The hair scrunchies that were once trendy in the ’80s are now making a benevolent comeback.
Carolyn Wang, a sophomore at Carlmont High School, and her sister Emma Wang, an eighth-grader at Tierra Linda Middle School, both started a charitable scrunchie making business called CE Scrunchies.
Scrunchies have recently become a popular accessory. Not only are they popular, but they are also simple and fun to make. The Wang sisters learned how to make scrunchies through a YouTube video.
The business first started on Nov. 19, 2018, during the time of the Camp Fire wildfires in California.
“Since the Camp Fire had affected the lives of many, my sister Emma and I wanted to help, so we decided to start selling homemade scrunchies to our friends,” Carolyn Wang said. “We started our organization around Thanksgiving when we realized how lucky we were to have our friends and family, so we decided to give back to those who were struggling during the holiday season.”
They raised $696 for the Camp Fire victims with their holiday collection and $350 more with their spring collection. In total, they have raised around $1000.
Although the business is popular at Carlmont, the sisters wanted to expand their business to wider audiences. To do this, they started an Instagram account and a website where they update their shoppers on new designs and prices.
“We are trying to make more weekly designs and reach out to more people through social media such as Instagram,” Emma Wang said. “It is hard to contact people and let them know about our scrunchies if we don’t see them at school or other places, so we are trying to expand communications in our business.”
The sisters have some friends from other schools that appreciate the scrunchies and help spread the word about CE Scrunchies.
“I think what they are doing is so cool because they’ve used something teens love and … turned it into an amazing business,” said Anahita Memerdazah, a freshman at Menlo-Atherton High School. “I bought some for my friends and myself, and they thought they were better than most of the brands they get their scrunchies.”
Brandy Melville, Urban Outfitters, and Francesca’s are popular places to buy scrunchies. However, many people like the CE Scrunchie designs because they complement their outfits well.
“I love the patterns because they look good with literally all my outfits,” said Lauren Krueger, a sophomore. “I have seen the behind the scenes process of making the scrunchies and how they put time and effort into making such cute designs despite schoolwork and extracurriculars is really admirable.”
The Wang sisters have high hopes and a promising future for their business.
Carolyn Wang said, “I hope to continue to help people who don’t have opportunities I’m so lucky to have. I especially want to help the underprivileged children and youth by supporting education-based charities.”
