The Wolf Cut Is The Season’s Most Buzzed About New Trend

On the search for a style that gives off effortless, lived-in vibes? Join the nearly 300 million (and growing) TikTok users who have fallen in love with the wolf cut. 

KEVIN.MURPHY HEAD.MASTER Nathan Gorman details the latest haircut trend that can easily be tailored to your individual style.

“A creative collision between a modern shag and a new mullet,” according to KEVIN.MURPHY DESIGN.DIRECTOR CUTTING, Pascal Van Loenhout, the wolf cut has been revived with floaty layers and a complimentary fringe to become one of the season’s most coveted trending haircuts. Tracing its origins to the glam rock movement of the 70s, recently the trend picked up traction through the K-Pop movement in South Korea and has now become an instant sensation with a growing number of fans on TikTok, Instagram and Pinterest. The generational obsession for this trend has further been cemented with the help of international popstar Billie Eilish when she debuted the style alongside her radiant blonde transformation in British Vogue.

Image: @billieeilish

Due to its popularity on TikTok there is a big “cut it yourself” movement showcasing hair wins and fails. However, because it all comes down to the right proportions and working with natural texture to create a flattering finish, clients and stylists agree that due to the technical nature it is a cut best left to the professionals.

“The old school features of the traditional mullet are rejuvenated to take this iconic style on to a new dimension. The look is exposing contradictions of delicately textured outlines, combined with short wispy layers at the crown for effortless volume within the cut. It is a fresh approach that will make this controversial style from the past conquer the world and welcome newfound popularity.” — Pascal Van Loenhout DESIGN.DIRECTOR CUTTING

This is not a one-size-fits-all trend, instead, the beautiful thing about this cut is its ability to be tailored to various lengths and textures and exaggerated for an individualistic feel. A modern take on a classic, the wolf cut perfectly fits the unique styles of a generation expressing a world of non-binary gender fluidity.

The KEVIN.MURPHY ARTISTIC TEAM first debuted this look in their SLEEPING WATER campaign, shot in the wilds of Tasmania in 2020. The shape was cut by ARTISTIC DESIGN.DIRECTOR James Nicholson and the photo he took of Millennial Model Cathy Wolf behind the scenes (which can be seen here), has gone viral as the perfect source of inspiration for the cut, The photo is also rumoured to be the exact one Eilish showed her stylist!

The cut tends to be work best with a natural texture, flattering colour and a just-right finish. Similar to the transformational look created for Billie Eilish, the hair colour also plays a crucial role in finishing the look. “The wolf cut we created has a bold statement colour, ensuring the texture is as fluid and free as the wearer. Gold, clean blondes are upbeat, happy and enhance the hair’s shine while dark shades draw attention to the wearer, simplicity is key.” Says, Kate Reid, DESIGN.DIRECTOR COLOR.ME.

In addition to creating the perfect cut and colour, working with natural texture to enhance the finish is part of why this trend has become so popular. “The wolf cut is a modern blend of techniques that are designed to create wispy moving textures. With shorter layers on the crown and longer lengths you may need a combination of styling products that build up the texture while allowing the hair to flow freely throughout the length.” Says, Juha-Matti Manninen, STYLE.MASTER.