Annie Woon's custom-made wigs cater to celebrities and cancer patients alike. The designer who has already made it to the runways of New York is all set to make the big splash by opening her first store there. A report by Deng Yanzi.

Hong Kong's Annie Woon has come a long way. A serendipitous encounter launched her career as one of the world's top wig designers. Now she is ready to make her big move into New York City where she hopes to conquer Broadway and the runways of one of the world's fashion capitals. She's also made a reputation as a caring woman, who hands out more than 100 wigs a year to ailing and needy people.

In fact, New York City is where her journey began. Woon, a 23-year-old first-year law student then, thought the "Loony Toons" characters displayed on a store window looked dreadful, having no hair adornment. Bugs Bunny and the colorfully dressed bunnies in his entourage, looked incompletely-dressed as well.

She came home to Hong Kong, dropped out of law school, took the few thousand dollars she had saved, contacted factories about production, and began making wigs. She made the first wigs in 1996 and sold them from door to door at the city's hair salons.

Today Woon is CEO of her own brand, WOON. Her designs have been worn in concert appearances by Anita Mui Yim-fong, Sammi Cheng Sau-man and others; featured around the world, in shop windows of international luxury brands like Christian Louboutin and Harvey Nichols, and on the silver screen in films directed by Ang Lee and Wong Kar-wai.

Despite her international acclaim, Woon is on the job before dawn, styling the wigs on mannequins at some of Hong Kong's leading luxury stores. At 7 am she's already bustling around the shop, grooming the hair meticulously, never leaving a strand out of place.

"It may seem trivial, but the job needs extremely close attention, not only for the styling, but also to avoid messing up the high-priced outfit on the model," the perfectionist said as she fine-tuned the position of the hairline, "and that's why sometimes I attend to it myself."

Today, Woon has a staff of eight, but she still insists on supervising the display in the high-end luxury shops that are her principal clients in Hong Kong, sometimes staying back overnight to finish the job.

Woon's business enjoyed steady growth until the SARS outbreak of 2003 when it was hard hit by cancellations. She had nearly hit rock bottom.

Woon kept going, contracting to a work for Boots, one of Britain's largest pharmacies which was producing its own line of shampoo.

"I'm not one of the best entrepreneurs; I have been through hard times," Woon said, "but I manage to change as the world does, and to spot the opportunities and use them. In the end, I manage to survive."

Caring and sharing

Each year Woon gives away around 100 wigs, valued at HK$2,000 each and above, and offers free head shaves to wig recipients, as well as maintenance of the wig such as washing and combing.

People in need, including cancer patients who have lost their hair during chemotherapy, are the major beneficiaries of the charity, Wonderful Knots Foundation. Woon gives away wigs to the sick and needy, to cancer patients and people on government subsidy.

"Kitty" is one of the beneficiaries of Woon's philanthropy. At the age of 2, Kitty was diagnosed with alopecia areata, a type of hair loss that leaves bald patches. The cause of the condition is unknown. Kitty wore headscarves, and wigs that were clearly identifiable as cheap hairpieces. In 2014 Kitty was referred to Woon by a social worker. Now the 12-year-old has a wig that looks like her natural hair.

Even though school dress code limits Kitty's choice of hairstyle, she still managed to find stylish, comfortable wigs appropriate for school from a selection Woon offered her.

Kitty doesn't pay for the wigs, worth up to HK$7,600. Woon treats the girl like her high-profile clients.

"Annie asks me to keep in touch with her. When I choose a style and let her know," Kitty told China Daily, "she will arrange it for me the next day."

Wigs for patients and the needy are different from Woon's avant-garde designs, meant to be worn as fashion accessories or simply to make a style statement. The latter are usually made with synthetic fiber of various colors, to create a dramatic effect on stage. Wigs for patients are clean, down-to-earth, and more importantly, comfortable. Some are made from human hair donated to the foundation, to create an even more natural look.

She is constantly improving the quality of her wigs, developing lighter-weight materials and adding aloe for better moisturization of the scalp - an element that sets her products apart from that of other wig makers.

In 2013, Woon was one among Ten Outstanding Young Persons of Hong Kong - a recognition of her philanthropic work. Winning the award opens more doors to serving causes such as education, the elderly community and the environment, she noted.

Nicole Lau, manager of Woon's company, also oversees the operations of the charitable foundation. "Annie is smart and you get to learn things from her," Lau said. "She may look tough, but she is in fact very reasonable. She simply looks after you and steers you away from mistakes."

Woon sees her team as a family and is willing to make compromises so that each team member might have a more balanced life. However, she holds her staff to a high standard at the same time. "I require my colleagues to be versatile. It is important for a small business like ours," she said.

Back where it began

In March, Woon plans to open a shop in New York City, the place where it all began for her. Woon's artistry debuted on the runways of New York's leading designer shows years ago, but dealing with overseas clients through e-mail isn't enough anymore. She wants to become a "presence" among some of the world's top designers and producers of shows on Broadway.

"To the clients, there's a big difference between having an actual store in the neighborhood and seeing pictures of my work, I want my customers to be able to see and touch our products," she said.

Woon contends that her business manages to survive because she has a long-haul vision. She plans ahead and always has a "Plan B and Plan C".

"If Broadway doesn't work for me, I may open new retail stores on the Chinese mainland. I have some customers who would travel across the border to my Hong Kong store for my wig, and new stores on the mainland will cater to this group of clients," Woon said.

Contact the writer at iris@chinadailyhk.com

Annie Woon worked with world-renowned fashion designers including Chinese mainland haute couture pioneer Guo Pei, and has made her presence on international runways. Photos provided to China Daily

The Bugs Bunny in a New York shop window inspired Annie Woon to start her career as a wig artist.

(HK Edition 02/02/2015 page8)