In this article from Threads #171, Kenneth D. King takes you inside Eddie Wilson’s world. Eddie is an expert wig designer for stage and screen. His days are spent meticulously crafting the coiffures that surround him. He loves classic movies from the 1930s and ’40s, and studies every aspect of a performance-not just the acting, but the hair, the clothes, the makeup, and how all work together to create the magic to bring a character to life. I spent a day in Eddie’s studio learning a few things about wigs from this talented man, and he’s invited you, too, to see his methods.

The art of wig making is a discipline any sewer can relate to. There’s fitting, thread, fabric, needles, stitching, and a specific process. And then, for Eddie, there’s also hair.

Beginning with his beauty school training in college, Eddie has constantly furthered his education. It’s important to be licensed when working with hair for Broadway or film, because color and chemicals are involved at each stage-from matching the wig to the actor’s hair to attaching the wig to the actor’s head to cleaning the wig after it is worn.