The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
The former Vogue beauty director, who has also contributed to The Business of Fashion, will oversee collaborations, scout brands and enlist other experts for the luxury online beauty retailer as the head of its newly launched product development and content hub, Violet Lab.
Violet Grey, founded by Cassandra Grey in 2014 and known for its Hollywood authority, will explore product development and expand its content, which includes its “Violet Code” product vetting system. Grey described The Violet Lab in a statement as an “umbrella under which all our curatorial and merchandising strategies fall, as well as our partnerships and collaborations.”
The retailer has raised more than $29 million to date and counts close connections to in-demand prestige beauty brands, like Westman Atelier and Augustinus Bader, the latter of which counts Violet Grey as its first retail partner and a foundational partner.
“With the arrival of Sarah, a proven brand builder with a mind that is both creative and strategic, we will accelerate the activities of the Violet Lab, actively incubating brands, as well as creating our own Violet Grey merchandise, of which we have already started,” said Grey in a statement.
ADVERTISEMENT
Brown left Vogue after 15 years in 2015, and has since been writing, editing and consulting.
In April, a report in WWD speculated that Farfetch was in talks to form a partnership with Violet Grey as part of its strategy to expand into beauty, slated to launch in 2022. Sources close to both companies told BoF that reports of any partnership or acquisition were premature, and the companies had been in discussions for years.
By selling existing formulas under their own name, retailers can tap into the lucrative beauty market without investing in custom formulations. But that doesn’t mean the private label model is an easy win.
The San Francisco-based company is hoping to tap growing consumer demand for financing for cosmetic treatments among other services.
Once thought of as long-term disruptors who would change the way we shop forever, multi-brand online retailers that sell cosmetics, skincare, fragrance and more are facing multiple headwinds.
Prestige makeup is fashion’s category expansion du jour. But even the market’s most powerful players could learn a thing or two from its celebrity-backed competition.