Atinuke Olajide
EM Wigs
I started the business officially in 2019 after testing and understanding the market in 2017/2018.
My passion and the knowledge that 40% of women have visible hair loss by the age of 40, inspired me to start EM Wigs. I believe that whether for fashion or to cover hair loss, NO woman should have to lose her sense of femininity or her self-esteem. Having suffered from hair loss due to the extreme weather during my years in Europe, I had depended on wigs to look and feel my best. Upon moving to start my PhD. in Guelph ON., I discovered there was no beauty store for women of color in the city. This made me feel uncomfortable, sad and unsatisfied, creating in me a deep-seated desire to change the situation as I also had difficulty getting wigs thus limiting my desire, and confidence to socialize. I began to envision a company that could provide, increase and sustain the access to affordable hairstyle solutions for other black women like me in our community since our population in the region had doubled since 2016. I then realized that many women may be suffering in silence as I was and this fueled my passion to empower more women experiencing hair loss due to the silence culture around it and the associated self-esteem damage it does.
Since 2021, we have been contributing our quota to Canadian society by providing hair loss education and financial support for research of Alopecia areata (an autoimmune genetically related disease that affects the hair follicles and causes partial or total hair loss). We made a difference in our world by donating $2 from every qualifying wig purchase to a volunteer-led Canadian Charity, Canadian Alopecia Areata Foundation (CANAAF), that offers a support network for families living with alopecia areata, and promote awareness of this disease (https://www.canaaf.org/). As we are passionate about women having strong self image and self esteem, in 2023, we are supporting Alopecians and the CANAAF community by donating wig systems.
We operate 100% online (www.emwigs.com) and have a few stockists. We also accept walk-in from local clients in Kitchener, Ontario.