One click to WOW!

www.dionnesmithwigs.com was founded by styling savant Dionne Smith and is the UK’s shopping haven for weave wearers, which means, no more shipping costs or price conversions

For those who aren’t familiar with you tell us a bit about your styling background… I’ve been a brand for 18 years now and began with my own salon, styling clients and building a large celebrity clientele base. I work on editorial styling, advertising campaigns and high-fashion shoots. I’m an ambassador for international hair companies such as Curlformers and Design Essentials, and my work takes me all over the world. I’m also a columnist for OK! Nigeria and have my own double page spread in Blackhair magazine called Dionne Smith’s Style Desire where I recreate a popular celebrity hairstyle.

Congratulations on setting up www.dionnesmithwigs. com. What is the site all about? I love my new site, it’s my latest platform for my brand and offers customers the chance to buy my handmade closures, deluxe bespoke wigs, quality virgin extensions with customised colour services, and my recommended hair products all in one place. The site is easy to navigate and has everything you need to have a glam hair day wherever you are in the UK… or world!

What’s the difference between a bespoke handmade wig and a shop-bought wig? Bespoke handmade wigs are just that; they are made exclusively and solely to suit the client. Shop-bought wigs are basically ‘one size fits all’, so although there is nothing wrong with them, you may need to do some tweaking to get it to perfectly suit you. With my wigs, they are custom-made to order. This means they have the exact factors you want, be it the hair type, volume, colour, cut and shape, it’s made exclusively for you, so it’s rare you’ll see someone with the same hairstyle!

There are so many ways to install hair extensions, what’s the best method for afro hair? I find that sewing in hair extensions last longer, look more realistic and inflict less damage to the scalp and roots, as the extensions don’t pull on individual strands of hair and are attached to a canerow, which is usually made up of extensions itself. Sewn-in extensions, done properly, are a great protective style for afro hair.

You stock Brazilian and Peruvian hair, what’s the difference between the two? Virgin Brazilian hair is really popular, and the most similar to natural afro hair as it is full-looking, thick, soft, versatile in styling and has a natural wave. Peruvian hair is very light in weight and silkier than Brazilian hair. It is popular for closures and blends well with relaxed hair. As well as Brazilian and Peruvian, my site also stocks virgin Indian Remy hair, which is silkier than both the other hair types and colours easily. Depending on your own hair texture and if you wear extensions with a leave-out, you need to be able to distinguish between the three.

What’s your best selling product to date? My bespoke wigs are super popular at the moment as they allow people to change up their whole style without cutting or colouring their own hair. Plus their hair is protected under the wig which is a huge benefit. Not many brands offer bespoke handmade options at affordable prices with quality human hair. My customers love that, rather than having to do an at-home dye job or DIY cut that may ruin their extensions. With the service I offer, they can have it all done professionally and have it delivered to them exactly how they want.

There’s a perception that the US are more advanced when it comes to hair extensions and weave installments, do you still think that’s the case, or is the UK catching up? This has been true up until recently. As an international stylist, I’ve seen that they have a much bigger population and the market for extensions and weaves over there has been huge for as far back as I can remember, so they have needed to advance quicker than us because of their huge demand. Th e demand in the UK now for natural looking extensions, quality hair and perfectly finished weaves mean brands are evolving to suit this, and we are definitely catching up with them! It’s all about sourcing amazing hair and installing it well – and we can do that just as well!

www.dionnesmithwigs. com