d'Ys The Man.

d'Ys and a creation for Kawakubo.

There are haircutters; they work in your local mall, know how to operate a pair of scissors, and love to give blowouts and blunt cuts. There are hairdressers; they work in salons outside of malls, make sure your scalp is massaged by the shampoo person, love executing a good razor cut, and will primp you til you look marvelous. There are hairstylists; they charge a bunch of cash, snip with precision, wear cool clothes, and have private studios above the ground floor in Manhattan. Then, there is Julien d'Ys. He's a hair sculptor and, well, he's one of maybe three names that the fashion world turns to to create magic.

Magic hair sculpture in Vogue.

From runway shows to museum exhibits, Julien's work is as much fine art as it is hair styling. He's spun magic for Galliano, Rei Kawakubo at Comme des Garcons, and countless editorials for the heavy hitter Vogue photographers, like Meisel and Elgort. Mr. d'Ys is also gifted with a sketchbook. His drawings have a classicly cool fashion illustrator's touch and they've been used in print and on the walls of the Met for the Models as Muse exhibit. His work speaks for itself; take a look:

Julein's drawings in the final room at the Model as Muse exhibit.


Julien explaining his art to Hamish Bowles.

How does he do that cotton candy hair? I wonder...