Sculptures come from hardened materials, like clay, wood, or stone. For Allure Philippines’ Global Beauty Issue, it comes from the weaving of hair and leather. 

Celebrity Matt Ledesma further elaborates on the brief, manipulating strands of leather and locks of hair into one sculptural hairstyle that perfectly captures the heart of Marikina—a city known for its Filipino leather goods.

In this Allure Philippines exclusive, Matt Ledesma shares how he sculpted this leather hairstyle and created an experimental style worth taking a closer look at. 

How the look was pieced together

Editorial hairstyles are usually thought to be made with heat tools, but this one skipped that entirely—no protectant, no blow-dry, no iron. Ledesma instead divided the hair into three sections, kept them deliberately asymmetrical to push that sculptural effect, then worked them into ponytails and braids. To keep the look clean, Ledesma used water and hairspray.

Each braid was worked all the way through the ends before leather straps—cut specifically for the look—were wrapped around them. 

Connecting each braid and leather-wrapped section to the next was the part that made the style hold its foundation together as one piece. “A lot [of it] was a ‘trust the process’ kind of thing, and really being patient,” shared Ledesma, explaining that there was a lot of twisting and wrapping involved for this hairstyle. 

Tension was the name of the game for a style like this, but contrary to what others may think, this was all achieved without wire. Ledesma braided the hair tightly and wrapped each leather strip around it firmly to create that tension and foundation. 

The products that made the look

For Ledesma, three key products made the entire look possible: the leather fabric, which he cut himself; water and hairspray that tamed each section from flyaways; and bobby pins that held each section after it was twisted and turned to create the sculpted look. 

“Leather isn’t perfect,” Ledesma said in a conversation after the shoot—but that imperfection was the point. The hairstyle’s rough, hand-worked edges mirrored the heart of Filipino craftsmanship: sturdy like the material that breathed life into the hairstyle, and creative like the people who made it possible. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Ledesma divided hair into three asymmetrical sections, worked them into ponytails and braids, then wrapped custom-cut leather straps around each one. Tight braiding and firm leather wrapping created structural tension, holding the sculptural style together without any wire support.

Three products made the look possible: leather fabric cut specifically for the style, water and hairspray to control flyaways, and bobby pins to secure each twisted section. No heat styling tools or protectants were used in the process.

No. The hairstyle skipped heat tools entirely—no protectant, blow-dry, or iron—and was built without wire. Tension came instead from tightly braiding the hair and firmly wrapping leather straps around each section to hold its structure.

Leather ties the look to Marikina, a Philippine city known for its leather goods and craftsmanship. Ledesma noted that leather’s imperfection was intentional, with rough, hand-worked edges mirroring the sturdiness and creativity central to Filipino artisanal tradition.

Beauty Breakdown is an Allure Philippines editorial format that goes behind the scenes of an experimental beauty look, featuring the artist explaining their technique, product choices, and creative process step by step—as with Ledesma’s leather-and-hair sculpture.

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