In 2013, New York City hairstylist Darnell Wold began the
intricate process of building a wig from scratch. Using a small needle,
he wove human hair to a lace cap and stitched individual strands at the
hairline to achieve a realistic effect. He snapped a picture of his
design while it was still a work in progress and posted the image to
Instagram, hoping to coax casual feedback from friends and clients. The
next morning, Wold glanced at his phone and couldn’t believe what he was
seeing. “There were thousands of followers on my feed inquiring about
this wig and trying to place an order for it,” he says, laughing, still
unable to shake the incredulous note from his voice. “I knew people
liked wigs, but I never understood the extent of it until that moment.”
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These
days wigs are everywhere: They’re crowning the heads of celebrities and
influencers on red carpets and at music festivals, while on social
media, images of candy-colored bobs seem to multiply like sugar
crystals. How did we arrive at this place? As wig stylists have long
known, we’ve never actually left it. Our obsession with wigs has always
been present — it just had a tight cap over it.
Encouraged by his overnight success and sensing a trend that
was about to erupt, Wold began designing custom-made wigs by hand (“It
was just me in a room full of hair for four years”) before launching his
own line. Celebrities took notice and requested pieces, but it was a
collaboration with the singer
Kehlani
that moved his artistry to the next level — and signaled a shift in the
rarefied world of wigmaking. “Kehlani was really awesome and honest
about wearing wigs, and she came right out and gave me credit and
everything,” says Wold. “That was a first. Now clients mention me all
the time on social media.” Perhaps most surprising of all, “it’s become
the cool thing for celebrities to admit to wearing wigs.”
Wig openness is the real phenomenon at play, and it goes
beyond a friendly nod on Instagram. With high-profile celebrities such
as Beyoncé, Zendaya, and
Lady Gaga
wearing dramatic hairstyles and surreal colors, wigs have finally begun
to shed their secretive air. “These women aren’t trying to pretend that
all of the hair we see on their heads is their own,” says Hadiiya
Barbel, the owner of Araya wig studio in New York City. “And because
they’re being real about it, they’ve removed the stigma from wigs.
Before, the perception was that if you were wearing a wig, it’s because
you had something to hide. Now the opposite is true. A wig is a form of
self-expression. It’s empowering. That’s why I call wigs crowns.” For
the ardent wig enthusiast, the goal isn’t to avoid detection but to go
viral — just like that wavy blue number designed by
Tokyo Stylez for Kylie Jenner.
[post_ads]That’s
not to say we’re reverting to the aesthetic of Marie Antoinette, who
favored intentionally ornate, over-the-top, and proudly impractical
wigs. Back then, wigs were high and restrictive to telegraph wealth and
status (only those who never had to lift a finger could afford to wear
such styles). In stark contrast, even the most dramatic wigs of the
moment still look, feel, move, and frame the face like natural hair.
“Even fantasy hair has to look believable, or no one will want to wear
it,” says Barbel, who worked as Wendy Williams’s wig stylist around the
same time that high-definition cameras emerged on the scene. Barbel says
new technology, social media, and a profusion of cameras have raised
the bar, creating a demand for high-quality wigs and better installation
methods. “You can’t get away with a sloppy hairline,” she says. “A wig
needs to look like it’s growing out of the scalp and stay put.” To
demonstrate just how reliable a well-crafted wig can be, Barbel hosts
“Crowns and Cocktails” parties at her studio, inviting women to eat,
drink, laugh, and even dance in her designs. “Once they step into that
life, and they realize that that wig isn’t going anywhere, they become
transformed with confidence,” says Barbel. “It’s beautiful.”
The most obvious expert to make a wig into something
beautiful and believable is, of course, a hairstylist. But hairstylists
and salon owners have only recently begun learning the centuries-old
craft of custom wigmaking — a trade that has mostly belonged to artisans
working in theater, film, and religious communities for decades. “I
tried for years to find a good wigmaker in New York City, but there was
only a small group in the theater district, and they wouldn’t work with a
regular person like me,” says Shay Ashual, arguably fashion’s most
prolific and coveted wig designer. “In the 1990s, I came across one
place that made lace fronts, and it catered to people with hair loss.
