The late Japanese pop artist Nagi Noda created these bold animal-inspired hats from human hair years ago, but her collection has proven timeless, as people are still crazy about them. Succumbing to surgical complications from a car accident, Noda was only 35 years when she died, but her art is still inspiring eclectic artists worldwide to treat their tresses as an ever-inventive canvas. Click through to see which creatures she beautifully crafted atop the noggin.

Nagi Noda had a bona fide knack for hair art as well as other bizarre works. Her technique is exquisite and boasts hours of tedious work:

Noda’s hair hat collection is by far her most famous work, and is a legacy that will indeed carry on her outrageous style.

Looking at the immense focus on detail, with each curve enriched by the hair’s sheen, fills the art world with great sadness since Noda’s talent and vision are no more. But right now, I feel as though hairstyle boundaries are in the utmost state of being pushed. Celebrities such as Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj are constantly reinventing their looks with killer hairstyles to top them off. Unconventional hair-colors have never been as glamorized and trendsetting by so many dominating artists.

Nagi Noda even had her last outfit planned out. She was laid to rest “in her Mark Ryden dress, Chanel boots, perfect makeup with Viktor & Rolf lace black eye lashes.” See a comprehensive look of Noda’s work here.

What do you think of Nagi Noda’s animal hair hats? Do you experiment with different hairstyles yourself?

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