One of the greatest breakthroughs in wig design and style for 2020 was surely the Baby Naps Wig by Runway Curls. Innovated by Runway Curls’ founder and the natural hair queen herself — Mushiya Tshikuka (most known for her role in WE tv’s Cutting It In the ATL) — the Baby Naps Wig came to the rescue of thousands of women seeking a hassle-free, natural protective style during the pandemic lockdowns.

However, the demand resulting from the viral success of this wig outpaced the capacity in which Mushiya was able to produce it. After numerous attempts to overcome this challenge, Mushiya discovered that the solution to her problems resided in the tropical mountaintops of Haiti, her husband‘s native country.

 

“The Runway Curls brand was not ready for the immediate demand upon the launch of our breakthrough wig collection — Baby Naps Wigs,” says Mushiya Tshikuka, founder of and Creative Director for Runway Curls. “Orders were rolling in by the minute, and local wigmakers in the U.S. simply could not keep up with this demand. After numerous attempts to gain better control and avoid having to permanently discontinue the wig line, my husband Lou and I, decided to explore Haiti as the home for producing our Baby Naps Wig line. This decision couldn’t have turned out any better for us! Our amazing Haitian wigmakers have exceeded all expectations, increasing the production from just a handful of wigs per month to hundreds of wigs monthly. In short, the Baby Naps wig prevails and is available to customers worldwide!”

Upon making the decision to produce Baby Naps Wigs in Haiti, Mushiya spent months there to establish a manufacturing warehouse, equipped with more than 20 wigmakers fully trained to produce the wigs flawlessly. Not long after arriving in Haiti and witnessing the overwhelming enthusiasm from natives, Mushiya and her husband realized that their golden nugget (aka the Baby Naps Wig) was bigger than just the product itself. They both realized that the product provided an opportunity for them to contribute to the Haitian economy by providing much-needed job opportunities, skills training, and resources. Additionally, the overnight and ongoing success of the Baby Naps Wig enables them to contribute some of the wealth generated within the black hair care industry with black people, residing in a predominantly black country.

“The reason this decision to manufacture our products out of Haiti is such a big deal is because I could’ve gone to China; I could’ve gone to Mexico, or I could’ve gone to any of the typical countries that manufacture US products. Yet, Haitian people are known for being master artisans but are often overlooked by the rest of the world for manufacturing opportunities. Since I am African and my husband is Haitian, it was important to outsource our business to a country composed of people who look like us and can benefit from the resources that we have to offer. If we’re going to put our money anywhere and create job opportunities anywhere then let it be in a country of our own people,” says Mushiya.

Customers worldwide can now look forward to owning a Baby Naps Wig (or 2,3 and 4), since product production is in full swing. Beyond the unique style of the wig, inspired by the salon styles innovated by Mushiya’s renown — The Damn Salon, the wig is made of 100% Human & Kanekalon blended hair fibers that provide a hairline that looks like the texture growing straight out of the scalp of women with natural hair. With the Baby Naps Wig, women with naturally-textured tresses no longer have to struggle with straightening or manipulating their texture to blend with straight-haired wigs, saturating the marketplace. Furthermore, the high-quality units are made on a breathable cap that sits comfortably on the scalp and is composed of Runway Curls lightweight, Curly Ryder bulk hair. Customers can choose from 16 different colors and a variety of lengths to meet their unique style or outfit accentuation needs. With the proper care, the Baby Naps Wig can last years and tends to look better as it ages.