Glasgow fire destroys drag wig artist’s studio: ‘I have lost everything’
Wig Chapel owner Jack Baxter lost everything in a Glasgow fire. (Instagram/wigchapel)
The founder of a wig business has launched a fundraiser to rebuild his Glasgow studio after it was destroyed in a fire.
On Sunday (8 March), a fire spread from a vape shop on Union Street in Glasgow, damaging several buildings including the one housing Jack Baxter’s Wig Chapel studio.
A fundraising page created by Baxter, in a bid to raise £26,000 to rebuild his studio, shared that he lost “everything in the fire”.
Baxter shared that he is determined to rebuild what he has lost and “get back to doing what I love to do”.
The “self-taught artist”, who moved from London to Glasgow in 2022 to keep costs lower, added that he has encountered multiple “set-backs and hardship” over a decade of running Wig Chapel, but has “recovered every time”.
‘This is the greatest challenge…’
His fundraiser continued: “Undoubtedly this is the greatest challenge I have yet to face and I need your help. I am setting up this go fund me to help me cover the cost of finding a new studio, refunding clients, buying a new equipment and materials and a new stock of wigs.
“If you have bought a wig from me in the past, or liked one of my posts on Instagram or even just want to support a queer artist I would be eternally grateful for any help you can give me.”
The fundraiser had raised more than £18,600 at the time of writing.
An update posted by Baxter thanked everyone for their support, adding that it will help him start again.
The artist, who confirmed he doesn’t have an insurance payout coming, shared: “I’m very aware that this support comes from people acting in good faith and goodwill, and I take that responsibility seriously.”
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