Get a new looks with fashionable wigs
Get a new looks with fashionable wigs
Agus Maryono, The Jakarta Post, Purbalingga, Central Java
Do you want your hair to look like top singers Kris Dayanti or
Titi DJ? Or maybe you want to go blonde or brunette for a change?
Thanks to wigmakers in Purbalingga, Central Java, women can
enjoy different looks for different occasions.
Wig-making is a big business in Purbalingga regency,
particularly in the village of Karangbanjar. And the wigmakers do
not only specialize in wigs, but also make accessories such as
small and big hair buns (gelung).
In 1962, the wigmakers here were only producing hair buns,
which were mostly used by the wives of government officials for
ceremonial events.
Now, according to one wigmaker, Maryoto, 58, the village has
some 200 people making wigs and hair buns, most of them women.
"The profits are not really that high but it's better than
working as a laborer," said the man who has been in the business
since 1962.
The village receives orders for wigs and hair buns not only
from local customers, but also from abroad.
"Orders come from as far away as Malaysia, Singapore and
Suriname," Maryoto said.
In hunting down the main materials for their products -- hair
-- some wigmakers go from house to house, or from village to
village. Maryoto has even traveled as far afield as Surabaya to
buy hair, which can be difficult to secure because it has to be
at least 25 centimeters long.
"You know, not many women have long hair these days. Its not
like in this village, where the women know if they grow their
hair they can sell it later on," said Kasini, Maryoto's wife.
Sometimes, Maryoto spends three days hunting down suitable
hair. "I usually buy 20 to 30 kilograms of hair each time,"
Maryoto said.
He pays between Rp 50,000 and Rp 75,000 for a kilogram of
hair, depending on the quality. For instance, long, black and
shiny hair fetches the highest price.
"I usually buy long hair, at least 25 centimeters in length.
Otherwise, it will be too difficult to use to make wigs or hair
buns," Maryoto said.
A kilogram of hair can be turned into 20 small hair buns,
which are sold for Rp 10,000 each, or into five wigs.
"I usually sell wigs for Rp 150,000 each," said Maryoto. He
added that 90 percent of his wigs were sold in big cities like
Jakarta, Surabaya and Yogyakarta.
On a monthly basis, he can sell over 30 wigs.
"I get a lot of orders for wigs. In good times, we can get
orders for 100 wigs," he said.
Hair buns, however, are becoming less popular, he said,
probably because people now prefer easy-to-wear wigs instead.
Women also prefer to rent hair buns instead of buying them.
Large hair buns usually cost Rp 25,000 each.
"Renting a hair bun only costs Rp 5,000. And now hair buns are
rarely used, maybe once a year on Kartini Day," Maryoto say.
Kartini Day falls on April 21 and marks the birth of the heroine
of women's emancipation.
The economic crisis has had little impact on the wig-making
business, since the price of the raw material has not changed
much.
"But I still raised my production costs a little because I had
to give my workers raises since the price of staple foods kept
increasing," said Maryoto, who is assisted in his business by his
wife, three children and three employees.
Apart from the wigs and hair buns made by small-scale
operations, Purbalingga is also home to five large Korean
companies that produce quality wigs. These companies, which
export about 90 percent of their products, mainly to the United
States, not only produce wigs but also fake eyelashes.