Jon Widboom, who runs a fly-fishing shop, never thought he would get calls from posh hair salons that line trendy Rodeo Drive in California's Beverly Hills.
But he does -- regularly.
"I get a daily call from a salon somewhere wanting feathers," said Widboom, who owns FlyMasters here.
And not just any feathers. They want the same ones that gained popularity this spring when "American Idol" judge Steven Tyler appeared on the Fox reality show with a mane accented by long feather hair extensions.
Feathers' popularity isn't the only thing increasing. So is the price.
Before the plume boom, a skin containing 400 to 500 rooster feathers would run $80 to $100. Earlier this week, bidding on eBay for a skin of Whiting Farm saddle feathers reached more than $500.
Why are they so special? Known as saddles, the feathers come from roosters bred specifically for the long plumes on their back side; the primary producer is Whiting Farms in Delta, Colo.
Fly-fishers prize Whiting saddles because they have a pliable center shaft and can be wound around fly-fishing lures. When
put in the hair as an extension, the often-colorful feathers can be styled just like hair and last for several weeks.
The trend originated in Colorado, where fly-fishing is popular, spread to California and is moving across the country.
Widboom and sales associates at Wildcat Creek Outfitters in Zionsville, Ind., and Orvis in Carmel, Ind., said they get calls daily from hairstylists across the country searching for saddle feathers.
Unaware of the budding trend, Widboom received his first call about the feathers in March from a fellow fly-fishing shop owner in Orlando, who was wondering if he had been selling a lot of Whiting saddle feathers.
"I said, 'We haven't heard anything,' " Widboom said. "Right after that, a lady walks in and asks, 'Do you have any feathers?' She bought $600 worth. She bought just about everything I had."
That customer was Jaime Zentz, who owns Geneva Hair Salon in Irvington, Ind.
"We are very fortunate," Zentz said, "and have a friend and client who visits Colorado regularly. She tipped us off to the trend."
Lindsey Springer Nierman, an instructor at Circle City Pilates in Indianapolis, likes the extensions' whimsical, summery look and has received compliments from her clients on the turquoise blue-and-tan feathers.
"I like that it's really low maintenance," she said. "You can straighten it and curl it, and it's not permanent."
Feather extensions cost $15 to $50. The feathers are bonded with an extension bead and clamped into hair. They last for six to eight weeks and easily are removed by a professional, adding temporary color to hair.
But the growing demand has quickly outstripped the supply. Because the roosters are euthanized at 18 months old to harvest their tail feathers, Whiting Farms and the handful of other producers haven't been able to increase the supply yet.
"Our feather company stopped returning our phone calls and our emails," Zentz said. "Their website shut down when the craze hit."
Not everyone is as thrilled with the fad. Animal-rights activists have started to condemn the trend because the roosters are killed for their tail feathers.
And fly-fishing enthusiasts are complaining about the dwindling supply and increasing cost of the feathers they use to make lures.
Mike Exl, store manager of Wildcat Creek Outfitters, said he gets about three calls a day from hairstylists across the country searching for saddle feathers. He doesn't turn down their requests, but he's talked to other shop owners who hide their stock of saddle feathers behind the counter -- reserving it for fly-fishermen.
"I'm hoping it will definitely be a fad," Exl said. "Our main goal is serving the fly-fishing customer. When we have a loyal customer and he can't get what he wants, it's frustrating."
But he does -- regularly.
"I get a daily call from a salon somewhere wanting feathers," said Widboom, who owns FlyMasters here.
And not just any feathers. They want the same ones that gained popularity this spring when "American Idol" judge Steven Tyler appeared on the Fox reality show with a mane accented by long feather hair extensions.
Feathers' popularity isn't the only thing increasing. So is the price.
Before the plume boom, a skin containing 400 to 500 rooster feathers would run $80 to $100. Earlier this week, bidding on eBay for a skin of Whiting Farm saddle feathers reached more than $500.
Why are they so special? Known as saddles, the feathers come from roosters bred specifically for the long plumes on their back side; the primary producer is Whiting Farms in Delta, Colo.
Fly-fishers prize Whiting saddles because they have a pliable center shaft and can be wound around fly-fishing lures. When
put in the hair as an extension, the often-colorful feathers can be styled just like hair and last for several weeks.
The trend originated in Colorado, where fly-fishing is popular, spread to California and is moving across the country.
Widboom and sales associates at Wildcat Creek Outfitters in Zionsville, Ind., and Orvis in Carmel, Ind., said they get calls daily from hairstylists across the country searching for saddle feathers.
Unaware of the budding trend, Widboom received his first call about the feathers in March from a fellow fly-fishing shop owner in Orlando, who was wondering if he had been selling a lot of Whiting saddle feathers.
"I said, 'We haven't heard anything,' " Widboom said. "Right after that, a lady walks in and asks, 'Do you have any feathers?' She bought $600 worth. She bought just about everything I had."
That customer was Jaime Zentz, who owns Geneva Hair Salon in Irvington, Ind.
"We are very fortunate," Zentz said, "and have a friend and client who visits Colorado regularly. She tipped us off to the trend."
Lindsey Springer Nierman, an instructor at Circle City Pilates in Indianapolis, likes the extensions' whimsical, summery look and has received compliments from her clients on the turquoise blue-and-tan feathers.
"I like that it's really low maintenance," she said. "You can straighten it and curl it, and it's not permanent."
Feather extensions cost $15 to $50. The feathers are bonded with an extension bead and clamped into hair. They last for six to eight weeks and easily are removed by a professional, adding temporary color to hair.
But the growing demand has quickly outstripped the supply. Because the roosters are euthanized at 18 months old to harvest their tail feathers, Whiting Farms and the handful of other producers haven't been able to increase the supply yet.
"Our feather company stopped returning our phone calls and our emails," Zentz said. "Their website shut down when the craze hit."
Not everyone is as thrilled with the fad. Animal-rights activists have started to condemn the trend because the roosters are killed for their tail feathers.
And fly-fishing enthusiasts are complaining about the dwindling supply and increasing cost of the feathers they use to make lures.
Mike Exl, store manager of Wildcat Creek Outfitters, said he gets about three calls a day from hairstylists across the country searching for saddle feathers. He doesn't turn down their requests, but he's talked to other shop owners who hide their stock of saddle feathers behind the counter -- reserving it for fly-fishermen.
"I'm hoping it will definitely be a fad," Exl said. "Our main goal is serving the fly-fishing customer. When we have a loyal customer and he can't get what he wants, it's frustrating."
