Meet The 10 Best Wig-Makers In The Beauty Game
In past years, it was easy to notice if someone was wearing a wig. Even an untrained eye could spot lace-fronts, wig tape, and unnatural colors from miles away. But my, how times have changed! Today, a celeb can grace the red carpet with platinum hair on Monday, get caught by the paparazzi in a jet-black pixie on Tuesday, and hit the stage for a performance with gray, waist-length dreadlocks on Wednesday — making us all wonder which is the real deal. And it’s all thanks to a talented team of wig-makers.
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These days, the pros are creating realistic wigs that afford clients the opportunity to experiment with wow-worthy looks without the need to cut, color, or even commit. It’s much more fun than a total ‘do-overhaul, and doesn’t damage natural hair with chemicals and heat-styling tools. (It’s all for a pretty penny, of course. Some artists have created wigs for up to $15K!)
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Page through to learn more about the top industry stylists changing the wig game one high-profile client at a time.
Photo courtesy of Kimble Beauty.
Kim Kimble
Far more than a wig-maker, Kim Kimble is a true hair maven. Most notable for her role as the woman who’s been getting Beyoncé’s hair in formation since the singer’s Austin Powers in Goldmember days, Kimble is also the star of WE TV’s L.A. Hair. On the show, you can find her creating custom wigs for clients in her eponymous Los Angeles-based salon, Kim Kimble Hair Studio.
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Kimble is also the founder of not one, but three hair-care brands, most recently launching HairDrobe, a line of wigs and hair extensions. “I would get phone calls from women with hair-loss issues who needed to wear wigs but wanted them to look natural,” says Kimble. “So I created a line for the everyday woman who doesn’t want to pay $15,000 for a wig, but wants the same effect.”
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When she’s not creating custom wigs for her regular customers, Kimble finds time to build masterpieces for iconic editorials — like Oprah’s 3.5-pound ‘fro on the cover of O, The Oprah Magazine. NBD.
Photo courtesy of Stacey Butterworth.
Stacey Butterworth
Today, you can see Stacey Butterworth’s work on the FX hit series The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, for which she helped transform John Travolta into defense attorney Robert Shapiro. With her over 25 years in the wig-making biz, you can credit Butterworth for some of the most iconic looks in film and television, from Gillian Anderson’s red bob onThe X-Files to Hugh Jackman’s tousled crop inX-Men: Days of Future Past. “Wigs for film are great for continuity,” says Butterworth. “Actors come back months after the film wraps for reshoots and it’s easy to restore their look with a wig.”
Photo: Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock.
When asked to share the most memorable wig she’s ever created, Butterworth has no problem picking favorites. “My most memorable wig was [the one I created for] Jennifer Lawrence in American Hustle. Why? Because of the intricacy of color-blending [that it took] and the limited time I had to make it — and, of course, because she rocked it! I had people from all over the world calling me after that film came out.”
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Photo courtesy of Shon Hyungsun Ju.
Shon Hyungsun Ju
While some celebs opt to keep their wig-wearing ways on the low, others — like Katy Perry — wig out with no shame, making stylists like Shon Hyungsun Ju’s jobs all the more fun.
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“Katy is a client that constantly challenges me creatively,” he says. “Her wigs are always unique, but need to look as realistic as possible — there’s no retouching on the red carpet!”
Photo: Charley Gallay/KCA2010/Getty Images.
Hyungsun Ju’s Instagram feed could be considered a virtual hair museum, sprinkled with frequent photos of dramatic wigs on eerie mannequin heads and in glass domes. Katy's colorful wig from her H&M Christmas ad last year is the perfect example.
Photo: Mateus Porto.
Isaac Davidson
After a chance encounter with a wig-maker in an NYC wig shop the week of 9/11, then hairstylist Isaac Davidson began as an assistant wig stylist on Broadway and fell in love with the craft. “Working with those New York club kids helped me learn all of these little tricks that are just invaluable,” he says.
Photo: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/Filmmagic.
Today, Davidson is the founder of NYC-based wig and extension design studio Wigbar, where he creates custom styles for fashion campaigns and celebs. But because he is the go-to wig-maker for the albums 1000 Forms of Fear andThis Is Acting, it’s Sia’s face-hiding wigs that Davidson’s hands are full of these days. “She’s literally amazing,” he says of the mysterious singer. “She’s brilliant and gives us the freedom to do what we want.”
For more, visit Refinery29.
By: Lyndsay Green
