About the Project:
I was commissioned to make a series of wigs for the “The Music is Black” exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum which opened on 18th April 2026 and runs until 3rd January 2027. The wig featured on this page was for the singer Karen Gibson. Karen Gibson MBE is an award-winning British choir conductor, workshop leader, and the founder of The Kingdom Choir. Widely regarded as “Britain’s godmother of gospel,” she achieved global recognition for leading the choir’s performance of “Stand by Me” at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in May 2018.
Made from silver-grey crinoline, this wig was made to emulate her iconic and striking, vivid silver-grey tone that became an overnight sensation. Her signature look is a high, structured updo styled by professional hair artists.
About:
- The wig was made to fix onto fibreglass heads.
- It was constructed onto a frame made of Rigilene boning with a base of netting.
In addition to the Karen Gibson wig featured here, I also made wigs for the pop duo “Mel and Kim” for the same exhibition which you can see here. The “Music is Black” project as a whole and how I made these wigs can soon be read in a blog post on my website, I will add a link as soon as it is live.
All images © Peter Kelleher and Sarah Duncan at the V&A Museum, 2026.