Welcome to the wig society

Thank God, then, for Lady Gaga, the greatest ambassador of the year's biggest breakthrough beauty fad and the main reason wigs are back in vogue.

Aided by the work of wig and head-piece designer Charlie Le Mindu, a fully-fledged member of the Haus of Gaga and the first designer to put a collection of wigs onto the catwalk at London Fashion Week, the popularity of wigs has increased tenfold.

"People are now wearing wigs like accessories," says 24-year-old Le Mindu, who cites his Roma upbringing and years spent grafting in an "old lady salon" in France as inspiration for his craft, "it's like they used to do in the Sixties."

Along with Gaga, for whom he has just finished creating something "exciting and hairy", Le Mindu counts Pam Hogg, Florence Welch and outspoken electro-singer Peaches among his regular clients.

Wigs are becoming an increasingly common feature in the wardrobes of celebrity style-mavens. Katy Perry was recently spotted sporting a shoulder-length green hairpiece while hip-hop star MIA favours a cropped-bob wig in electric blue. Other famous wig wearers include Kylie Minogue, rapper Nicki Minaj and actor Jaime Winstone.

But it's not just the famous, or the fame hungry, who are at the head of this revival. "A wig changes your whole personality," notes Le Mindu, who also caters to a number of more conventional customers. "They appeal because you can wear one and become someone else."

Certain to grow in popularity over the festival season, wigs, to today's wearers, are essentially about having fun. Rachel Cogley, a student who unveiled her collection at last week's Graduate Fashion Week, seems to have grasped this concept in its entirety.

Clearly inspired by Le Mindu, the Birmingham City University student charmed the judges at the event's gala awards with a series of flowing long wigs which were displayed on the heads of models and on top of dog-shaped accessories.

"It's little wonder the young have taken to wigs with such gusto," notes Lula Byron, a freelance wigmaker who attended the graduate event. "They are the perfect accomplice for an iPod generation that is obsessed with reinvention."

And this reinvention is available in a variety of forms. While Le Mindu's Gaga-approved catwalk creations may be too extreme for many - his most innovative pieces include full body stockings crafted from flowing human hair - there is an entry level option.

"I suggest you buy decent hair from an extension supplier," says the East End-based designer, "then get a hairdresser, preferably in Dalston, to make you a weave".