Do you want to unravel the mysteries of wig and hairpiece making?

This morning the atmosphere is eager to learn in the workshop of the Hélène Boucher vocational school in Toulouse, dedicated to the wig making sector. In this classroom, which looks like an artist’s dressing room, with red clothes on the walls and large mirrors, Sarah, 18 years old, in the first year of the professional baccalaureate, makes locks of hair on a braid loom. “We call them wefts, they are used for extensions as well as for making wigs. I make knots with real hair that we have been given,” the young woman explains.

A few steps away, Rebecca, 19, is crocheting blonde hair into groups of four or five onto a wig, while on the other side of the partition Elodie concentrates on creating a beautiful artificial mustache. “I use hair strands previously boiled in water to achieve this effect of forced curls. These hairs are then implanted one by one on a transparent tulle pattern,” explains this student with the red mane.

Finally, in front of her, opposite a mirror, Emilie, 20, combs a synthetic hair wig using a steam diffuser. This 19-year-old Breton, a trained hairdresser, likes to explore “all the possibilities of decoration that this training sector offers”.

Two training sessions in France

These four students work in the wig making-hairdressing sector, founded ten years ago by Yasmine Belmeliani. “In 2013, with the support of the Rectorate of Toulouse, we were able to open this section, which is the second in France, after Paris. There are only two public training courses, and therefore free in France,” explains Yasmine Belmeliani, also referee for the Asso Mart’O A0 (Association for Artistic Training in Occitania), which also brings together ironworkers, turners, upholsterers, etc.

At the Hélène Boucher high school, students learn to make hairpieces and wigs for the entertainment and entertainment sector, but also for health and beauty, which are back in fashion thanks to the singers Rihanna, Tina Turner… and historical films (Marie Antoinette, Bridgerton …). They are even very fashionable among mere mortals.

The wig making and hairdressing industry, damaged during the corona crisis, is making a comeback. “My students can do internships again in cabarets, theaters, circuses or even hair institutes,” Yasmine Belmeliani is pleased. And added: “70 to 80% of students who graduate are immediately employed.”

All the more reason to discover these artistic professions during the European Days that will take place from April 2 to 4 at the Gisèle Halimi and Joséphine Baker secondary schools in Toulouse.