Hair
How ASFAs Nominated Ivorian Creative Laetitia KY Expresses Feminine Strength and Voice through Hair Sculptures
Laetitia KY, an Ivorian born artist, activist, and fashion designer, creates sculpted hair art with socially conscious messages serving as strength and Voice for the female gender
Laetitia is best known for her statement hair sculptures, intertwined socio-political commentary, and visually breathtaking coif creations, all of which have received critical acclaim and have been widely documented.
The artist, who also works as a fashion designer, didn’t have a strong relationship to hair growing up, though she learnt to braid her mom’s and sister’s hair at age five but did not practice that art of hair sculpting not until few years later.
She started it for fun and creativity, but with time it changed into statements as she saw the impact it could have on people, she then made it serious and more engaging. Laetitia states that she makes hair sculptor to send messages of self-love, tolerance, equality, and respect and also to try to ameliorate the world she live in.
Furthermore, it can be depicted that Laetitia’s creations have grown increasingly sophisticated in both design and message. Laetitia sculptures have become highly political over time, and in 2017 she used her social media presence to raise awareness with a piece that depicted a guy tugging up a woman’s skirt, which was molded from her braids.
In 2017, she also made a sculpture that bulged muscles over her slender arm to bring awareness to bullying, particularly the harm it can cause in childhood, which Laetitia has experienced. She developed a new work in 2019 that depicted a uterus with each Fallopian tube ‘turning the bird’ towards the observer. This was in response to the United States’ anti-abortion policies. Aside from her talent as a hair sculptor, Laetitia is widely regarded as an ambassador for African women’s natural hair.
She currently holds a Guinness World Record for “Most Skip Over Hair in 30 seconds” and was recently named Elite Model Look’s first ever Digital Creator Winner at the EML 2019 World Final.
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