The root of it: These hand-moulded combs are rewriting the cultural narrative, one pick at a time

There’s little else as comforting to a child as having a parent run their fingers through their hair. The gesture forms the sort of comforting memory that lasts long until adulthood. That’s certainly the case for Swedish product designer Simon Skinner, who, when asked to consider a memory where hair played a significant role in his upbringing, recalls his mum braiding his locks in a touching act of maternal love. “Those moments were special to me,” he says. “Not only because of the love and connection we shared, but also because of the pride and tradition that the ritual carried. I don’t know how I could feel the depth of it that young, but I think it says something about black hair culture and the intimacy of it.”

Growing up, the afro pick was a symbol of the pride Skinner had in his roots. But lack of variety and choice of set meant Skinner didn’t have the apparatus to express himself fully. Rather than settle for the bland picks available, instead, he would use vintage combs given to him by his mum, or other family members on holidays to the US. “A friend once gave me the iconic Black power Fist comb when he moved to another school. So to me the afro pick represents that pride but also carries some fond memories,” recalls Skinner.

When he hit high school he began to really understand and appreciate the spaces where hair plays a role, helping to create social bonds within society. The barber shop, for one, is often a busy meeting spot for the community it finds itself nestled within, a place to catch-up and shoot the shit. “I started to appreciate the special vibe that a barber shop has, where it functions as a meeting point for people of all ages. Special shout out to Kwame at Afro Specialist in Stockholm,” details Skinner.

But just as the memory of his mum doing his hair, followed Skinner into adulthood. It also manifested one continued frustration: it was still proving almost impossible to find a comb set in Stockholm. So he set out to create his own, ripping up the playbook to reimagine the nondescript versions found in every barber shop with more playful iterations. “Historically, the afro comb has been used as a ceremonial vessel of social status, as well as resistance and compassion,” he says. “My intent is to reflect those values and introduce them to a future high brow society.”

His first collection of eight combs, entitled ‘Afropicks’, was based on the stories of eight different individuals with African descent in Sweden. Through his research process, Skinner interviewed the eight individuals and ran focus groups in order to truly understand their stories. He recalls how “one girl couldn’t identify herself through Scandinavian aesthetics even though she loved it. That stuck with me, because even though i’m born in Sweden I never felt like the design tradition was a part of my heritage, maybe because of my dual background.”

Making up the ‘Afropicks’ collection is Femi, a 3D-printed aluminium comb with a wavy set of teeth. Femi was based on a mix-raced Swedish man with Nigerian roots and the design of which took visual design inspiration from Stockholm’s subway system. And there is Anton, too, with neon spot detailing and a single little diamond placed in the handle – inspired by an individual who wanted a design much like his fake Rolex watch. And Skinner’s ‘Afropicks’ series really resonated with his audience, receiving great aplomb, nabbing the 2020 Wallpaper* Design Awards and the Ung Svensk Form. The Swedish National Museum has even bought the set in order to store in their permanent collection on Swedish design evolution.

His latest collection, ‘Syntax’, consists of another set of eight combs created in his studio using moulding and casting. “I designed the combs to be able to function for most styles and hairs within the range of 3a-4c. For example by applying smooth edges and wider gaps to the teeth on some of them,” says Skinner, whose new designs include messaging embedded within the collection, everything from paying homage to his barber, to historic bone shaped combs dating back 6000 years. Hair plays a key part in anyone’s identity and life story, and now, thanks to Skinner, we have the tools by which to truly rewrite the narrative.