The Luxury Wigs of Miguel Atkins

Miguel Atkins’ wigs can be seen tossing, turning, and dropping on the stages of the greatest drag bars in the country. The highest end of his hand-plugged custom jobs, which run up to $20,000 a pop, can also be found on the covers of magazines and featured in high-fashion shoots. Jessica Nowitzki is a loyal wearer of Miguel of Dallas extensions; Atkins serves as her make-up artist and hair stylist, too. But more recently he has been making daily-wear wigs for chemo patients.

“It’s become way more emotionally charged work,” Atkins says. “It’s bittersweet because there’s a lot of sadness that exists. Someone wanting a wig because they want one is much different than someone needing a wig.”

For Atkins, this new surge feels like his business has come full circle. His mother is a breast cancer survivor; she received her diagnosis while she was pregnant with him. “Thirty-seven years later, and having more and more clients who are going through this, I feel like I’ve been predestined to have this happen in my life,” he says.

Although most of the wigs he makes for chemo patients are made to mimic the hair they had pre-treatment, he is no stranger to requests for bottled blondes. Atkins’ version is meant to look lived in, with a seamless flow from the perfect dark root into bombshell. It’s so good you wouldn’t notice it’s not real, and that’s the point.

“The amount of intention behind each wig is the same every time,” he says. “That’s what makes my blonde special. There’s so much life and dimension that exists within those strands.”

The wigmaking process can take anywhere from six hours to four weeks, depending on hair sourcing, thickness, and color demands. His website offers ready-to-wear wigs ranging from $1,400 to $2,500, though he says most of his clients end up choosing a fully customized option. As a general rule of thumb, the longer and lighter, the higher the price tag.

“Dallas blonde is real,” he says. “It’s potent, and it’s magical.”