Future Roots by Yara Forster

Magazine

Magazine

12 June 2026

Hairstyling by Yara Forster | Photography by Andrea Amponsah

Yara Forster is a hair artist using Black hair as her medium. She is known for her sharp, sculptural signature. Cornrows, afro shapes, and custom hairpieces define her work, each a statement on its own. Narrative-driven, her practice spans editorials, campaigns, runway shows, music videos, and theatre, always making hair part of the story rather than decoration.

Growing up in the late ’90s and early ’00s, she was constantly working with her own hair, studying it, figuring it out. The styles she saw in the Bijlmer, combined with pop culture from music videos and magazines, shaped her eye and foundation.

Her work has gained international recognition, appearing in leading publications including Vogue, Elle, and Harper’s Bazaar, as well as institutional exhibitions such as Voices of Fashion at the Centraal Museum Utrecht. In 2022, Yara won Best Hairstyling in a Fashion Film at the London Fashion Film Festival. In 2024, she presented Welcome To The Kingdom at OSCAM, her first solo exhibition.

What began as an inner urge is now a daily practice. Yara works with focus and intent, using Black hair as a language. For this issue, she created a series of looks celebrating the art of Black hair.

Braided Updo

In the 2000s, updos became louder and more glamorous, more volume, spiky ends, and playful shapes. Rhinestones, clips, glitter, and creative edges added extra flair, while swooped side pieces and braids were often incorporated. This look reimagines that era with a modern, sculptural approach, combining braids and form in a bold statement.

Natural Hair Texture

This look is a tribute to the unique structure of Black hair. Yara reflects, “My own hair taught me to explore its possibilities. In my family, I had no direct reference for my tighter, denser curls, so I had to figure out how to care for and style it myself.” This style celebrates natural textures while incorporating braiding.

Freestyle Braids

“This was my favourite braid style growing up,” Yara says. Freestyle braids allowed her clients to fully trust her creativity, resulting in unique combinations of patterns, forms, and sometimes even words. This look merges different braided shapes and structures, showing a playful approach to hair as art.

Ala Kondre Braids

Inspired by the traditional Surinamese Ala Kondre Chain, this look translates the chain’s links, charms, and beads, each with its own meaning, into hair. Various braid techniques, patterns, and textures combine to form a cohesive whole. The look celebrates Yara’s Surinamese heritage and the unity of diverse influences and techniques. Every braid pattern carries a story, making the hair both a visual and symbolic tribute to her hair journey.