(Photo of a Wig from Elle Canada April, 2011)
What do Katy Perry, Kim Kardashian, Rihanna all have in common with Louis XIV?? They all love to use wigs!
Givenchy, Dior, John Paul Gaultier and many other designers this year have all featured the use of wigs in their fashion shows. Why? Guido Palado, stylist for the fashion houses, said “we have changed the way we look at wigs. There was a time when wearing wigs were a taboo, but now it’s a fun way to mix up your look.”
This month, in Elle Canada magazine, they have a six page spread on wigs and how they have become the new fashion accessory.
Coco Rocha, the famous fashion model interviewed in the article about her love for using wigs, partials or topettes. Responding to the question ‘Do you ever wear wigs off the runway’, she responds “I often wear wigs for shoots. The great thing about being a model is that you get to try out different hair styles and see how you look and, more important, how you feel.” “When I died my hair a few years ago, I couldn’t show it for weeks until an exclusive editorial was released. That meant that when I went to events, I had to wear head wraps or wigs”.
When asked the question “Do you think wigs have transformative powers?” Coco Rocha stated, “Our hair tells others so much about who we are. When you can instantly change such a major aspect of how you’re viewed, you suddenly have this new persona”. Michael Suba of Continental Hair, Toronto (www.continentalhair.com) , echoed this sentiment “in medieval times, wigs were banned because they were thought to have the ability to change a woman’s personality, and I have to say, in that respect, it’s true. Every day I witness that power of transformation.”
For people who need a wig to overcome their hair loss or thinning hair situation, this will be no surprise. Using a wig, topette or any kind of hair enhancement is like instant confidence, it gives you instant hair, instant beauty, you can instantly be youself again – in many cases, giving you even better hair than what you originally had in the first place. As Coco Rocha said, the wig or hair enhancement allows you to have a new persona, that is, you! It allows you to be ‘you’ again, or someone else, if you want to have a little fun! Why not!
I wish to give kudos to a good friend, colleague and mentor Michael Suba of Continental Hair who supplied the wigs for the shoot. Elle Canada gave a great him a great write up and short biography about his life in the wig business. I can associate a lot with Michael’s history, growing up around the wig and hair replacement business and watching the technology change over the years. Today he runs a fabulous business in Toronto, Canada. Together, through the Transitions International group, we are seeking to promote a greater understanding and acceptance of hair loss treatments, hair resplacment options (including wigs) for men and women.
For people suffering from hair loss, this article will come as a welcome sigh of relief – wigs are the new black! The new ‘It’ thing!
Written by: Andrew Wilson, Associate Director of Transitions Hair.
