Hair Stylists Head Into New Opportunities

Hair stylists are very frequent collaborators on signature collections with brands that offer hair care-related products and services. As these celebrities become more well known professionally and personally, through reality shows and social media, they have occasionally had opportunities to step into sectors outside of hair care as well, especially within the beauty space. Some of these initiatives have taken the form of product collaborations, while others are achieved through some other business model, such as a brand ambassadorship or celebrity ownership:

• In 2023, Jonathan Van Ness partnered with MorningStar Farms and clothing company KD New York to create a sustainable MorningStar Farms crop top to promote plant-based eating. (“If you don’t need a whole shirt, you certainly don’t need a whole lifestyle change to simply eat less meat,” according to the press release.) Van Ness also founded a pet food company called Yummies in 2022, in partnership with his Queer Eye costar Antoni Porowski. And, in 2021, the hair stylist paired with Mani-Me’s Nails By Mei—a collaboration with nail artist Mei Kawajiri—for a collection of stick-on nail gels celebrating Pride. That followed another foray into nail care, as Van Ness had become the first male brand ambassador for Essie nail polish in 2019. 

• Chris Appleton paired with Revive Collagen in 2023 in a brand ambassador role. The partnership allowed him to expand beyond hair care into the broader beauty segment, while still staying close to his core expertise, as collagen is billed as good for skin and nails, as well as hair. Appleton’s social media presence had given him the impetus to expand outside of hair care, as fans were asking questions about things like his skin care routine, as well as for hair advice. 

• Daniel Moon worked with Reebok on two sneakers under the Major Reebok brand in 2021, inspired by his hair art—he is known for creating multicolored ’dos—and the vibrant hair colors most requested by his celebrity clients. Moon was in the military and says his time in that regimented atmosphere inspired his embrace of creativity and expression. One of the collaborative Reebok shoe models featured a heel with leather components reflecting the characteristics of a shaved head, as well as a photo in the sock liner of one of the hairpieces he designed, while the other highlighted bright pink and solar green hues. The latter also integrated transparent materials that recalled Moon’s Major Apron, which, along with his Moon Hair Glitter, is sold to hair stylists around the globe. A second collection dropped later the same summer, consisting of four shoes (two models in two colorways each) that combined cues from retro Reebok advertising and the bright colors of L.A., where Moon’s salon is located.

• Jen Atkin, founder of Ouai hair and body products and the online hair publication Mane Addicts, which shut down in May of this year, paired with E.l.f. in 2021 for a limited-edition cosmetics collection, sold online and in Ulta. The assortment consisted of “everyday essentials,” sold in kits and individually, for face and eyes, with a focus on creating simple looks. Included were eyeshadows, highlighter, bronzer, and blush in two palettes for different skin tones, as well as lipstick and lip liners and a hydrating mist. There was also a hair pomade with an application brush, intended for the brows but also appropriate for use on the customer’s hair. Earlier, Atkin had collaborated with Calpak for luggage and travel accessories in four colors; her goal was to try to solve some of the problems she had encountered in her luggage purchases over the years.  

• Jimmy Paul was featured in Supreme’s 2018 collaboration with photographer Nan Goldin. The collection of t-shirts, sweatshirts, and skateboards featured photos taken by Goldin, one of which featured Paul’s alter-ego Jimmy Paulette, along with friend Scott Andrews, in the back of a taxi on their way to a Pride parade. The photo is in the permanent collection of London’s Tate museum. This was more a matter of happenstance than a strategic desire to move into the apparel category.   

Of course, most collaborations and marketing partnerships involving celebrity hair stylists—which are numerous—focus firmly on the haircare segment. Examples from this year range from Guido Palau working with Zara to help the retailer launch into the hair care category, to Kristin Ess Hair pairing with Glamsquad to supply products for use by the 1,000 hair stylists working for the in-home hair, makeup, and nail styling service. 

Most of hair stylists’ initiatives outside the hair care space, on the other hand, such as those outlined here, consist of just one or a few product introductions, and the incidence of such ventures remains few and far between. This is an indicator of the challenges facing celebrities who are strongly associated with a single and specific area of expertise when they try to expand beyond that core competency. No matter how desirable celebrity hair stylists’ brands are within the hair care sector, moving into other areas of the beauty and fashion business—although it can be done—is sometimes a difficult jump. 

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