Once Upon a Time
This fairytale begins in the year 2013 when Gingerella went by the name ‘Krystal.’ Like most baby drag queens she had for a number of years played in platinum blonde wigs, misguided make up looks and questionable fashion choices. It was at this time however that ‘Krystal’ was becoming a woman with aspirations of curating a style and aesthetic to elevate her craft. This is where the love affair began with the timeless beauty of long ago eras, the rebellious feminine of the roaring 20’s, the ‘we can do it’ attitude of the female work force in the 40’s, the golden age of silver screens and the glamour of celebrity in the 50’s, the power suits and strong female energy making waves in male dominated spaces in the 80’s. Each period of time was defined by a distinctive look as a response to the culture and the ever changing world of the times and none more distinctive than the crown of humanity, the way we wore our hair. Over time it would be this interest and deepening passion for vintage styles that would give birth to the persona ‘Gingerella’.
In the Beginning
In curating my new look it became clear to me that the hair styling was a key component and I was going to have to learn how the men and women of their time achieved these decade defining silhouettes. In the beginning it was style over substance and my knowledge of wig making was limited, so I started with a floral print canvas block, some store bought mesh and Velcro rollers, and a thrifted mint green bonet hair dryer. Amongst the bullet bras, petticoats, costume jewelry and a-line skirts it only seemed appropriate to keep with aesthetics in the tools I used for hair dressing. In time I would learn that the art form of wig making goes back even further than the 20th Century references I was using as my building blocks and there was a whole new medium with a wealth of tried and true techniques waiting for me.
If at First You Don't Succeed
I would spend the next few years teaching myself the art of wig making alongside the polishing of my vintage inspired drag aesthetic. I started with a book of vintage hairstyles with step by step guides showing how they could be achieved. I spent many hours trying my hand at creating styles, it was typically moving at a glacial pace and more often than not I made lots of bad hair that didn’t quite turn out. On the occasions where I managed to make the styles I was picturing in my head it was by sheer luck and it wasn’t clear exactly how I achieved the final product. Each failure and success did get me one step closer to creating some skill in my craft and the art form was slowly becoming equally as motivating as the passion I felt for the art of drag.
Practice Makes Perfect
Being self taught was a part of my story, I’ve always been stubborn in that way and I would’ve greatly benefited from apprenticeship which would have saved me lots of time and heartache. Thankfully stubbornness translated to strong dedication in my case and along with that I used the information I could find online which at the time seemed so limited. However, thanks to a small community of wig artisans sharing their craft on YouTube I fell into the camp of theatrical wig makers using techniques and tools that have generally stayed the same for centuries. I delved deep and used this information to switch up my approach to the craft and soon I was using proper cork wig blocks, twill tape, hat pins, curl patterns, teasing and sculpting. With practice and through countless hours I began to actually translate the idea into reality, identifying the process and practices that worked best, having a crafted vintage inspired beauty as the final result.
Vision Becomes Reality
In all that time the art form of wig making grew in parallel to the art form of drag and the styles I had the ability to create now complemented the polished aesthetic I was curating through the art form of drag. My artistic expression was always geared towards the stage and live performance but living in a conservative state with limited queer spaces that were quite a distance from me I found my niche in a group of aspiring models and photographers who would come together for shoots centered around a theme. Through collaboration in the safety of a welcoming environment we made beautiful snapshots that captured the beauty within radiating outwards. Every participant helped make the best experience possible in our shoots with a constant stream of collaboration and support. The art form I spent so long creating and perfecting found a perfect outlet in this group, it was during this time I found how multiple artists bringing together and combining their skills makes for some powerful magic.
Business Opportunity
It was during this period of my life that I got to do the thing that every artist yearns for, sharing what they create with the world. I had so many beautiful photos showcasing my artistry thanks to this troop of creatives I had found and I was sharing them consistently through social media. I also found joy in sharing glimpses of my wig making in between shoots and discovered that for myself the aesthetics of wig dressing in progress was particularly pleasing. Whether a satisfying roller set or a completed style adorned with hair clips and pearl head pins, I found the deconstructed and gritty steps through the hair dressing process intriguing, engaging and shareable.
It was through sharing this part of my craft online that I got my first opportunity to work as a wig maker. Approached by a theatrical production for the musical “Ruthless”, I was asked to create a wig package for characters in the show. This was perhaps the most pivotal moment for what would become my future because for the first time I recognized I was skilled and qualified enough to be paid for my skills and it gave me a courage I had not possessed before to pursue what could become a career. Without knowing it at the time, a style I created for that production would become the centerpiece in my business logo and it still is to this day.
The First Dollar
After completing my work on the production of “Ruthless” I decided to make a bold move by taking all the money I made from my first gig as a wig maker and use it to start my business ‘Wigs by Gingerella’. I created my logo and began making a collection of silhouettes that would become the first items I would sell in my shop. Using lighting equipment and a silver sequin back drop I had already been using for content creation in drag, I transformed into Gingerella and dawned each of my new styles to model them for my product listings and create a banner to splash across the top of my online store. I shared this process online through social media in the lead up to launch day I was approached to recreate one of my silhouettes for a fellow drag queen. They became my first customer and first sale made under my new business, it was the first opportunity I had to test run my process and packaging design for shipping, all of which I continue to use to this day. Once I finished creating my first style under Wigs by Gingerella I packed up the order, walked down to my local post office to drop it off and then stopped at my bank on the way home where I approached the teller and requested a withdraw of one dollar. My first dollar was framed that day and has remained with me through all of the growth and changes in the years to come.
