot the fashionable Tokyo wards of Shibuya, Harajuku, and Minato-ku (these three wards alone boast more salons than the entire L.A. metro area), clients clamored for copies of Aoyama’s cuts. The trend quickly spread throughout the country and to the Ryukyus as well.

If you’re feeling the need for strands that stand out from the crowd, Okinawa has no shortage of ‘hair-makes,’ where able stylists can do your ‘do (and makeup, too). Keep in mind, Western hair is usually much thinner than the average Japanese strand (which can be up to five times thicker), so that outrageous style you seek might not turn out quite as expected. Not ready to commit to a cut?Then local novelty shop ETWS has just the thing for you - wigs of the most popular Japanese haircuts. These pieces from maker Lapin d’Or come in an array of styles (such as the “Mushroom Layer” and “Asymmetrical Fringe”) for both men and women, and range in price from Y6,OOO to Y8,2OO. Great items for a costume party or a Friday night out (for the truly brave), for just under $75 you, too, can have a Ryukyu ‘do.

—Carrie Carmichael