Erwin H. Kupitz - JA Alternatives

10 The National Hair Journal Fall 2010
From Hollywood...
Center Stage with
Erwin H. Kupitz
Eleven years ago, Jane Genesi contacted
Hollywood legend, Erwin Kupitz about a
new business concept. Erwin creates
hair designs for the biggest movie studios
in Hollywood as well as stars in the music
world. Jane was the owner of a major
East Coast hair replacement group and
her question was simple, “Why should
only wealthy people and movie stars have
access to this high level work” She
wanted to bring the same level of design
and production excellence to her own
clients... with Erwin’s assistance.
This was the beginning of a dynamic
new relationship. The new EHK (Erwin
H. Kupitz) Collection was created by
Erwin for J.A Alternatives, drawing on
his studio experience and special contacts.
It became an immediate success.
JA Alternatives (JAA) was originally founded nearly 30 years
ago by Jane Genesi in River Edge, NJ. Today, the company has
grown to include 5 more locations, for a total of 6 offices. Jim
McGowan joined JAA in 1986 and quickly became the sales and
marketing engine for the business. In addition to being a partner
in the business, Jim runs the day-to-day operations and produces
all the in-house TV, print, and web marketing materials.
Erwin Kupitz has been a frequent guest on “Hairloss
Newsmakers” a radio show hosted by The National Hair Journal,
and our paths continue to cross at conferences around the country.
As this article was being finalized, Erwin was in Europe on
assignment, but we were able to talk with Jane Genesi and Jim
McGowan to learn more about EHK and discover how this collection
fits in with the trends and opportunities in the everchanging
hair replacement market.
Jane Genesi (JG): The market has changed dramatically since
1983, when I opened the company. We are dealing with a more
educated consumer and the new business focus has shifted from
male to female. Clients are becoming more discerning. They
will not accept the mediocre. Our female clients in particular
demand consistently high quality products and they are always
looking for something new. Women will do the research; they
take the time to shop the products. They are also very cost-conscious,
but when they see genuine quality, they will spend on it.
These clients require a high-level technician to service them;
technicians with strong chemical, styling, and haircutting backgrounds,
not just hair replacement.
National Hair Journal (NHJ): Unlike most manufacturers,
you own and operate your own hair centers. Is this a benefit
JG: It is fundamental to our business model. We’ve been in
the front line of customer service for over thirty years. We
attend shows and workshops all over the world and we have
accumulated a wealth of knowledge. Rather than opening
numerous J.A. Alternatives, we decided to share our technical
expertise. We felt our clients shouldn’t be the only people
privy to the research, development, and marketing that
we’ve put into our in-house product line.
NHJ: Your advertising talks about, “The EHK Story.” What is
the EHK story
JG: The EHK story began with a phone call. I’d just seen the
movie, Hunt For Red October and Sean Connery looked fabulous.
It’s a given that he wears hair, but in that movie you’d never
have known, even in the tightest close ups. And I remember
thinking that my clients would do anything to have hair like that
I didn’t know how to get that hair, but I knew it was out there.
NHJ: Many people have had the same reaction; but you didn’t
stop there did you
JG: You know me... I started researching Hollywood styling and
special effects, starting back in the ‘20s with Max Factor and
other legendary makeup and hairstyling groups. This took me
out to California where I met a man named ‘Ziggy’ or Siegfried
Geike. Ziggy did virtually all the male stars in Hollywood;
Charlton Heston and all the big names. And I asked him if he’d
be interested in helping me develop a product for the “street
wear” client, as Hollywood people like to refer to them. My timing
wasn’t the best because Ziggy was in the process of selling
his business and would I be interested in buying it So we talked
back and forth and I visited him several times and eventually I
decided that really I wanted to keep my business on the East
Coast. But during these negotiations, I developed a close relationship
with Ziggy and he gave me the name of Erwin Kupitz.
He told me with his thick German accent, “This is a really good
guy. He’s very talented” and I should contact him.
NHJ: Here come the phone call...
JG: ... so I gave Erwin a call... and he said, “I think I’d like to
do something like that, but right now I’m on my way to
Universal Studios to work on some cartoon characters,” which I
thought was kind of fun at the time - I never realized that cartoon
characters needed great wigs! When he finished that project, I
flew out to California to meet Irwin, had a lunch that turned into
dinner and we decided right then and there that we were going
to work together.
