branding

The beauty brand’s chief marketing officer Kory Marchisotto spoke to The Business of Beauty about the ad and its aftermath. “There is a big gap between our intention and how this missed the mark for some people,” she said.

A new cohort of fashion startups helmed by male creators is gaining ground. To build labels with influence beyond their founders’ niche audiences, they’re opening retail stores and forging collaborations.

The African beauty market is dominated by natural and botanical brands, but a new crop of emerging indies are hoping to bring science-backed rigour to the continent and engage a new generation of shoppers.

Direct-to-consumer pioneers are refashioning themselves with new logos, slogans and revamped product lines to broaden their reach and build a legacy, without fully abandoning their original propositions.

A number of the “girlboss” founders are re-emerging in the business world, seemingly having shed their progressive political affiliations and focused on maintaining control of their ventures.

In an increasingly competitive category, premium cosmetics labels like Merit and Sarah Creal Beauty are embracing more complex, distinctive — and costly — visual and sensorial touches to their products.

In 2016, musician Hayley Williams of the band Paramore and hair stylist Brian O’Connor launched the the hair colour line Good Dye Young — and watched it tank. Today, the rebooted brand is finally turning a profit, its founders told The Business of Beauty.

The beloved brand’s closure isn’t just another cautionary tale. It’s proof that even with an aspirational and credentialed Black founder, following a formulaic launch-and-scale playbook doesn’t guarantee success.