At just 24 years old, celebrity wig maker Noah Scott is a bit of a revelation.
In four years his company WhatWigs has not only created wigs and hairpieces for the likes of Ariana Granda, Nicki Minaj and Katy Perry, but turned over seven figures in sales with a lean, mean team of one.
“I grew up in a super small town with almost nothing to do, so like the majority of our generation, I grew up watching YouTube videos,” the Virginia native tells me, tracing the tracks that led him to become one of Hollywood’s most in-demand wig stylists.
“I had a fascination with hair pieces from a young age. I would watch hundreds of videos on how to make a wigs, then I would make my parents take me to the local beauty supply store, get the cheapest hair they had and try to replicate what I would watch from those videos.”
By the time Scott turned 17 he had perfected his craft but knew there was limited scope for sales or clients in his mountainside hometown, so decided to move to San Diego.
“It wasn’t that easy,” Scott admits. “I still had to make a living, so I worked a retail job that I was miserable at.”
In that time, Scott would often create wigs for his friends to wear out on the town. Stunning, flowering pieces that used lace-front and full-lace closures to mimic the look real hair.
Pieces that always caught the attention of strangers that wanted to know how they, too, could achieve perfect, long hair.
After three years he decided to take the plunge, quit his job, and dive deep into wigmaking with the launch of a one-man wig business, ‘WhatWigs’.
He would make a website, create all of the wigs, and combine organic social media marketing and celebrity endorsements to give the business its best shot.
“The first time I worked with a celebrity I actually met up with her at a gas station in the middle of Los Angeles to give her a wig,” he laughs. “It was an experience I’ll never forget.”
In the early days, challenges were plentiful. For photo shoots, performances and more, celebrity clients often require unusual lengths, colors, and textures.
“I once made a wig that cost about $20,000 and was about six feet of the rarest hair in the world—it’s almost impossible to find hair of that quality and length!”
Still, his hard work paid off. Soon after, a wig he created for the singer Kehlani sparked something of a celebrity domino effect. The Kardashians, Demi Lovato, a handful of RuPaul’s Drag Race queens, Paris Hilton, and more were soon to follow as clients.
“I think my biggest lesson learned would be that closed mouths don’t get fed,” he says. “If you want something put it out into the universe and go get it. If you don’t at least put yourself out there you won’t achieve anything.”
Case in point, the hairpiece he made for Ariana Grande when she headlined Coachella in 2019.
“It’s my favorite piece I’ve ever made—a super long, silky dark brown ponytail that flowed in the wind beautifully the entire performance,” he says. “That was a super exciting moment for me as it was my first major client and I got to see my work in action for the first time ever.”
Even with a global pandemic at play, business didn’t seem to slow. Engaging with the hair tutorials and hair-tastic portraits shared on his @WhatWigs Instagram account, customers flooded in as fast as the celebrities.
At this point, his work is split between website sales (60%) and custom creations for his celebrity clientele (40%), though the latter brings in more profit.
“I feel like my connections in the entertainment industry have definitely grown tremendously in a short amount of time and I’m very grateful that these people choose me and my craft.”
He’s even, finally (!), hired a second team member to help manage the workflow.
“I realized my business was growing too much for me to manage everything on my own,” he admits. “I’m such a control freak and like everything done a certain way but it was the best thing I could have done.
“I never expected to see my business grow in such a short amount of time.”
In the next five years he would love to open a flagship WhatWigs store as well as a product line to treat and care for its hair.
“Other than that, I just want to continue to make beautiful wigs and help men and woman across the world feel beautiful inside and out.”
