How The Japanese Hair Salon Group LIM Shaped Culture In Singapore

On the first Sunday of last month, the vibrant experimental art gallery UltraSuperNew on Tyrwhitt Road became the site of an infectiously feel-good party. The DJs for the day, for example, comprised of three of the most beloved names in local nightlife and culture from across three generations: Darker Than Wax co-founder Dean Chew; Gen aka DJ Yetpet of the party collective Strange Weather; and Fern Teo, the Gen Z multihyphenate behind the indie art and design store Shrub. The crowd was a diverse mix of nattily dressed Japanese men; young parents and their children; as many elderly couples as there were trendy youths; as well as creatives of every stripe. And helping to keep the energy buoyantly fun were activities ranging from a pop-up tattoo booth to a live takoyaki station.

The occasion: not the opening of some quirky art show, but the 15th anniversary celebrations of the LIM brand of hair salons in Singapore, which has gained this cult following because of its design-forward yet down-to-earth approach to running a hair business. Its name is an acronym for the phrase “less is more”, a guiding principle that can be said to account for much of its longevity: Who needs influencers and a riotous rave-like atmosphere to toast such a milestone when the community and camaraderie you’ve fostered are authentically cool? 

For the uninitiated, LIM has its roots in Osaka, Japan, founded in 1984 by the late hair maestro Tetsuya Nishimura and is today a tidy multi-city chain with a presence in places such as Tokyo, Taipei and Shanghai. It arrived here in 2009 with the help of an unlikely partner: Singaporean Tan Eng Chong, who had discovered the brand as a customer while working as an engineer in Osaka (yep, you better believe it), and has since become the director of its local operations, which now span four outlets – five, if you include its nail and eyelash bar Kiyone+LIM – and 18 staffers.

LIM’s distinctive brand of thoughtful, heartfelt hospitality – or what the Japanese call omotenashi – is what first drew him to it, says the 49-year-old Tan. “Nishimura-san always stressed that our hairstylists should carry themselves well – you know, live by the basic values of being honest, on time and responsible… In hindsight, that’s what attracted me to the chain: The hair stylists always made me feel welcome and like a friend.” 

Sincerity and solidarity are so ingrained in LIM’s way of working that its stylists come up with the name of each branch, explaining its unusual nomenclature. The four here, for example, are Kizuki+LIM, the original that started on Cantonment Road and eventually landed up on Seah Street in 2017; B+Lim, also on Seah Street and accessible from the alley behind; TOKI+LIM at Raffles Hotel; and 1tto+LIM on New Bridge Road, where Kiyone+Lim is also housed. Staff who work for 10 years and up are also given the chance to helm their own outlet with their own vision under the LIM umbrella – B+LIM, for instance, is a venture by Oba Ryu, who was part of the pioneer batch of LIM hair stylists here.

The honest-to-goodness ethos would also explain how its customers come from all walks of life – and keep going back. I’ve been a LIM faithful myself since its start here, intrigued by its fashionable Japanese stylists – rare for the time – and affinity for art and design. The original Cantonment Road store was a minimalist’s dream conceptualised by the acclaimed Japanese designer Teruhiro Yanagihara in collaboration with the Singapore studio FARM, and boasted a mezzanine for small exhibitions – another novelty in an era long before experiential store design was commonplace.

The brand quickly gained a reputation for wildly creatively, neon or ombre-steeped hair styles that would not look out of place in ’90s Harajuku. This aesthetic has helped to bring in one of its most famous customers – the fashion stylist, former Mugler creative director and frequent Lady Gaga collaborator Nicola Formichetti when he was in town to headline the Audi Fashion Festival in 2012 – as well as an influx of Gen Z clients in recent years. 

At the same time, LIM has cultivated a following among those who favour a more understated and natural look. These days, I belong to this group, sold by the unfailing meticulousness of its stylists – the soothing wash and head message that kick off every visit alone will convince you. For all its art and design-focused sensibilities, LIM makes everybody who steps through its doors feel special. Less is more.

For what some might describe as a non-mainstream salon, to stick around for fifteen years is pretty iconic. After all, this is a city where space and manpower are scarce; rent is notoriously high; and the creative industry is young and still trying to forge its identity, and thus often enthusiastic to court the shiny and new. Several spaces that combine beauty services with design, music, fashion and lifestyle have come up in that time. It’s safe to say that if not for LIM, things might be quite different. 

Here, its local director Tan Eng Chong tells us more about building a little salon empire with a whole lot of art, mindfulness and heart.

What was the salon landscape like in Singapore when LIM came onto the scene in 2009?

“I believe the only major Japanese salon around at the time was Shunji Matsuo. This was why I really wanted LIM to come to Singapore. There weren’t really many options that offered hair services alongside art and design, and that emphasised spatial experience, in my opinion. For example, the second home of Kizuki+LIM at Raffles Hotel featured a white and neon yellow iceberg-like structure to separate the reception and exhibition areas from the inner sections of the salon, where the hair washing and cutting took place. (The branch moved over to Seah Street, where it still stands, in 2017.) When we started, our focus wasn’t so much on making money. We were willing to invest good money into creating a thoughtful sense of space. Notice how the seats in our salons are quite spaced out. Everyone in the business has different priorities and approaches. For us, being able to offer a sense of privacy and peacefulness to our clients is important.”

Another unique factor of the LIM salons are that they include space for exhibitions. How did this concept come about?

