Jessica Hyllarée

The business is owned and run by Jessica Hyllarée, a custom wig designer who works from its Raleigh and Durham/Chapel Hill studios and travels to New York every other week to meet clients there. Each piece is made to order, and the studio works with women experiencing hair loss, including cancer-related hair loss and alopecia, as well as with bridal clients.

A visit begins with a free private consultation, held by appointment and without pressure. Samples in a range of colors, textures and styles are available to try on, and a written record of colors, texture, head measurements, options and pricing goes into the client's file. No deposit is taken on the spot; a small deposit is requested only when an order is placed. Projects typically take about three to four weeks, and sooner when urgent. Pricing depends on hair type, color complexity, length and thickness, and quoted prices exclude North Carolina sales tax of 7.5% and New York City sales tax of 8.8%.

Clients who pick up a custom piece receive an appointment that includes about an hour of attachment practice and care instruction. Free follow-up appointments are offered after delivery for anyone with questions. The studio also offers a three-stage program that adapts a custom wig into a hairpiece and then into clip-on extensions as hair grows, and it repairs wigs and toppers, including color changes, hair fill-in, knot bleaching, deep conditioning, lengthening and thinning or thickening. Repairs are done in North Carolina, sometimes while the client waits, and out-of-town clients can ship a piece by FedEx; turnaround is sometimes under a week.

The studio does not offer glue, tape, keratin, microbead or other permanent extension systems. Hair is sold with a satisfaction guarantee.

Each piece is customized to the client's hair color, texture, length, thickness and head measurements, with hair chosen by color, texture, length and cuticle thickness. Clients are taught how to attach, detach, style, wash and maintain their pieces.