Bearded & Tschorn: a “chin-cessory” in honor of Cinco de Mustache!
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Apparently, the latest hipster holiday is something called ‘Cinco de Mustache’ -- which is celebrated today. I’m not quite sure of the provenance of said holiday (perhaps the secret weapon in the unlikely victory of the Mexicans over the French at the Battle of Puebla was the ‘stache), since it was brought to my attention only scant seconds ago by Portland, Ore., native Erin Dollar, a 23-year-old woman who handcrafts beards from yarn, felt and wool.
‘There were all these Cinco de Mustache parties where hipsters would draw on mustaches and use it as an excuse to get drunk,’ Dollar told me. ‘But I thought the mustaches looked a bit lonely -- a mustache needs a beard.’ She also noted that her hometown was a contributing factor. ‘Portland is full of lumberjacks and hipsters so this city has all kinds of beards.’
She made her first farcical facial hairpieces about 2 1/2 years ago, mostlyat the request of friends, and estimates she’s sold about 200 since, the majority through her Etsy site I Made You a Beard. Styles include ‘Villain,’ ‘Recluse,’ ‘Grizzled Sea Captain,’ and colors range from traditional whites and grays to rainbow and lavender. Most sell for $40 each though there are exceptions
‘Brown is the most popular color, but about 40% of orders are custom,’ she said. ‘Somebody has pink hair and wants a beard to match, or they want it for a wedding prop or something like that.’
I couldn’t resist asking if Dollar’s customers seemed to have anything in common. ‘They tend toward the more liberal side,’ she said.
So there you have it -- Happy Cinco de Mustache!
-- Adam Tschorn
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Read more Bearded & Tschorn: the Road to the World Beard and Moustache Championships
Photos: Erin Dollar modeling (from top) a black beard, a brown beard and a rainbow beard, all of which she sells on Etsy.