Whether it's braids, weaves, cuts, or curls, Anderson Yazzie hopes to become a household name in Native hairdressing.
"I want to make people feel good and create in the art of hair," said Yazzie, a 26-year-old member of the Navajo Nation.
Interested in working with hair since he was a child, Yazzie, who lives in Whippoorwhill, Ariz., has already made a name for himself in Indian Country. He has worked with models for the Navajo-inspired Glacsy fashion line [1], as well as the Native fashion line Nizhoni Way Apparel [2], both based in Arizona.
"My parents always worked hard to make ends meet and they would leave me alone with my sister and cousins," Yazzie said. "(In that time) we would take out all the curlers and blow dryers to put on hair shows."
Hairstyling became his salvation
Reaching adulthood, the dreams created during those childhood hair shows seemed to slip out of reach as Yazzie faced personal turmoil. "Dead-end jobs" couldn't pay the bills, and he was led into drug dealing, he said.
Although his personal life seemed to be crumbling, Yazzie found strength in his dream and began turning his hobby into a career. After experimenting on the hair of several community members, Yazzie developed an untrained style inspired by Native heritage.
For centuries Natives everywhere expressed tribal individuality through the styling of their hair. Depending on the person's tribe, a single hairstyle could represent their status, tribal affiliation, strength, or even emotional state. For the Hopi tribe, unmarried women wore their hair in squash blossoms or butterfly whorls.
Similar to earlier times, several Native people continue to follow the traditional meaning of hair in accordance with their tribes. This, Yazzie said, could complicate a trip to the salon when dealing with a person who has specific beliefs on hair and an uneducated hairdresser.
Styles are rich with meaning to Native people
"Hairstyles vary from tribe to tribe," Yazzie said. "Some wear the long braids, Tsiiyeei (Navajo hair buns), Mohawks, and Hopi with squash blossom whorls. Each has its own meaning, which makes them so unique. I take these things into consideration when working with someone."
Using modern and traditional styling techniques, word of his unique hair designs spread quickly, he said. He began booking jobs with various Native modeling agencies, photographers, fashion shows, musicians and designers.
"We've worked with (Yazzie) several times in the past, from photo shoots to fashion shows," said Tionne Linder, Glacsy founder and head designer. "He is a very talented person with a very creative gift! His hair creations are amazing and when it comes to working with him, he is very professional."
In fact, Linder asked Yazzie to help her with her Halloween fashion show in Gallup, N.M., this month.
Yazzie has also worked with Courtney Nutlouis, Miss Pinon Princess '06-'07 and hosted a Fashion for a Cause fashion show to collect canned goods. He has also been involved in shows to benefit the Navajo Aids Network, Inc. and Special Olympics Arizona.
His eyes are on the prize
While Yazzie feels it's important to evaluate life experiences such as his troubled past, he said it's more important to learn from it and create a plan for the future.
Today, the Navajo hairstylist has enrolled in a cosmetology school and in honor of his traditional-meets-modern style, Yazzie plans to open a salon and name it after his great grandmother Zonnie Natione.
"My work has been described as 'traditional meets modern,'" Yazzie said. "I think that's what Native people are really looking for in fashion right now. A piece of where they came from meets a piece of who they are."