Lounge
May 11, 2015
Reika Ito x Twiggy Miho Matsuura | Spiritual Dialogue (Part 1)
Spiritual Talk Vol. 12 | Miho Matsuura of Twiggy
Portraits of Guests 'Seen' by Reika Ito
A Star Who Shines Brighter with Every Act of Love, Courage, and Hope (Part 1)
Welcoming creators active on various stages as guests, spiritual healer Reika Ito combines readings of the energy emitted by individuals with multiple astrological techniques to assess the source of their creativity. She reveals past lives directly connected to the present and hidden potential, delving into the charm of the creators themselves, which often remains hidden behind their work.
Text by OPENERSPhoto by JAMANDFIX
Our 12th guest is Miho Matsuura, head of the hair salon "Twiggy." While at the forefront of fashion across various media, she also pioneered the concept of "marrying fashion with organic living" by greening her salon's rooftop and developing original organic products. She continuously challenges norms by exploring how to make lifestyles, not just hair, more enjoyable and beautiful. What is the source of Matsuura's creativity? What past lives influence her?──？
“I used to make everything in my room myself; I’ve always been particular about things.”
ItoWe actually had dinner together with a few people just the other day.
MatsuuraThat's right (laughs). But this is our first private conversation. My friends had been telling me for ages to 'get a reading from Ito,' and it's been two years since I started thinking about it.
ItoThe gathering the other day was all women, but everyone was so energetic that before we knew it, it was 5 AM. It was fun! Today, we're meeting again properly... but first, could you tell me more about your work?
MatsuuraWe're talking about 20 or 30 years ago. My mother ran a hair salon, so becoming a hairdresser was exactly what she wanted. Ever since I was little, I was constantly told, 'Miho, you'll be a hairdresser when you grow up,' so it was like a form of conditioning (laughs). Of course, there was a time when I didn't want to follow the path my parents laid out, and I thought I'd go into fashion or interior design. I used to make everything in my room myself, from bedspreads and pillow covers to curtains. When I had time, I'd even paint my walls... I'd add shoulder pads to my school uniform to make it 80s-style, and in my private life, I even wore harem pants like those worn by the Takeshi-zoku dancers (laughs).
Miho Matsuura of "Twiggy."
ItoHow stylish!
MatsuuraI loved it. It's just my nature; I can't live without being particular about something.
ItoDid you suddenly cut your bangs diagonally?
MatsuuraExactly. I'd steal my father's long johns from his dresser and make them modern, add fabric only to the hems, or put red stitching on them. I was always doing something, and my mother must have been worried. She probably thought, 'This child is interested in too many things; she might get lost.' So, when I was in high school, my parents told me, 'At least get a cosmetology license.' That's how I started, and then I joined Roppongi Hair Salon.
ItoThat's surprisingly the first time I've heard that story.
MatsuuraI became the manager there at the young age of 23. Several people above me quit at once, and even though I was just a junior stylist, I was told, 'You'll be in charge of the branch starting tomorrow.'
ItoAn enforced start, with no time to spare (laughs).
MatsuuraSo, at 23, I started as the manager, and strangely enough, I achieved results within a year. Perhaps it wasn't just me, but rather the timing when Roppongi Hair Salon was on the rise. I was too young to remember clearly. I was completely focused on finishing the hairstyles beautifully within the allotted time.
During that time, at 25, I traveled to New York, London, Paris, and Milan, and was first surprised to find that the profession of 'hair and makeup artist' didn't exist as a single role. I learned for the first time that hair and makeup were done by separate people. Gradually, I became interested not just in 'cutting hair' but also in 'creating hair,' and I wanted to do photoshoots, but I also wanted to manage a salon... I started thinking about it all.
Perhaps it was also influenced by the fact that I became a manager at such a young age and didn't have many opportunities to observe the work of those above me. I also wanted to advance my career, and I wanted to fall in love; it was a turning point. My current husband was my boyfriend at the time, and we were both in relationships, and he was even close to getting married, but I stole him away.
Spiritual healer Reika Ito.
ItoHow cool!
