‘Raising Kanan’ Hairstylist Talks Creating Patina Miller’s Boss ’90s Hairstyles

Raising Kanan, the latest spinoff to the Power series, is a whole retro vibe. Set in 1991, it follows the early years of title character Kana Stark and his mom, Raquel “Raq” Thomas.,who is not just a boss, but fashion goals for the era.

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Played by Patina Miller, we see Raq in scene-stealing moments as the show’s drug queenpin and entire badass, while rocking shagged cuts and voluminous blowouts. 

We caught up with Tiffany Mack, the hairstylist who created the custom units for Miller, to find out just what went into making these fire looks.

“I had to produce the wigs in three days!” shares Mack, who was called in by hair department head Erin Hicks to make three different looks.

One of the first looks was inspired by Bunny DeBarge. “That was like an ‘80s hairstyle… with a mullet,” she explains. “Patina is a boss, so she had to be in with the trend of whatever that time was. Whatever the fly hairstyle was, she was on point. The hair went with the fashion.” 

Mack said she pored through tons of pictures to create the look. “I just wanted to make sure that I got it down, even down to the sideburns. I tried to get it down perfectly, even as to how it wasn’t even straight back, it was off to the side.”

The other two other hairstyles include an MC Lyte-inspired look that is longer in the back with an asymmetrical cut in the front and a longer blow-out look. 

She adds that capturing texture was key for the time period. “They wore the big layers. [It was] big, full, you know when you get your hair relaxed, but [not] the silk presses like we’re doing now,” she explained. “Their flat irons were probably on 300º back then!”

Over the years, Mack has amassed an impressive celebrity clientele, including Regina King, Iman, and Power actress Naturi Naughton, and has a successful haircare line, Lucid Bliss. But, this marks her first time creating looks for a show.

“Working on TV was very different,” she says, crediting Hicks for taking her under her wing. “Thank God for Erin! … She showed me how to utilize wig pins and different ways to make it super tight,” as none of the wigs were glued down in order to protect their hair and make it easy for quick changes. “I learned how to camouflage with makeup so it would show properly on screen. I learned a lot and I did appreciate that.”

Mack is still soaking in seeing her work on television. “This is crazy. Even when I went to the premiere, I was like, ‘That’s my work up there!’ I can’t believe it’s really happening.”

Power Book III: Raising Kanan airs Sundays on STARZ. Check local listings for showtimes.