By Jane Han
NEW YORK _ Korean wig makers in America didn't see this one coming. Of all the things that could help their thinning business, who would've known they'd get the biggest unexpected boost from none other than U.S. first lady Michelle Obama.
The bangs came to the rescue.
The fashionable first lady debuted her new, high-profile bangs early this year, which put her under the style spotlight once again. Obama's full-on fringe look immediately got people talking, doing and shopping bangs.
''The timing couldn't be any better,'' says Sarah Jung, who runs a wholesale beauty supply distributor in Manhattan.
Sales of fashion wigs, as with many other beauty items, are directly linked to the overall economy, explains Jung, who has been in the business for more than 10 years.
''You're not going to find people shopping for a new hairdo when they're worrying about paying for this month's rent,'' she said, adding that the beauty industry, in general, isn't doing well, but fringes are.
Kim Moo-tae, who owns a wig retailer in Los Angeles, says people come in specifically looking for the ''first lady look.''
''The hair piece isn't anything too fancy. People can wear it to work, go to a party or use it just to spice up an ordinary hairdo for a special occasion,'' he said, adding that the subtleness is what makes the ''Obama bangs'' so popular.
Ranging anywhere from $20 to as much as $200, clip-in bangs that resemble the first lady's fringe are now being designed and launched by most Korean wigmakers, who account for a substantial share of the beauty supply industry in the U.S.
New Jigu Trading, a major beauty supply distributor based in New York, is releasing a whole new line of Obama-inspired wigs next month.
It already launched a ''Lady Obama'' series in 2008, which, officials say, attracted a continuous flow of customers in their 30s to 50s who want a modest and sophisticated look.
''We're hoping that the new series will draw even more people who want the hottest and latest in hairdo,'' said Kim Hyun-joon, who heads the company.
As wigmakers are rushing to capitalize on the golden opportunity, there is one concern: The first lady is apparently falling out of love with her new bangs, already.
In a recent interview, she was quoted as saying, ''The bangs are a day-by-day proposition. They're starting to grow out, getting a little irritating.''
''Hopefully she'll stick to them just a bit longer, at least until we sell out our current inventory,'' says Jung, the Manhattan wholesale distributor.
 |
| U.S. first lady Michelle Obama |
The bangs came to the rescue.
The fashionable first lady debuted her new, high-profile bangs early this year, which put her under the style spotlight once again. Obama's full-on fringe look immediately got people talking, doing and shopping bangs.
''The timing couldn't be any better,'' says Sarah Jung, who runs a wholesale beauty supply distributor in Manhattan.
Sales of fashion wigs, as with many other beauty items, are directly linked to the overall economy, explains Jung, who has been in the business for more than 10 years.
''You're not going to find people shopping for a new hairdo when they're worrying about paying for this month's rent,'' she said, adding that the beauty industry, in general, isn't doing well, but fringes are.
Kim Moo-tae, who owns a wig retailer in Los Angeles, says people come in specifically looking for the ''first lady look.''
''The hair piece isn't anything too fancy. People can wear it to work, go to a party or use it just to spice up an ordinary hairdo for a special occasion,'' he said, adding that the subtleness is what makes the ''Obama bangs'' so popular.
Ranging anywhere from $20 to as much as $200, clip-in bangs that resemble the first lady's fringe are now being designed and launched by most Korean wigmakers, who account for a substantial share of the beauty supply industry in the U.S.
New Jigu Trading, a major beauty supply distributor based in New York, is releasing a whole new line of Obama-inspired wigs next month.
It already launched a ''Lady Obama'' series in 2008, which, officials say, attracted a continuous flow of customers in their 30s to 50s who want a modest and sophisticated look.
''We're hoping that the new series will draw even more people who want the hottest and latest in hairdo,'' said Kim Hyun-joon, who heads the company.
As wigmakers are rushing to capitalize on the golden opportunity, there is one concern: The first lady is apparently falling out of love with her new bangs, already.
In a recent interview, she was quoted as saying, ''The bangs are a day-by-day proposition. They're starting to grow out, getting a little irritating.''
''Hopefully she'll stick to them just a bit longer, at least until we sell out our current inventory,'' says Jung, the Manhattan wholesale distributor.
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