“Your favorite artist’s favorite artist,” Chappell Roan, tapped hair artist Charlie Le Mindu for her surreal new music video for “The Subway.” Le Mindu, famous for his hair suits, brought those and more to the project, overseeing practical stunts and entire sets being built out with mind-blowing amounts of human hair.
The Tease connected with Le Mindu to discuss “The Subway” at length. No surprise, as in other projects, and his solo work, Le Mindu makes clear that hair is never just hair. Read on for our conversation.
The Tease: Your hair suits and costumes are a signature, famously ripped off but never done better, and they feature prominently in the music video. How were you approached by Chappell’s team? What was the vision?
Charlie Le Mindu: Amber, the director, and Griffin, art direction, reached out with a strong sense of what they wanted a very open creative brief. The idea was to explore heartbreak as metamorphosis, an emotional shedding and regrowth. It wasn’t about glam, it was about using hair and costume as a physical extension of memory, grief, and rebirth. We connected immediately.
Chappell wanted to be challenged visually, and I knew we could build something truly surreal and resonant. I [am] glad that many young designers use hair now as a material and see it as a fabric — it is important. I did send [a] few months ago many drawing to the stylist, Genesis, that were similar the all the costumes you see in the video.
How many costumes were made for Chappell?
Le Mindu: We created four primary hair-based costumes for Chappell, each representing and showing different emotions. Each piece was hand-constructed and customized, and all made of human hair.
Whereas the green suit, Chappell’s love interest, seems to get bigger throughout the music video, ultimately becoming a sort of beanstalk, Chappell gains and sheds hair but not in a linear fashion. I imagine that is saying something about the process of getting over someone.
Le Mindu: Exactly. The green beanstalk-like was so amazing to do and create as one of my hair installations — something that grows out of control. I used the same techniques that I used in the 5 floor LVMH store I did in Paris last year or the Doja Cat stage tour.
In contrast, Chappell’s hair journey was fragmented and non-linear, which I loved. Hair would appear, disappear, mutate mirroring. The costume was very versatile and could become many hair costume[s] in different ways.
How much hair was required for the rat scene?
Le Mindu: A lot — roughly 40 kilos of human hair were used just for that sequence. We needed volume, texture, and a certain level of chaos. The rats had to feel like they were nesting in her psyche, not just crawling on a prop. The hair was the nest. I actually love this scene so much it’s my favorite of the video.
What’s the prep like for that much hair on camera? What products did you use?
Le Mindu: Prep is all done in advance in my studio with my team, so we just arrive on set with it ready. Every bundle was pre-texturized, dyed, and reinforced for camera. We used matte-setting sprays, dry wax, and minimal shine products so the hair would read as tactile, not glossy. We also stitched hair into fabric bases for more secure layering. It’s almost sculptural, like building a set piece rather than just styling.
The hair suit that matches her drag look stands out to us, but there were so many moments that caught our attention — how did you get the color and curl on the pieces so perfect?
Le Mindu: We color-matched her natural hair with precision. I had samples sent in advance, and we custom dyed human to reflect the exact tone, warmth, and curl pattern. The goal was to blur the line between where ‘real’ hair ends and costumes begins. It’s about making the viewer question what’s costume and what’s character, I love using hair as an extension of the body.
Which was your favorite suit to create?
Le Mindu: The main costume, like the one on the Citi Bike is actually my favorite and the train that get[s] stuck in the door.
Which was your favorite scene in the final video?
Le Mindu: The moment she lays down in the pool. That scene wasn’t just visual; it was spiritual. And [it] was a freezing cold 2 am shoot in the fountain — I loved [it].
Watch Chappell Roan’s music video for “The Subway” featuring Charlie Le Mindu’s work below.
