For decades, hair has played a large role in society from performances to fashion shows and editorial work. South Korea has gained a massive influence on global pop culture, cementing itself as a powerhouse in fashion, beauty, and entertainment.
Hairdressers like Gabe Sin are at the forefront of the Korean hair industry. Based in Seoul, the visionary hairstylist turned his profession into a sculptural art without any gendered overtones.
His work has been featured in editorial and advertisements for clients such as Allure, Nike, JW Anderson, Mulberry, Dazed, Vogue and Converse. He’s also worked with celebrities, namely Han Ye-seul, CL, Ye-won, Kim Min-jae, Park Eun-bin, Everglow and Giriboy. “I just have fun when I am doing my work the hair styling.”
His passion for hairstyling blossomed at an early age. Sin was in eighth grade when an owner of recommended he learn beauty hair treatment. “He taught me several technics and this little lesson really impressed me and made me dream to become a hair designer,” he says.
Sin started a part-time job in hair salon three years later and got his internship at salon “Jacques Dessange” at 20 years of age before becoming a hair designer in his 24th year. Five years later, he founded his first hair salon, Bymiga, which he says became “a brand in the salon field.”
After seven years and 10 branches later, he realized he was becoming fully immersed in the management of the business, a feeling that he describes made him feel heterogeneity and futility. Yet his “big turning point” when he created some personal hair work with photographer Hyunwoo Min when I was 36. “In the course of this work, I felt huge happiness and pleasure that I never felt before. I realized myself I love to do hair styling. After this shooting I started focused on doing hair styling not the other business things.”
Published in Dazed Korea. Image provided
Gabe Sin’s hair design are undeniably eye catching, drawing in baroque and renaissance elements with decorations and colored headpieces. “I usually got inspiration from nature and little kids before but nowadays I think the inspiration can be anything and coming from anywhere,” he says. “Every experiences of my lifetime like what I felt, saw and learned and ordinary things got piled up inside of me and comes out.” He also finds ideas from past experiences and hopes his work is not just for his own joy and empathizes with people.
The hairdresser’s latest series ‘From Earth’ recreates branches, roots and organic forms. I remember that I was surprised after I started working on this shooting. I started with confidence, but I had to extend and braid hair constantly.” He reveals that the model had to sit on same spot for 10 hours and needed to stand two more hours after braiding her hair. “It was tremendous work.”
From Earth’ —Tree Series
Sin doesn’t find it hard to work in his native country amid the global COVID-19 pandemic. He plans to make more series of object, which is called ‘jage’ or ‘najeon’ in Korea. “It is Korean traditional art using mother-of-pearl.”
“I feel interest with old Korean traditional work of art. And I am trying to express ‘something ‘Korean’,” he reveals. “I would love to reinterpretation of Korean traditional art through my hair styling. It could be ‘jage’ traditional art, Korean pine tree and also feeling of colors from Korean old folk painting. These are already aspects of my work that I am showing.”
Sin believes that the hairdressing industry in South Korea has made a lot of progress. “I think there is it is difficult to say which is the latest trend because there is a lot of techniques and a lot of different styles that comes out every single moment.”
