She makes wigs like they’re armor. There’s a sweetness with a chunk

The primary wig is impressed by the celestial our bodies, by the celebs. I’m on this steady journey discussing our connection to the celebs and heavenly mates. Dwelling within the interior metropolis in L.A., there’s smog, mild air pollution, sound air pollution; we’re towered by these skyscrapers and all these avenue lights — our entry to seeing the celebs is blanketed. I needed to spotlight how highly effective our connection is to the celebs.

There’s a deeper aspect to that story, tied into my religious apply, Ifá. It’s a standard religious apply from the Yoruba individuals in Nigeria. It’s mentioned that we come from the celebs. There are different Indigenous cultures that talk about this: the Hopi tribe, the Dogon tribe in West Africa, the Lakota tribes. And naturally, the Yoruba individuals in Ifá discuss our heavenly mates. In the event you see the braids, they’re woven to imitate the celestial our bodies within the heavens.

There are additionally different subgroups whenever you apply Ifá that help us. There’s a particular group, predominantly ladies, referred to as Korikoto. Korikoto is an Orisha, a deity that governs and protects youngsters. With this hairpiece, I needed to spotlight what’s at present taking place with Palestine, with Congo, with Sudan. We’re approaching a yr of this genocide, and I’ve been grieving, with everybody else who’s been paying consideration. I used this hairpiece as a chance to talk on the injustices which might be taking place globally and to youngsters.

Sydney wears 2001 Christian Dior by John Galliano from Paumé Los Angeles Archive, Loewe flower sandal, Hugo Kreit earrings.

I grew up in a home full of girls, and my mother was a single mother. I might all the time see her dye her hair and swap up her make-up. Once I was little, I used to be like, “Why can’t she simply be regular?” Like, why does she need to do all of that, proper? However it wasn’t till method later I used to be like, “Oh, that was my mother’s method of empowering herself.” She was shape-shifting. She was shape-shifting in order that she may entry areas she wouldn’t in any other case have been capable of entry.

Your hair, your aesthetic, your make-up — it’s armor. It’s a weapon. Tying that to the historical past of braids, it’s broadly identified how braids have been used as maps by enslaved individuals to navigate their method out to freedom. Braids held seeds and grains of rice. For our ancestors, every part was carried out with intention.

Right here within the West, we do issues simply because, as a result of we really feel prefer it, as a result of we wish to, as a result of we prefer it, and not likely specializing in the why and the way that impacts us, the way it impacts our psychological well being, our emotional well being, our religious well being. We’re very two-dimensional right here loads of instances.

With the second wig, I needed to do a softer, extra female piece. I used to be honoring the spirit of the river, of the candy waters of Osun. Within the Ifá custom, all persons are youngsters of Osun, of the candy waters. With out water we’d not exist. We couldn’t develop meals, we couldn’t construct our properties, we couldn’t bathe, we couldn’t heal the sick with out water. Water is life. Water is every part. I needed to only actually play on the female power of that. The candy waters are the embodiment of purity and wonder, and the essence of magnificence. However there’s additionally one other aspect to it, which is the embodiment of somebody very fierce and powerful and guarded. With that hairpiece you will have these braids which might be stitched into florets round her crown. I did an ombre impact with the braids, from brown to gold, to attempt to pull within the colours of the river, the water, that honey amber, softness. After which with the hair adornment, you will have the alligator, you will have honey bees. There’s a sweetness with a chunk.

Melanie wears Dsquared2 jacket from Paumé Los Angeles Archive, KNWLS bottoms, Christian Louboutin bootie, Hugo Kreit earrings, VidaKush choker.

All my supplies are sourced regionally. There’s an artist buddy of mine, his identify is Manny Torres. He has his personal unbiased enterprise referred to as 2ndWnd. We’ve been in group for years. He’s additionally an entrepreneur and makes all types of stuff. He mainly takes my illustrations and laser cuts them out on these acrylic items that I supply. And he can do it on wooden, on vinyl, on all types of stuff. And so I hit him up like, “I’ve this undertaking. And I do know it’s final minute, are you able to please match this in for me?”

I’ve my Ìyá, my lady elder in my Ifá apply. Her identify is Ìyáifa Efuntosin, and she or he’s a priestess, and she or he’s all the time been there to assist help and information me. I journey to Nigeria; I keep in her room. She teaches me loads of issues — even with this primary hair piece, she offered extra info, extra readability on Korikoto. She was there as a information, a supply. My buddy Martha Carrillo additionally got here in final minute to assist me construct the sculpture piece on that first wig. And Melissa Sandoval, the make-up artist, is one other actually good buddy of mine. I invited her to affix, to spotlight her work, and to additionally play, to have enjoyable and simply be impressed and have this dialog between one another. It’s undoubtedly a group effort.

—As instructed to Allison Noelle Conner

Hairpieces Tanya “Nena” Melendez
Manufacturing Rafaela Remy Sanchez
Fashions Melanie Moreno, Sydney Nelson
Make-up Melissa Sandoval

Tanya “Nena” Melendez is Puerto Rican and was born and raised in northeast Los Angeles. She is a self-taught multidisciplinary artist with a background in conventional folklore dance. She is a world-renowned superstar hairstylist.

Allison Noelle Conner’s writing has appeared in East of Borneo, Frieze, Hyperallergic, KCET Artbound and elsewhere. Her fiction has appeared within the Kenyon Evaluation. She lives in Los Angeles, the place she works as a contributing editor at Carla.