The Assignment that Launched a Thousand Ships
Students in our PMA and Wig programs traditionally spend time during their last semester completing a project that is not for the faint of heart. The ship wig project is one of the most challenging wig builds and dates back to the 1700s. Marie Antoinette might come to mind when thinking of a ship wig, and you wouldn’t be wrong. One of her most famous hairstyles was her hair in waves with a ship sitting atop them in celebration of a naval victory.
At AMUA, the ship wig project consists of building a wig using only measurements instead of a hairline tracing. Students transfer these measurements to a traditional wooden block and hand sew a foundation for the wig. Next, they custom dye hair for their design. Then, they sew wefts and ventilate the front of the wig. Once they build a cage for the hair and ship and sew the cage to the hair, it’s time to build a ship and style the hair!
The objective of the ship wig project is to build something that effortlessly holds up a tall and large structure reminiscent of the 1780s Marie Antoinette wigs while incorporating an elaborate hairstyle. The wig pictured here was constructed using Yak hair.
What do you think of the final result? We think it’s pretty stunning!