The wigs were scratchy and poorly constructed. I realized that if I
wanted a good wig, I would have to make it myself.”
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Ashual
now creates dreamy looks for editorial shoots and ad campaigns. His
wigs aren’t for sale (sorry), but other experts have followed suit and
taken matters into their own hands, creating better options in the
process. “I honestly believe that the hairstylists who have started
making wigs have normalized the trend,” says Wold, who trained with Ted
Gibson and worked as a hairstylist for 12 years before entering the wig
industry. “We’re applying classic cutting techniques and cool colors to
wigs, so the styles feel real and exciting.”
In Kim
Kimble’s West Hollywood salon, expert hairstyling and custom wigmaking
coexist in seamless fashion. Here, wig consultations are as routine and
as in-depth as deep-conditioning treatments. “Wigs are one of the main
things we do at the salon,” says Kimble, who works with celebrities such
as Beyoncé, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, and Shakira (the list goes on, but you
get the idea). “We’ll cut, color, make, create, and build a wig for you
right here.” Kimble views the current wig craze as an opportunity for
women to experiment with different lengths, colors, and textures without
damaging their natural hair. Her durable, high-quality wigs and
extensions promise commitment-free styles. “You can change your hair
like you change your clothes,” she says. But Kimble also speaks with the
measured tone of a professional, urging a thoughtful approach. “Your
face and your hair are the first things people see. So I’d say it’s
important to invest in a good wig and have it properly styled and
fitted.”
It may be that Kimble is preaching to the wig-wearing choir.
Wig owners have become discerning consumers, able to recognize the
marks of a well-constructed wig — and even divine the stamp of its
creator. “Latin American singer Thalia wore a blonde-and-pink wig from
my collection because she wanted to trick people into thinking that
she’d dyed her hair for April Fools’ Day,” says Wold. “The sale of that
particular wig skyrocketed. It’s funny because her followers somehow
figured out that it was one of my designs.”
[post_ads]Still, to
some, the sudden popularity of wigs is representative of a larger, more
uncomfortable truth: It can represent a double standard. “The
African-American community was really the first to embrace wigs, weaves,
and extensions,” says Wold. “Now that the market has become more
mainstream, I do hear people saying, ‘You know, black women were often
judged for wearing extra hair, and now that the practice has crossed
over to other cultures, it’s become socially acceptable.’ ” Wold is
sensitive to the issue, but he believes that the rapidly expanding
industry creates more opportunity, not less, for black women to take
pride in their hair and control the conversation around it. “A lot of
brands were just making long and silky wigs,” he says. “Now it’s a
billion-dollar industry, and we can insist that every texture is
represented. If you want to sport a wig, you should be able to find one
that’s curly as well as sleek.”
In this respect, some
experts see wigs as the next logical step in the natural hair movement,
allowing women to change looks without chemically altering their
texture. “I’ll be honest with you: I think the fact that wigs have
become more mainstream is good for everybody,” says Kimble. “As a
stylist, it means I can really take care of the client’s hair
underneath. I’m in my mid-40s, and I have just learned how to deal with
my natural hair. I’ll add extensions to it sometimes because I’m a
stylist and I like big hair. If you love natural hair, wear it. If you
love straight hair, wear it. If you love teal hair, wear it. If it looks
hot, wear it. Having options is powerful.”
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The debate within the wig industry can get heated. Last
year, when Kylie Jenner claimed to have “started wigs,” the backlash was
swift and fierce. Ashual also recalls a time when he wasn’t allowed to
bring wigs on set to use on models. “The connotation with wigs was so
negative that no one would even consider the suggestion,” he says. “I
had to kind of sneak them in. [Once the shoot was over,] I would take
the wig off the model, and everyone would be shocked. That was the only
way to get around the bias and show that wigs could look beautiful and
natural.”
And now?
Ashual laughs. “And now, no one’s complaining.”
