Asian fusion grooming, also referred to as Asian Freestyle, is often characterized by a unique and charming cut that seeks to give our pets a fun-loving look, often akin to that of a teddy bear or cute cartoon character.
As a form of creative grooming, Asian fusion has its origins in countries such as Japan, China and Korea, where grooming artists were hoping to achieve a look that brought back the adorableness of puppies to dogs of any age.
While this highly artistic Asian fusion style sometimes gets described as making Japanese Anime characters come to life, the style itself may differ from region to region depending on the country of origin.
Benefits of an Asian fusion cut
Aside from being a break from the norm and allowing you to exercise more creativity in your grooming, an Asian fusion cut can be more practical for some dogs and easier to maintain between sessions.
Which breeds work best?
Some of the more popular breeds that have come to compliment Asian fusion are the following:
Asian fusion techniques
Asian fusion dog grooming as an art-form has its own unique style and techniques that produce a different result to that which may be created in the West and shows off the culture and charm of the East.
Though Asian fusion ignores breed standards and corrective grooming that most groomers have come to learn, it in return offers its own unique blend of braids and ponytails that allow for much more artistic freedom for both the groomer and the pet owner.
Specific techniques of the Asian fusion grooming cut often give the dog fluffy, columned legs which almost resemble the texture of cotton candy, sometimes with the cut being tapered at the top near the elbow and flaring the bottoms as if the dog were wearing a pair of bell-bottom pants. The face of the dog, known as the muzzle, is often rounded to mimic the look of a toy bear.
Another difference between Asian fusion techniques and their western counterparts is that while traditional grooming often places more focus on the body as a whole, Asian fusion tends to make the head the focal point of the style in order to better accentuate the dog’s personality and unique expressions.
Different breeds are often given different flavors of style, but regardless of the breed one factor usually remains the same when it comes to differentiating from traditional western styles and that is: Radical Symmetry.
Radical symmetry
Radical symmetry allows for the over emphasizing of certain parts of the dog’s cut. Something which is clearly at odds with what is traditionally considered a ‘good’ groom job in the west where perfect symmetry across the body and head is often the desired outcome. It’s this radical symmetry that really makes the Asian fusion style so eye-catching and a pleasure to behold.
Use Curved Scissors
Try using curved grooming scissors if you don't already have a pair. These will help you to create that "rounded" effect, i.e. around the head and ears.
Learn Asian Fusion Grooming
Finding a mentor to teach you Asian fusion outside of China, Japan, Korea etc. is not exactly easy. You might try searching for groomers near you that offer Asian fusion and ask them if they would be willing to part some knowledge with you.
