Marble veins come naturally to stone, an effect that occurs when heat and pressure transform the material over time. In Allure Philippines’ Global Beauty Issue, it appears through intricate and meticulous handiwork. 

Jan Edrosolan takes inspiration from the natural veins of marble, transforming a head of hair into soft, hand-woven strands that flow as if they were under water. 

In this Allure Philippines exclusive, Jan Edrosolan talks about how he manipulated hair as if he chiseled it, creating a hairstyle that mimics the natural veins in marble.

How the look came together

The brief called for a marble vein-inspired hairstyle, inspired by the marble deposits found in Romblon. Edrosolan, in turn, pulled inspiration from the Alexander McQueen S/S 1996 show, where strands of hair seemed to crawl along vein-like grooves. When asked how he pulled off the look, his answer was half a joke: “Prayers.” He prepared the materials himself the day before, working almost entirely with synthetic hair fibers, or Kanekalon, rather than forming the hairstyle with the model’s hair alone. 

Synthetic hair, he noted, is often assumed to be the easier material to work with—but for him, it’s quite the opposite. “Some would say it’s madali, but for me, real hair is easier to manipulate.” Because synthetic hair can’t take heat styling, there was no curling involved; the shaping came entirely from molding the hair fibers that had been heavily drenched in glue. 

He’d take a bundle of hair, soak it thoroughly in Elmer’s Glue, and then shape it by hand on a non-stick whiteboard—laying out waves and swirls that formed the key pieces of the hairstyle—before letting it harden.

For the model’s real hair, the approach was quite minimal—just a simple high bun, no gel, but finished with the COLOR WOW Texas Hold ‘Em Big Hold Hairspray for hold and that glossy sheen that carries through the finished look. 

Real marble takes centuries of heat and pressure to form its veins. Edrosolan built his in just a night, with nothing but glue, patience, and a quiet determination to deliver intricate craftsmanship. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Edrosolan soaked bundles of Kanekalon synthetic hair fibers in Elmer’s Glue, then hand-shaped them into wave and swirl patterns on a non-stick whiteboard before letting them harden. No heat styling was involved, since synthetic hair can’t take heat.

The brief referenced marble deposits found in Romblon, Philippines. Edrosolan drew additional inspiration from the Alexander McQueen Spring/Summer 1996 runway show, where strands of hair appeared to crawl along vein-like grooves, echoing the natural patterns in marble.

Synthetic Kanekalon fibers could be molded with glue into rigid, sculptural shapes that hold their form—something real hair can’t replicate without heat. Edrosolan noted synthetic hair is often assumed easier to manipulate, but he actually finds real hair simpler to work with.

The model’s real hair was styled minimally into a high bun with no gel, finished with COLOR WOW Texas Hold ‘Em Big Hold Hairspray. This gave the style hold and a glossy sheen that carried through the completed hairstyle.

Beauty Breakdown is an Allure Philippines editorial format that goes behind the scenes of an experimental beauty look, with the artist explaining their technique, materials, and creative process—as with Edrosolan’s marble vein-inspired hair sculpture.

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