People aligning themselves with a unique hairstyle is nothing new. But Tsutomu Morita is likely the first pitchman via pompadour. "Some people don't believe it is real," Morita says in a back room of his discount luxury-brands store, referring to the black bulbous bob that hangs over his eyes. "Others think I have something hidden inside."
In one recent program on TV Asahi, the bespectacled Morita was seen riding through Shinjuku in central Tokyo in the back of a white Mercedes with the window down, his puffy hairdo dutifully holding its shape. Then, when the 62-year-old arrived outside his shop, his red Hermes tie, 3 yen.1-million Rolex watch and dark Dolce & Gabbana suit appeared mere afterthoughts in comparison to his cantilevered coiffure.
The show then shifted into his cramped Brand King Royal showroom, where Morita proudly showed off a lineup of handbags from labels Gucci, Coach and Prada. When his discounted prices flashed on the screen, he punctuated each with his signature gesture — white-gloved right hand frozen forward in a quasi-karate pose, with his head (and of course puffy wave) tilted at a slight angle.