MatsuuraIt was just painful at the time. He was a hair and makeup artist then, and he wanted to seriously pursue photography. If he were to become an assistant to someone, I wanted to go abroad. So, I decided to go to London. Once I decided, it happened quickly. First, I trained the next manager for a year, with a very intense, almost athletic approach. That was COCO, who is now a makeup artist, and Watanabe, who runs the salon 'Watts.'
ItoSo, energetic people who are now active in the world gathered there.
MatsuuraPerhaps so. Although it was in a different location then, it was incredibly cool. The clients were also quite prominent. Thinking back, I was greatly influenced by wonderful women, my mother, the owner of Roppongi Hair Salon, Komatsu, and various designers... There was also a designer named Shozo Tsujimura, whose fashion talks I loved and who greatly influenced me. They had such high aesthetic standards; they could talk all night about why Yves Saint Laurent's clothes were beautiful. Even the way they held a cigarette, the position of the cigarette as it came to their lips, the angle of the fingers holding it – they were particular about every detail. Looking back now, it was the end of an era where artisans and hairdressers were extremely rigorous, and I'm glad I experienced that.
“I want to create something more holistic than just cutting hair.”
MatsuuraWhen I was 25, I went to see a photoshoot by RUMIKO, who now runs RMK. I felt it would be rude to just watch, so I offered to be her assistant. At that time, RUMIKO said, 'I have a friend visiting from Japan today, and she's very good at massage,' and she had the photographer massaged. And that photographer was Steven Meisel (laughs). The hairstylist was ORIBE. Watching the shoot, I thought, 'Ah, this is wonderful. I'd love to be able to do this.' That was an experience I had.
ItoWhat was your life like in London, by the way?
MatsuuraI loved culture and fashion, but my biggest encounter in London was with Neal's Yard. In London at that time, people were getting tired of the chemical-laden, alcohol-fueled, drug-filled lifestyle of the 1970s and 80s. People who were thinking, 'How do we create the next era?' were gathering. Influenced by the New Age people from San Francisco at the time, more and more people were drinking organic tea in the morning, eating only salads for lunch, and were non-smoking and non-alcoholic. There were British people dressed impeccably in clothes from Antwerp, Belgium, or France. To me, it was incredibly refreshing that their clothes weren't full of holes (laughs).
Scenes from London at the time. Photo by SATO Koji
There, I met a girl named Nadia who worked at Neal's Yard.(Note | See Miho Matsuura Series Vol. 1)If I hadn't met her, I wouldn't be who I am today. There were also many vegans and vegetarians around me. I'm basically a hedonist, so if I feel a bit cold, I might try macrobiotics, consulting with myself. I strive not to be ascetic, but to connect what is right with what feels good.
ItoThat connects to where you are now, doesn't it?
Twiggy's original products, including shampoos and hair mists.
MatsuuraIt really does. My encounter with Neal's Yard also led to my rice farming later (Note | Matsuura cultivates rice in Akita). After returning to Japan, my child's atopic dermatitis worsened when I fed them brown rice. I thought it would be good for their body, but if the brown rice was grown with 'pesticides,' I was essentially eating it with the pesticides still clinging to the outer layer. So, I decided to grow my own 'pesticide-free' and then 'organic' rice. I rarely think things through before acting; I tend to just do it first and then figure it out. I'm the type who learns by making mistakes (laughs). And recently, my son wants to live in London on his own. I wonder if that's connected too?
ItoIt's very connected! Now, about the reading... I received your birthdate in advance, but I haven't done much astrology recently. I'll be doing an energy reading to look at your innate, destined qualities. This is what I wrote down the day before, and it reflects exactly what you've told me.
Miho MATSUURA
After serving as manager at "Roppongi Hair Salon" from the early 1980s, she moved to the UK in 1988. Upon her return to Japan, she opened the hair salon "Twiggy." In addition to salon work, she has worked as a hair stylist, expanding her activities to advertising shoots, backstage at New York and London collections, and hair show events. She is a pioneer in the fashion world who began focusing on organic approaches. Currently, she also develops original products.