The Art Of Wigs

Picasso painted with oils. Michelangelosculpted with clay. These artists are creatingmasterpieces, one strand at a time. We explore the world of high-end,fantastical, hang-them in-a-museum wigs.

- Liana Schaffner

In 2013, hairstylist Darnell Wold began the intricate process of building a wig from scratch. He wove natural hair to a lace cap using a small needle and stitched individual strands at the hairline to achieve a realistic effect.

He snapped a photograph of his design while it was still a work in progress and posted it to Instagram (@hairhegoes), hoping to coax casual feedback from friends and clients. The next morning, he glanced at his phone and couldn’t believe what he saw. “There were thousands of followers on my feed enquiring about this wig and trying to place an order,” he says. “I knew people liked wigs, but I never understood the extent of it until that moment.” These days, wigs are everywhere: they crown the heads of celebrities and influencers on red carpets and at music festivals, while images of candy-coloured bobs seem to multiply like sugar crystals on social media. But the truth is, our obsession with wigs has always been present – it just had a tight cap over it.

Sensing a new trend and encouraged by his overnight success, Darnell began designing custom-made wigs (“It was just me in a room full of hair for four years.”) before launching his own line, Powder Room D. Celebrities took notice and requested pieces, but it was a collaboration with singer-songwriter Kehlani that moved his artistry to the next level – and signalled a shift in the world of wig making.

“Kehlani was really awesome and honest about wearing wigs, and she came right out and gave me credit,” says Darnell. “That was a first. Now clients mention me all the time on social media. It’s become the cool thing for celebrities to admit to wearing wigs.”