WANG ESTIMATES THAT 80 TO 90 PERCENT OF HIGH-END CHINESE-MADE WIGS ARE KNITTED IN NORTH KOREA DUE TO LOWER LABOR COSTS
on Chinese goods, Africa has become Rebecca’s largest market. According to the company’s 2018 annual report, its turnover on the continent totaled 895 million RMB, just under 50 percent of its total exports. The volume of hair product transactions in Africa on global retail platform Aliexpress is increasing annually by 100 to 300 percent.
Domestically, a new segment of consumers is now rising to create demand for wigs: cosplayers like Xiaohui (pseudonym), an 18-year-old college freshman in Jinan, Shandong province. Over three years ago, Xiaohui bought her first wig with the matching costume to cosplay Krul Tepes, a character from Japanese cartoon Seraph of the End, at an anime convention. Now she owns dozens of wigs, priced at around 100 RMB each, and wears some in daily life from time to time.
Xiaohui tells TWOC that it’s a common practice in the “2D” community, or fans of Japanese animation. “The wigs enable us to try different hairstyles in various colors without hurting our own hair with the perms and dyeing,” she explains.
Wang also noticed a spike in young Chinese wearing wigs as fashion accessories in 2009 and 2010, which coincided with Rebecca’s efforts to expand the domestic market in 2009. The company hired as its brand ambassador Fan Bingbing, a Chinese actress and global fashion icon who has worn wigs in various red carpet appearances.
Li, however, stopped wearing wigs three years ago on a doctor’s advice, due to concerns that it could clog her pores and worsen her hair loss. She tells TWOC she now lives in peace with her baldness, but dreams of a future where “smart wigs” can automatically tailor their shape to the individual wearer.
That prospect may still be in the realm of science fiction, but Wang agrees that innovation is key to the survival of China’s wig industry. “China’s status as the ‘world’s factory’ may be replaced by India or Vietnam, so we need to improve our craftsmanship, and make our products sharper and more exquisite,” he muses. “How that’s going to happen, I don’t know. It may be a slow process, not something you can do in a day.”