The wig industry is reportedly worth $13 billion globally but few black beauty entrepreneurs count as top players in the industry. Also, black women face unique challenges when it comes to wig making and the process tends to be quite arduous – requiring sitting with a stylist on average, for eight hours.
Singer Justine Skye wants to change that narrative with her own hair brand, using artificial intelligence called Parfait. Her venture into the industry was influenced by her traumatic experience with wigs. Her first wig experience was not the best.
“I think I tried to get a lace front – and I won’t say who, but today, they’re really big and they’ve grown – but it was like way, way, way back in time. As people grow they kind of get used to it and understand how to do hair,” she told Girls United.
Growing up, Skye typically opted for sew-in weaves because she didn’t know as much about wigs at the time. To date, she says will ask to get her wig sewn down in an effort to keep it from sliding back.
That fear is now over for Skye and many others like her, following the launch of her own brand which is the first-ever direct-to-consumer wig customization platform. According to techcrunch, Parfait’s solution allows women to answer a series of questions in order to come up with a final design. What is more, it uses AI to help size the wig to your unique head shape and matches the lace to the user’s skin tone.
Whether it is styling for a fashion show or heading for a shoot out, Skye embraces the versatility of her hair including the number of various wigs of different styles, colours, and textures she can put on her head.
“What’s so amazing about wigs [is] you can really put it on where you can just do-and-go for the day. Like, ‘this is what I’m doing for the day and I’m just going to go. I don’t need to put it on so securely.’ If you’re going to wear it for a while, then you can sew it down, glue it on, just use hairspray and melt it down, so it’s not too intense,” she tells Girls United.
Skye’s collection includes a 14-inch blonde wavy wig, a 30-inch silky jet black wig, a short and chic jet black bob, and her signature dark root hair with purple hues. Meanwhile, her AI-powered hair tech for black women is also a favourite of retired tennis star and style icon Serena Williams.
