In Case You Missed It: Scrunching up a profit

Scissors carefully separate a sheet of fabric into strips. Delicate hands gather the simple cloth into intricate bunches, creating hair accessories that are anything but plain. With the return of the scrunchie, three girls transform a pastime into a profit.

Senior Macy McClish and juniors Emma Wilcox and Kodi Hicks began selling scrunchies earlier this year. Wilcox, owner of This and That, began her business over the summer.

“I was looking at a bunch of people’s Instagrams, and there were scrunchies everywhere,” Wilcox said. “I looked up on YouTube how to make scrunchies and found a cute pattern that was a good length, so I started making them. I had about 30 I made within a week, and I decided this might be a good idea to make money. At the time I did not have a job, and I was trying to figure it out.”

Scrunchies are a style of hair ties that take bunched-up fabric to make the accessory larger and more flamboyant, allowing wearers to express their individuality.

“I go to fabric stores, and if I see a one that I am looking for, something on sale that I think would be cute, I use that,” said Hicks, owner of Kodi’s Kloset. “I mainly choose things I would wear. I have a very unique style, so I’ve also gone with a lot of solid colors.”

“Before I added the tag, it didn’t take any time at all to make a scrunchie,” Hicks said. “Once I saw it was starting to become a trend for people to make them, I was worried about getting lost in the middle of everybody, so I asked myself, ‘how can I make this me?’ The tag more than doubles the time it takes me, but I like being able to put my brand on the product.”

According to Brit+Co, scrunchies were first patented in 1987 by musician Rommy Revson to prevent damage caused by traditional hair ties.

“Scrunchies are usually favored over regular hair ties because they are said to not leave ponytail bumps in your hair,” Hicks said. “While I’m not sure if that is true, I have noticed scrunchies are usually not even worn in the hair. They’ve evolved into a full-on accessory. I’ve seen some girls have multiple scrunchies on their wrists and in their hair at the same time.”

“My platform is Instagram because it’s free and a lot of people are on it,” said McClish, owner of That Scrunchie Life. “When I started it, I didn’t think that it would be as profitable as it has been, but recently it’s grown a lot, which I’m really thankful for. I think I’m looking at a long-term thing.”

The hair ties, which range from $3-$5 individually and $7-$10 in packs across all three businesses, are typically made in “batches.”

“I usually make them in big groups,” McClish said. “I’ll sit down with some fabric, cut a bunch of pieces up for them, and then sew them all at once. I usually make traditional scrunchies, but I also make them with ties.”

Because the scrunchies are handmade, all three businesses can comply with special requests.

“I take custom orders,” McClish said. “I can make smaller scrunchies for thinner hair or little girls and I can also make bigger scrunchies for thicker hair. I try to adapt to anybody and whatever they want.”

Editor’s Note: This story was originally published on Sept. 10, 2019 and has been republished as a part of our “In Case You Missed It” series from the 2019-2020 school year. References to dates, people or events may be out of date. Read more about the series here.