TikTok’s New Favorite Accessory? Bows Made of Actual Hair

The bow trend just got hairier. When Sandy Liang teased braided hair bows on Instagram, TikTok quickly became obsessed. Unlike most bows, they weren’t made of fabric—they were made of braided hair. Crafting bows made of hair quickly became a viral TikTok DIY project, with TikTokers tying spare hair extensions into bows and gluing them onto clips. Some Sandy Liang super-fans contemplated cutting off their own hair for their bows—and some actually did.

With the popularity of bows both on and off the runway, this hairy reinvention comes as no surprise. Sandy Liang is known for its bows, so it’s only natural that the brand was one of the first to send bows made of hair down the runway. Sandy Liang adorned a tulle dress with the braided hair bows (and braided hair straps), the look captured the designer’s signature love of girly nostalgia and romantic feminine details. 

Believe it or not, this isn’t the first time bows made of hair have hit the runway. When Simone Rocha guest-designed Jean Paul Gaultier’s SS24 collection, she put her own spin on the trend with hair bow earrings made of long strands of strawberry-blonde hair. She further experimented with hair-raising accessories by sending hair bun earrings down the runway, too.

Many will also remember that Lady Gaga popularized the hair bow made of hair in 2008—reprising the look with mini hair bows at the 2019 Met Gala. (She was so ahead of her time.) With so many people putting bows in their hair or making bows out of their hair, it’s no wonder we’ve come up with so many ways to celebrate the marriage between bows and hair.

While the thought of accessorizing with hair may seem strange, hair accessories and hair clothing have been in and out of fashion for some time now. Brands like Maison Margiela and Charlie Le Mindu designed clothes covered in human hair back in 2009. Maison Margiela designed coats covered in shaggy hair, while Charlie Le Mindu used hair as an alternative to fringe—lining skirts, hats, and even evening gowns with it.

And hairiness was in full force at FW24 Paris Fashion Week, where Schiaparelli debuted braided neckties made of hair. The brand credited surrealist artist Mimi Parent’s piece Masculin-Féminin as inspiration. (The piece features a necktie made of Parent’s own hair.) Korean brand KIMHEKIM also designed neckties made of hair for its FW22 collection “Hair Chronicles,” along with braided hair corsets and dresses, a bag lined with long black hair, and a trench coat covered in blonde ponytails—among other hair-themed accessories.

In fact, accessorizing with hair predates us all. During the Victorian era, hair jewelry was huge. 19th century it girls affixed locks of hair to brooches, rings, bracelets, and lockets and proudly wore them—sometimes to mourn, sometimes to celebrate, and sometimes to simply highlight bonds with friends.

This long and storied history makes one thing clear: The hairy fashion trend offers something for everyone. While Sandy Liang and Simone Rocha used hair as a way to emphasize femininity, Schiaparelli used hair to channel chic masculine energy.

As hairy fashion makes its long-overdue comeback—and a new chapter in hair fashion history begins—we welcome the opportunity to see people wearing hair in everyday life. And while we wait in anticipation for that day to come, we must honor the fashion visionaries that paved the way for us hair-loving weirdos.