Page 22 - Demo

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
FROM PAGE 19
How did the Wigs on Wheels service come about?
Wigs on Wheels as its name [implies] is a service that comes
to the home to fit women for their wigs. Like all good business ideas, it came to be out of necessity. There was nothing like it on the market and the owner’s mother was undergoing treatment and was unable to travel to get a wig, so her daughter came up with the concept.
How long have you been at Wigs on Wheels and how did you come to work there?
I’m in my 13th year of operating my own franchise
(in Melbourne). I’d always wanted to run my own business and be of some help or service to the community, but wasn’t sure how I could be of use. Then one day I was working in my part-time admin job and I came across an article on Wigs on Wheels. I knew there and then that, that was what I wanted
to do. Everybody asks me if I was a hairdresser in the industry. The answer is no. I had no prior knowledge or experience with wigs, just a need to contribute to helping others.
What’s your role within the business?
I’m the sole operator (‘lady boss’) of Wigs on Wheels Melbourne. It’s just me, myself and I at the helm. And to be honest, I’m pretty much self-taught. I had to learn on my feet the hard way. I’ve made plenty of mistakes over the years and have had to learn from others and dust myself off and keep moving. I had to learn how to cut hair – people are amazed that I’m not a hairdresser. What I say to that is: I’m a wig cutter. There’s a big difference. Wigs don’t ‘behave’ like hair. They have their own way of being.
How are the wigs made and how are they made to look so natural – something that’s clearly important when making wig choices?
I have a philosophy that I’ve always stood by, and that is: would I wear that wig if I was that person? If the answer is no, I won’t sell or stock that wig. I put myself in that person’s shoes and think I’d want someone to tell me if it looks like
a ‘bad’ wig. I tell my clients that my reputation is far more important than trying to ‘sell’ a wig to a person. I want to
put the best possible hair on that lady, so she oozes self- confidence. In return, I’ve learnt that women talk, and if they’re happy with a product or a service, they’ll tell anyone they know. And to me, that’s the best advertising a business can do, because people trust what other people say about a service. The wigs I provide are medical-grade quality, designed to appear like natural hair, from the lace front hair lines to the ’on trend’ colours on offer. These aren’t costume or fun wigs, they’re designed to fool everybody! (laughs).
Who is the service targeted at? Who makes up the clientele?
I personally fit any woman who needs hair. I don’t discriminate on that. It can be for oncological treatment (my main clientele); however, I also do a lot of women with alopecia or thinning hair, or it’s just straight-up ‘bad hair day’ wigs.
What’s involved in an appointment with Wigs on Wheels?
I have a discussion with my client around what’s involved in an appointment. Most women who contact me are new to all of this. They’re anxious and at times feeling very vulnerable, so I like to put them at ease quickly by ‘taking charge’, as in
reassuring them about what to expect. They aren’t meant to know what to do – that’s my job.
I then chat to them about why they need a wig, because
a woman with thin hair will have different requirements to a woman going through chemotherapy. We then talk about what their current hairdo looks like (or doesn’t if they’ve already
lost it). Then I talk about how I’m going to come over with a selection of wigs. Then we just try them on and talk about what they like and don’t like about each wig – for example, the length, colour, thickness, etc. Then it’s a process of narrowing it down.
All up, I can be there anywhere from an hour to four hours, depending on how many cups of tea we drink and how much we talk. If you haven’t noticed, I love a chat!
For many women, going through challenging times such as chemotherapy and the hair loss associated (and, I imagine, a hit to the self-esteem) means that a wig is more than, well, just a wig.
Oh yes! I can’t tell you what a wig can do for a woman. I’ve spent the past 13 years exploring this and I’m still affected by this on a daily basis. I have women tell me some of their biggest fears, concerns, etc., with being unwell, and hair loss is usually next to dying. The pressure society places on women and their appearance is very real and serious, so when I can help a woman with that, it’s magic.
I never get sick of it. In fact, I think I’m addicted to it. People sometimes think it’s vanity. It’s not. It’s identity.
It’s so important to a lot of women that when they look
in the mirror, they like what they see looking back, and that’s not vanity. I’m very aware of the privilege that I have, to be able to help women at that point in their lives. It’s an honour for me.
RETAIL PHARMACY ASSISTANTS • JUL 2020