Open For Business
On May 30th 2019, Wigs by Gingerella went live on Etsy. In the month leading up to this momentous occasion I was in a frenzy of styling, editing photographs, writing up titles and descriptions for my listings and posting daily to my social media to hopefully build up some anticipation for the big day. On day one I had a shelf full of wigs, an online store with ten items stocking the virtual shelves and a strong belief that I had created something special. I truly felt I could find some level of success in this new venture based on my personal experience with the online culture of consumers incorporating professionally styled wigs to complement their own artistry and fellow wig makers who were already an example of talented stylists working for themselves. What I didn’t know for sure was what that level of success could, or eventually would be but it was my first day in business, all I had was the sole effort I put into creating my storefront thus far and potential. It was only the beginning, in that moment I was filled with gratitude and an immense pride that no matter what came next I actually had the idea and I made it a reality.
Dining Room Days
The growth from day one in the year or two that followed was very gradual and in hindsight I am incredibly grateful for that. I was still working full time in my first career and running my business during the time between shifts. I eventually I picked up shop and moved to Las Vegas, Nevada staying with the same company continuing to work full time and operating Wigs by Gingerella between two rooms in my apartment, my office, photography set up and storage space taking up about half of my bedroom and the actual work space being off to the side of my dining room. The pace was starting to pick up and I was running ragged through a closing shift at work, creating wigs through the late evening into the early morning hours, getting the unrecommended amount of sleep at night and doing it all over again. I eventually dropped down to a part time employee at work dedicating more of my time to wig making and by the end of summer in 2021 Wigs by Gingerella became my full time job. The transition was long overdue and I was incredibly nervous to leave the security of regular employment but I finally took the plunge and spent all of my time in the dining room workshop whipping up wigs and taking risks.
A Professional Touch
Now that Wigs by Gingerella had grown into much more than just a full time job, there was always work to be done and orders to fulfill. I had already been using number of professional tools in the wig making process but it was clear that things would need to start scaling up. My roller sets would be steamed and dried before making it to the final step of styling and during all this time I had been using my DIY method of a wig dryer, that being a cardboard shipping box with a blow dryer shoved into the side drying and heat setting my roller sets one at a time. Beyond the obvious hazards and additional cost to the electrical bill that comes with running a blow dryer practically non-stop, I was running a full production now even as a one woman show and it was time for a big investment. I purchased one industrious piece of equipment that you would rarely ever come across and only expect to see in the hair department of a theater production. It was a proud moment the day my wig drying cabinet was delivered, it was a lovely addition to the dinning room workshop and allowed me to dry up to six roller sets at a time. For the time being it remained on the floor across from the dining table with the top surface storing all my brushes, tools and pins I used for styling. I felt I had everything I needed now to operate a successful and professional wig business except for one glaring issue of course, an actual workshop.
Home Sweet Home
After the good old days of sharing my personal living space with Gingerella sleeping feet away from my desk and shelves of wigs, staring at a silver sequin wall with studio lighting and filling a dining room table with canvas blocks, clamp wig stands and a bulk quantity of hairspray cans it was time for a place to call home. In 2022 we picked up shop once again and move into our first office space. With walls painted in a signature mint green shade, a work table, a desk, storage bins and shelves all of Wigs by Gingerella finally resided in one beautiful, functional space. With this final addition the idea of Wigs by Gingerella becoming a career came to be. It was of course was the end result over years of growth, hard work and change but it all began with the customers who supported my small business over those preceding years. Through a shared love and passion for timeless beauty, through a collaborative desire for artistic expression we make compelling transformations. Transformations into compelling looks in which a well styled wig plays a small role, to the compelling transformation that came about in my life by creating those well styled wigs for thousands of talented artists across the globe.
Happily Ever After
That brings us to today, over 3000 styles shipped and counting to satisfied customers in many countries all across the globe. We have since picked up shop once again and are now operating out of Chicago, Illinois. The catalog of silhouettes has grown to over 70 unique styles spanning from the 1920’s to the 90’s as inspiration, all made to order in your choice of color from 19 variations in our shade chart and dozens more unlisted custom color options to explore. We have created dozens of custom styles based on the ideas and photo references of customers, one of a kind and uniquely their own. In all that time over 800 customers have shared about their 5 star experience with Wigs by Gingerella and have spoken glowingly about item quality, customer service, thoughtful packaging and their full endorsement to potential customers. To all the customers over these years and to all of those that will share their support in the years to come, thank you for making my wish come true. If you’ve taken the time to read through this Cinderella story just know you’re the fairy god mother in my fairytale, you came into my life and changed my whole world, it is with deep gratitude that I thank you for proving that dreams really do come true.