Travel Diary Part 3 - Behind the Craftsmanship of Daniel Alain Wigs
At Daniel Alain, we talk a lot about the quality of our European hair. In fact, we’re pretty well-known in the industry for using the highest quality human hair in our wigs and toppers. We also talk about our ‘private reserve’ which is important, because sourcing European human hair these days is virtually impossible.
European human hair is extremely rare and in an industry that has no regulations about what claims a brand can make about the quality (or origin) of their hair, anyone can make claims about the kind of hair they are using in their wigs and toppers without consequence.
These days, it’s virtually impossible to buy European hair. These days, designers in the theater, film, and entertainment industries are likely to be the only wig-makers who have the specialist skills to work with European hair and are able to make wigs in very small quantities.
When selecting a reputable brand for wigs and toppers made from European human hair, it's important to choose one that takes pride in the provenance of their materials. A trustworthy company will openly discuss where their hair is sourced and provide proof to support their claims. Here at Daniel Alain, we already own the European hair and have it safely stored under lock and key in a bonded warehouse a stone’s throw from the factory.
The day we filmed at the warehouse, it poured with rain. We had to run from the car to the entrance under a canopy of brightly colored umbrellas. We could hear the constant patter of raindrops on the metal roof and against the windows, and it gave the cavernous warehouse an almost cozy feel as we huddled inside under its cover. We wanted to film this for our shoot, even though filming sealed boxes of hair is not the most dynamic shot. We thought (hope) our customers would appreciate seeing the private reserve that we talk about so often, for themselves.
When a box of hair is brought from the warehouse to the factory, it’s first sorted by quality. From our Style collection, made from premium, 100% European human ponytail hair, every single one of our collections has a fine texture and a natural movement and flow. After workers identify the hair to be used for each wig and topper collection, the hair is taken to be washed.
A large area of the factory is dedicated to rows of stainless steel sinks where workers wash hair, wigs, and toppers by hand. While most of the factory floor is quietly industrious, at the sinks there’s a constant sound of running, splashing water as workers dunk and swirl hair in and out of the basins.
Workers humored us as we filmed them washing the hair over and over again to get the perfect shot. We filmed in the factory over 6 full days, and as the week went by, we became familiar with the workers, their names, and their faces. Despite a communication barrier, we got by with helpful translations from the factory managers and a healthy dose of smiles, nods, and thumbs up! While I’m sure we were a bit in the way with a large amount of lighting and camera equipment, everyone was good natured and patient with us and our requests.
Beyond the washing section is the equally large bleaching and dyeing area where our hair is treated with kid gloves to preserve its integrity and quality. It’s this section that has been thoughtfully designed to prioritize the health and safety of the workers. Proper ventilation and air flow ensure no one is breathing harmful chemicals and appropriate protective clothing protects the worker’s skin and eyes from splashes.
A factory that processes Asian or Indian hair that all starts off as the same color, can easily devise a simple bleaching and coloring process to deal with the hair; bleach, dye, rinse, repeat etc. European hair, on the other hand, comes in a huge range of natural colors from the lightest blondes to the deepest browns, which means you have to have a meticulous and labor-intensive coloring process.
European hair has to be bleached and colored in small batches, one color at a time. Our colorists are experts at what they do but they almost have to reinvent the wheel every time they color a ponytail. And when some of our wigs have up to 4 different colors for natural depth and dimension, the colorists are constantly tweaking the length of time needed to bleach hair, adjusting dye formulas, and continually comparing their work to the premade swatches to check accuracy.
I was especially interested to visit the cap section because I like to sew myself - nothing as detailed and intricate as the wig caps we saw being made, but I definitely have an appreciation for bolts of fabric, pattern cutting, and seeing a design come to life. Our wig caps are known for their extensive range of sizes - no squeezing into a size M because you’ve been told you have an average sized head. Our caps range from XXXS to XL, and each cap is made from eight separate pattern pieces, each individually measured and cut to size. This ensures every one of our customers will find a cap that feels tailor made,
We had an idea to film an artistic shot of one of the workers rolling a bolt of Swiss lace down a countertop. This shot took over an hour to set up and Grégoire needed to sit on top of a ladder, balancing his tripod on a wooden box stacked upon a chair. The finished shot lasts only a couple of seconds, but was worth the hijinx and gymnastics it took to make it perfect.
For me, the most fascinating section was the ventilation area, where workers tie each strand of hair to the lace wig cap. Workers have astonishingly good eyesight and work under bright, natural lighting to complete this painstaking task. It takes over 60 hours to ventilate the hair on one of our 100% hand-tied Style wigs. One set of hands works on the same wig from beginning to end, their fingers delicately manipulating their tool before tying a knot, and the factory keeps detailed records so we know exactly who created each piece.
Having the opportunity to see firsthand how our wigs and toppers are made deepened my understanding of and admiration for the entire process. I feel very fortunate to witness just how detailed and intentional each step is - from sorting the hair by quality to hand-tying each strand to the finished wig cap.
The workers are true artisans and in the final installment of my travel diary, I want to introduce to you some of the people we met and who put their time and energy into creating our (your) wigs and toppers. They deserve their spot in the limelight too!
Watch the Daniel Alain wigs come to life
Reading about the process of creating our wigs and toppers is one thing, but seeing it come to life is truly another.
We captured it all on video, and now you can experience it for yourself. Head over to our factory video series to watch the journey unfold. See the passion and precision that go into each piece and gain a deeper appreciation for the craftsmanship behind our wigs and toppers. You won’t want to miss meeting the artisans who make it all happen!
