A Radical Haircut Changed This Burberry Model’s Life Forever
BY
ALICE NEWBOLD 18 SEPTEMBER 2020
“It’s too crazy to process to be honest,” Japanese model Kayako Higuchi tells British
Vogue of opening
Burberry’s spring/summer 2021 show. Not your average London Fashion Week gig, Higuchi joined Joan Smalls, Mariacarla Boscono and Anok Yai in the depths of the English countryside to take part in
“a radical meeting of fashion and art” curated in collaboration with the German performance artist Anne Imhof.
“It was weird having no audience,” concedes Higuchi of the woodland showcase, which was
streamed via Twitch after being introduced by Erykah Badu, Rosalía, Steve Lacy and Bella Hadid. “All the models were very focused on the performance.” When walking through the pine trees, escorted by two security guards in immaculate Burberry suits, Higuchi says she thought about nothing but opening the show. “I was just concentrating!” the giddy Burberry first-timer says upon reflection. After a day of rehearsals prior to the 17 September show date and a 6am call time before the 1pm presentation, Higuchi had her stroll – in blue denim thigh-high boots and a denim embellished trench coat – down pat.
The Burberry booking was a serendipitous one. Higuchi came to London on a whim, after falling out of love with modelling and pursuing music. Scouted in a Tokyo Starbucks at the age of 18, Higuchi’s runway and campaign work was hampered by the fact she didn’t want to conform to Japan’s beauty ideals. “My agency wanted cute girls with big eyes and feminine style,” says Higuchi. “I was too tall and they wanted me to keep my long shiny hair.” Conflicted about not being true to herself, she eventually chopped off her glossy locks and channelled her creative efforts into her band, a folk-pop hybrid called Ofuro de Peanut.
Higuchi’s aesthetic – Jil Sander is her dream brand to work for – was welcomed with open arms in London. After being disappointed with how her native fashion scene treated her, the now 21-year-old felt right at home in the Burberry family. “I love the classic-meets-street style edge,” says Higuchi of the British heritage brand. “The clothes are simple, but different – like my style.” Going against the grain paid off. This will not be the last we see of Higuchi this season.