“We’ve done so because art is something all of us at LIM enjoy. Furthermore, it inspires our own work so why not? Several of our clients are also artists or designers and have ended up displaying their work in our salons. Among them is the artist Grace Tan who’s behind the interdisciplinary practice Kwodrent and has been a customer from day one. Her vibe aligns well with ours so we have been more than happy to host her exhibition. Being able to support these like-minded creatives feels like a very natural process for us.”

From the start, your clientele has included many people from the creative community in Singapore. What do you think draws them to LIM?

“First of all, I think we collaborated with the right partners. We had the well-respected Japanese designer Teruhiro Yanagihara work with the award-winning local studio FARM on our first salon, for example. A lot of creatives got to know about us by way of association with these two names as well as word-of-mouth – social media had yet to take off at that point in time. Then, we were also one of the few Japanese salons that had young stylists who are into art, fashion, music and design, which helps them to naturally build a rapport with customers who share the same interests. I like to call this exchange in which our clients and stylists pursue similar interests and philosophies cultural tribalism. You might see them heading to the same gig or shopping at the same stores, for instance. The salon by extension reflects this too. After all, I always think it’s the people who make the place.”

Is cultural tribalism prevalent in Japan?

“The phenomenon is not specific to Japan, but there is an abundance of hair salons in Japan that caters to every imaginable style possible. It’s therefore easier for customers to find options that they identify with regardless of how niche their taste might be.” 

Describe the LIM ethos in your own words.

“At the start, I was busy learning how to run a business and manage people, but once I got the hang of that, building a sense of community became the main focus. One thing I like about the company is that it doesn’t believe in creating beautiful hairstyles alone. Equally important is nurturing hairstylists with a good attitude and, of course, being able to make every customer feel welcome and a part of us. It’s taken time, but the community we’ve built in Singapore is real. Everyone who was a part of our 15th anniversary party including the DJs are customers who volunteered their time and services pro bono. At our previous anniversary bash in 2019, we had musicians such as Weish, Linying and Charlie Lim perform again out of goodwill. No transactions took place so I’d like to think everyone chipped in because of a sense of belonging.” 

Is there a signature LIM cut or aesthetic?

“It’s hard to define that as each stylist has his or her own preference and style, but I guess we’ve come to be known for edgy haircuts and bold bleached colours. Specific cuts that are popular at our salons are micro-bangs and wolf cuts, but it’s always a collaborative process – many of our clients come from creative fields and we work with them to create looks that suit their lifestyles and personalities.”

How does LIM’s Japanese roots further differentiate it from other salons? 

“The Japanese take hairstyling very seriously – aspirants have to undergo two years of beauty college in order to receive a vocational licence. They then go on to become assistants for typically three to five years before they’re deemed qualified enough to become full-fledged stylists. This is one reason why it’s hard to retain hair assistants here – it’s a long and rigorous process to become a stylist at LIM, but it’s also what draws customers. They trust the competencies of our stylists and tend to stick to the one they are comfortable with for years. Like most Japanese salons, we also practise omotenashi, which is the Japanese term for warm and attentive hospitality, and this attracts customers who have a deep affinity for Japanese culture and want an authentic Japanese salon experience. Everything from the music curation to offering clients drinks, blankets when they’re cold, or cushions to prop up their laptops all forms part of the overall LIM experience.”

More salons that also take a more design and fashion-conscious approach towards the hair business have popped up. How has this affected what you do at LIM? 

“Of course, there is pressure, but having more players helps to elevate the whole industry and with competition, one can only get better.” 

What changes have you observed in customers’ tastes and attitudes towards hair here?

“Believe it or not, but when we started, getting clients to colour their hair brown was considered a big deal. Now even corporate types are a lot more open to bleaching their hair and trying more adventurous styles. After all, people travel a lot more these days and – along with social media – are exposed to a much wider range of information and visual stimuli. If there’s a style that inspires or excites them, we’re here to create it for them.”

How do you keep the brand spirit alive through so many years?

“There is no handbook for this. I’d like to think that everyone at LIM just tries to inspire one another and it can be through something as simple as sharing a playlist that I think suits the brand and not just my own personal tastes because music is a big part of our experience.”

What does the salon of the future look like?

“I can only speak for LIM and our future is for our next generation of stylists to chart. Shaping the Singapore arm of LIM has always been a team effort and the colourful characters among both past and present stylists have really given shape to our identity here so I’m just looking forward to seeing who joins us next.”

You speak so much about how it’s the people who make LIM. Out of curiosity, what kind of person makes the cut to join your team?

“Manpower is an issue right now, so we don’t really have the luxury of being choosy. However, if it’s entirely within my power, I’d look for someone who has acute self-awareness and has a good sense of his or her own identity. When you are authentic and know yourself well – what you like and what you don’t like – it will show in your work. For example, if you’re truly punk in spirit, everything you do naturally becomes an extension of that and as niche as your taste might be, you can be a master of it. At the same time, a stylist needs to be willing to listen to what clients want and open-minded enough to appreciate aesthetics beyond their own personal likes. It’s always important to be able to see things from other people’s perspectives.”

PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY ATHIRAH ANNISA ART DIRECTION JONATHAN CHIA STYLING JULIA MAE WONG MAKEUP KEITH BRYANT LEE, USING SHU UEMURA MODEL SPECIAL THANKS TO YUNZI LIM

A version of this article first appeared in the May 2024 Beauty Edition of FEMALE