Around a year ago, Jasmine Johnson began constructing a wig, effectively laying the groundwork for a company that would cater to a client looking for luxury hair pieces.  Cut to now, and the Seattle-based entrepreneur has since developed a high-end hair product that seems pretty niche, with hair sourced from the temples of India and delivered with a fiberglass mannequin head in an acrylic keepsake box, called Jasmine Ni'Cole Luxury Perucas. We wanted to find out oh-so-much more, and she very politely obliged.

So, when did you start your business? How many people are on your style team? How and when did you find out about perucas? 
I officially launched my company April 2016 in Los Angeles with a hair show…my style team and I have a [private] creative space [where] we meet. Currently I have 4 people on my style team including myself. I am the Head Constructionist, [then there are] two Master Colorists and a two Master Stylists.

I discovered the word “perucas” when I was researching about the wig. The word “wig” has a negative connotation and I didn't want people to think of their grandmother’s wig when mentioning my wigs, I needed an elegant word! So the word “peruca” is a derived of the word “peruke,” which were those big curly white wigs men wore back in the 17th century! These hand-tied wigs were made for notable men of status, like Kings. Since I wanted to make hand-tied wigs for the chic fashionable queens (i.e. women), I changed the word from peruke to peruca (feminine). And then voilà! 

Every part of the peruca is hand-tied and we source our hair directly from the temples of India. A peruca is an investment and I believe you should have a way to preserve and protect your investment. This is why I designed the fiberglass mannequin head and acrylic box. We are the only luxury wig making company in the world that has glorified the wig in this magnitude.

How did you get started and what was your background?
I've always had a fascination with hair extensions. I would say that I've spent over $100,000 in hair extensions over the past 10 years. Ridiculous, right! I was tired of wasting my money on hair vendors that claimed to carry virgin hair. I saw online that there was a luxury wig making company based out of Atlanta that handmade beautiful wigs with virgin hair. The wigs had a beautiful natural hairline, could be worn in different styles, could be colored. As a woman who was living an exceedingly busy lifestyle and did not necessarily have the time to go sit in the salon for hours, a naturally elegant undetectable wig could be the best thing since sliced bread. I emphatically believed this would be a great investment. My wife surprised me and bought it for my birthday. When the wig came, I was so excited! I opened the shipping box and inside was a cardboard box. I found that very weird considering this is supposed to be a luxury wig making company. I put the wig on and it was entirely too big, it was extremely heavy on my head, the hair would not hold a curl. Needless to say it was an absolute disaster.

To make matters worse the company had a standing policy of no refunds. That was $3,000 gone down the drain, but not before I deconstruct it and see what went wrong. After taking the wig apart and putting it back together more times that I could count, I knew I could construct a wig. Something was still off, it wasn't quite as natural as I wanted so I stopped to engage in some research. It was obvious that there was not a wig making company that truly regarded the wig as if it is piece of art, an enticing masterpiece! Not only did we deserve a natural, conservative, undetectable, fashionable hair piece but we also deserved a luxurious way to preserve the masterpiece. So I decided to create what is now known as Jasmine Ni'Cole Luxury Perucas (JNLP), with the mission of dedicating each peruca to the multidimensional woman.

Would you say you approach your business as an artist and creative person, or are you more into the logistics, the day to day operations?
I definitely approach JNLP as an artistic designer. Whether it is hand-mixing wefts to attain a particular color dimension, or designing a peruca for the collection, it is approached artistically. Miracah Johnson, who is not only my wife but also my business partner, handles the day to day operations and business side of JNLP. 

What's the process of creating a custom peruca?
There are two types of customizations; a Beauty Customization, or a Duplication Customization. For all customization orders there is a $250 nonrefundable upfront consultation fee for the convening of the Master Style Team. This fee is deducted from the total balance. Customers will upload an image of themselves or an image of a desired look to their customizable online portal.

If it's a Duplication Customization the JNLP Master Style Team will convene to discuss how to best duplicate the look, and your “peruca specialist” will call you directly within 24 hours with a quote for your peruca.

If it is a Beauty Customization the customer is appointed a Peruca Concierge Specialist. The Peruca Concierge Specialist is there to answer any questions the customer may have regarding the peruca, and to ensure quality service to the end. The Peruca Concierge Specialist will create a customer profile based around the clients uniqueness beauty, needs, and lifestyle. The Master Style Team will meet to discuss the best peruca suited for the client based on the photo and the client's profile. The Peruca Concierge Specialist will then follow up with the client to explain what the Master Style Team has suggested. When agreed the creative process will begin. For the clients viewing pleasure, The Peruca Concierge Specialist will upload stills and videos of the peruca being constructed. Turnaround time on all perucas is 21 business days.

Follow Jasmine Ni'Cole Luxury Perucas on Instagram for more info and to see her celeb clientele.