Hair Tapestries Are Taking Over the Internet

Ladies, it's time to dust of the 'ol '90s Rainbow Loom (opens in new tab)—thread-woven hair is officially a thing again, but with a chic new update. 

Riffing off the rainbow and cool-girl texture trends that have emerged from festival street style, Bleach London (opens in new tab), the salon behind the vivid shades and ultra-modern 'dos of every Brit-It girl, is now offering hair tapestry, a signature service that's taken off on Instagram since it first hit the internet last year.

Turning your strands into a needlepoint canvas, thread is woven through a block of hair using a tapestry loom, creating colorful, intricate patterns. The hairstylist behind the look is Alex Brownsell, pioneer of many out-of-the-box hair trends such as dip dye—an idea conjured up on a fashion shoot after Brownsell was inspired by traditional Andrean tapestry from Argentina. 

For festivalgoers fatigued by flower crowns and politically-incorrect headdresses, hair tapestry is a decidedly fresh alternative. It boasts so much appeal, in fact, Bleach London has been hitting music festivals with Hairy Tepee outposts where women can get a quick tapestry treatment in between sets. Bonus points for the fact that it will almost definitely hold up for your head-banging session during Florence + the Machine.

While achieving the look requires some needlework mastery, you too can give it a try with colorful thread, needle, and a tapestry loom. For a tutorial, check out Dirty Looks' step-by-step instruction (opens in new tab) and for inspo, check out some of our favorite takes on the trend, below: