History
Continental Hair was founded in 1963 by Peter and Emma Suba. They were hair stylists in the (then) Toronto suburb of Leaside. They quickly made a name for themselves in providing the highest quality wigs and hairpieces for women and men. This is where Continental Hair started working with virgin European human hair in its wigs and hair replacements. It is not a new technology, but one that many in the business abandoned for the more convenient and cheaper wigs. As the fashion for wigs reached its crazy heights in the early 1970's Continental Hair never went off the path of only providing the highest quality products, both in retail and wholesale.
When the fashion changed and women no longer wanted extra hair as a fashion accessory, over 95% of Continental's competition had to move on. But Peter and Emma stayed the course, retailing to the many men that were getting into hair replacement, and making sure that women going through cancer treatments had access to the finest wigs available anywhere. Synthetic wigs were also available, and still are, but they have to be the most natural and comfortable available.
In the eighties many saw the opportunities in the hair replacement market and people started getting back in.
There were not a lot of people left that had the experience to make sure that their clients were getting the best in the business and became dependent on huge wholesalers for their product.
A flood of the cheapest wigs and 'other stuff" became available. Continental Hair even tried to carry some of the better fad stuff but it did not work.
"We wanted to provide what so many people seemed to want," says Michael Suba, Continental Hair's president, "but our clients would have none of it.
It was an experiment that we just won't go back to. But we tried."
In the nineties it was the Suba family's time to be hit with cancer.
Peter and Emma's son Michael was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease in February of 1990. After a year of treatment that included chemotherapy and radiation he decided that he wanted to go into hair replacement. "I never wanted to do it," he says, "until I would be in the cancer centre and I saw what a difference we were making."
As the nineties progressed Continental Hair decided that its real strength was in the women's line. "All the hair replacement places," says Michael, "then and now are primarily geared to men. They say 'oh we do women too' but that does not cut it. We primarily are in business for women's hair replacement needs and are unique in that regard.
In 1998 Continental Hair opened a salon in at the Toronto Sunnybrook Regional Cancer Centre in north Toronto. The salon provides a convenient and comfortable environment for women and men exploring their hair replacement options during chemotherapy.
It is the only private wig salon in a Canadian hospital.
Continental Hair still has the largest stock of virgin European human hair wigs available, as well as high quality processed human hair items and synthetics as well. Over the past several years we have been experiencing more women wanting to have permanent attachment solutions.
Now Continental Hair is exploring exciting new designs and techniques to bring women the very best in hair replacement. "There is some exciting new designs and techniques coming out that for the first time in years have only a woman's hair loss in mind," says Michael Suba. "This is going to be a big help to women with all kinds of hair loss problems to look better and fell better about themselves."
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Meet... CYNTHIA
Cynthia went bald at 16 after a car accident and then found out later she was also suffering from Alopecia. She disliked synthetic wigs. At 19, Cynthia discovered Continental Hair and enjoyed life again with her Virgin European Human Hair Wigs. [ learn more]
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Testimonial from another client
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Purchasing wigs used to be so traumatic for me, and since coming to see you at your store/salon I have never felt so comfortable...
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- History
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