NHJ: Is Hollywood really the cutting edge when it comes to
designing undetectable hair
JG: People don’t understand how demanding a studio set can
be. The camera sees everything. In general, hair looks much better
in person than it does on-screen or in photography and
videos. On the big screen, flaws are magnified, color may be distorted;
highlights and densities are altered because of the onedimensional
aspect of photography. So Hollywood makeup
artistes and stylists must always be on their game; they have to
be 110-percent. I wanted something that was bigger-than-life;
that’s why I went to Hollywood to get it.
Jim McGowan (JM): We took Hollywood special effects and
hair styling and figured out how to apply it to the public market.
We’ve all done celebrity clients, but until now no one with Erwin
Kupitz’s credentials has entered our world of hair replacement.
JG: We took something that was artistic and made it systematic;
we made it scientific.
NHJ: So the magic and science of Hollywood is now available
to the average man and woman on the street.
JM: That’s exactly right.
JG: Remember, Hollywood is all about artistry. If you look
closely at Irwin’s work, they truly are masterpieces; he even
includes small imperfections to match reality. We’ve just taken
his art and made it scientific. I was fortunate to be able to bring
it all together and find factories that could produce a consistently
superior product.
NHJ: Is this a luxury product that only rich people can afford
JM: I wouldn’t say that. But as would expect with a products
of this quality, the price point is higher than conventional hair
replacement products.
NHJ: Research suggests that the consumer today is looking
for, and prepared to pay for, a superior product. Is this your
experience
JM: No question. Jane and I developed these products for our
own business. Like everyone else we wanted to offer our
clients a superior product, and of course to set ourselves apart
from the competition. The idea of wholesaling came much
later.
JG: We felt kind of bad for some of the smaller retailers that
were looking for something better, but didn’t know how to go
about getting it. They were honest, lovely businesspeople adrift
in the market, so Jim and I decided to share our work, but to be
mindful of our territories in doing it. We would hate to compete
with ourselves.
NHJ: How has the market responded
JG: Quite overwhelming, to be frank. We’re actually holding
off on a new product launch while we examine some interesting
packaging ideas. We’re not in a hurry; it’s more important
to get things right than meet some arbitrary deadline. To put
things in perspective, EHK went through eight years of testing.
Our plans are controlled, which is an unusual situation in this
industry. Our preference is consistent quality.
NHJ: Everybody claims to have great hair. Why should readers
of the National Hair Journal believe EHK is any different
JG: They have to experience it. There’s a lot more to EHK
than just the raw materials. Obviously, everybody wants the
best hair, but there are other things that just as important. For
example, how the hair is handled is critical. A lot of hair is
damaged in processing. Production skills also vary enormously.
Having good material is not enough; you need to know
what to do with that material. I can’t tell you how many wholesalers
have phenomenal hair but archaic design, and conversely,
how many people have clearly good designs but archaic
hair. To be able to put them all together, and do it consistently,
is something that requires special skills.
JM: When we first suggested going wholesale to our staff, it
was met with raised eyebrows because we’re normally closed
and protective about our products. It’s a new experience for us,
but we’re enjoying it.
JG: We don’t want to be a large wholesaler. We’re happy to be
a boutique type wholesaler that has a few highly specialized
products.
JG: We’re never going to be for everybody. We are selective about
our clients to protect Irwin’s and our reputation. (cont. on pg. 13)

From Hollywood...
(cont.from pg.10)
NHJ: What are the requirements to become an
EHK customer
JM: There are no written guidelines, but we do
like to feel an artistic kinship. We try to spend
time with anyone who is a potential distributor.
We want long-term professional relationships.
NHJ: We talked earlier about some of your
design and quality control procedures. How
can you ensure consistent standards
JM: We go back to our factories regularly for
remedial training. There are many moving parts
to this product. Our close relationship with the
factory is one of the most important.
NHJ: The movies are a world of romance and
13 The National Hair Journal Fall 2010
NHJ: What steps have you taken to make sure
that Erwin’s designs are executed to the same
high standards on the production end
JG: Numbers talk, and there’s no doubt the
money we put into design and manufacturing
ensures us an enviable position. But it goes
beyond that. We didn’t simply show our production
people a product; we brought in our
own team and we virtually lived in the factory
for10-12 hour days while we put everything
under the microscope - literally in some cases.
We have a great relationship with our factory
owner because he is proud of the product and
wants a long-term relationship. That’s not to
say that we don’t look at other factories, but
we’re very happy where we’re at right now. Our
factory has proven that it can deliver the product
the way we designed time and time again.
NHJ: Could a hair expert hold up an EHK
product and say, “I recognize this” And if so,
what would he be noticing
JG: He would have to pick up a brush. The
minute he brushed the hairpiece he would
notice it moves exactly like growing hair. This
is what sets our product apart more than anything
else. The natural movement makes the
hair looks and feel like it’s growing on your
scalp. There are no slits, no directional problems,
and no large knots. If you look at a man
with a full head of hair, you will note that different
sections on the head grow in different
directions. That’s what Irwin has achieved in
our designs.
NHJ: There seem to be two market forces at
play at the moment; on the one hand you have
people looking for economy in these difficult
economic times, and on the other hand you
have the flight to quality. Clearly, you chose the
second path.
JM: Our clients choose the path. We’re fortunate
to have clients who are insulated from
many of the economic forces out there. They
may feel the contracting economy, but it’s not
affecting their disposable income and they’re
requesting better-looking hair replacements.
So we decided to concentrate on this group and
we found that by creating a superior product
and raising those price points we were working
smarter.
NHJ: Do these clients see Hollywood as
something that’s within their reach
JM: They used to think it was out of their
reach. When people saw someone like Bruce
Willis or Nicholas Cage with hair they thought,
‘Oh, I can’t get that. It’s out of my range.’ Well,
we’ve proven that they can!
NHJ: In the movies the actors wear hair not to
cover up a problem, but to transform themselves
for a different role. Does the fact that
you are offering “Hollywood hair” makes your
clients perceive themselves as changing roles,
as opposed to fixing a problem
JM: Without a doubt. When they see someone
in the movies with more hair or different hair, it
legitimizes the whole experience of wearing a
hair replacement.
NHJ: How would you define today’s client
JM: It’s always been about appearance, but
more and more it’s about baby boomers and
their crusade against aging. It’s either about
someone wanting to look the way they feel, or
someone who is still relatively young not wanting
to accept the first signs of aging. We have
a youth-oriented culture; I think that’s what drives
our business.
imagination. Do you try to create the same
magic when you work with your clients
JM: Without a doubt. The experience of getting
an EHK is different from a conventional
hair replacement. I’ve been a hair wearer for
many years myself, and even I was surprised by
the way it feels. It’s extremely light; you don’t
even know it’s there. That’s a factor we didn’t
consider initially, but it is turning out to be one
of the most important.
NHJ: Is the EHK collection only available in
human hair
JM: That’s correct.
NHJ: Are there any other products or support
tools
JM: Right now we’re working on a signature
EHK bond.
NHJ: Do you require special training to
become an EHK distributor
JM: We do offer training, but there is no formal
certification process. We have people who
spend a weekend or even a week with a new
salon. We want to get them off on the right
foot.
NHJ: The “right foot” in today’s economy usually
means, “the right bank deposit...”
JM: Every salon has a certain number of highly
discriminating clients. If you can upgrade
those clients, you can increase your sales by 30-
percent without even putting on one new client.
We are a company that doesn’t brag about its
marketing successes, but in this case we have a
tangible track record; we can prove it.
Erwin Kupitz - For over 20 years Erwin H.
Kupitz has been a master creator of Hair
Additions for the major motion picture companies
in Hollywood. His personal Hair
Replacement clients read like a who’s who list
of Hollywood mega stars.
Motion Picture Credits – Forest Gump,
Congo, Casino, Austin Powers (First),Star Trek
Features 1994 on, Titanic, Mask of Zorro,
Enemy of the State, Mystery Men, Fight Club,
Return to Me, Gone in 60 Seconds, The Kid,
Pearl Harbor, The Yards, Bedazzled, Roller
Ball, Rock Star, Jurassic Park 3, Monkey Bone,
American Sweetheart’s, Ali, Panic Room, Wind
Talkers, Catch Me If You Can, Raid of Fire,
Bad Boys 2, Hollywood Homicide,
Wonderland, The Alamo, Gangs of New York, A
Man Apart, Austin Powers Goldmember,
Chicago, Hidalgo, Beyond Borders, The Great
Raid, Scooby Doo 1 & 2, Master &
Commander, Starsky & Hutch, Anchorman,
Chronicles of Riddick, White Chicks, Flight of
the Phoenix, Lemony Snicket, Mrs. Harris,
Down In The Valley (E. Norton), Cheer Up,
Mr.& Mrs. Smith, The Pink Panther ( B.
Knowles), Fun With Dick & Jane, Bewitched
(S. MacClaine/Jennifer Aniston) Sin City, The
Fountain (H. Jackman)