LONDON, United Kingdom - Like a thief in the night, Gucci subtly relaunched its beauty offshoot and quickly amassed a legion of followers with its highly artistic aesthetic. Dani Miller, the punk band Surfbort frontwoman and muse of the luxury maison’s Alessandro Michele, fronts the range of 58 lipsticks in a nostalgic Hollywood glamour inspired campaign shot by Martin Parr.

 

Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty which launched in 2017 was valued at $72 million after just one month of sales, helping to raise LVMH's cosmetic and perfume sales for the third quarter of that year by 17%. The success of the products which aim to provide offerings for all skin tones has without doubt led to the recent announcement of the brand’s move into ready-to-wear - adding to the vast portfolio of its grande dame parent company - which is scheduled to present in Paris later this month.

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The mother of makeup and Vogue beauty editor-at-large Pat McGrath’s all-singing, all-dancing curated space at Selfridges, entitled “A Technicolour Odyssey”, has seen her work with a line-up of major luxury brands from eyewear to apparel as a part of McGrath’s role as Selfridges’ Special Guest Editor. (Also a BBC Radio 4 Desert Island Discs guest this month... beauty really must be having a moment.) Another staple of the industry, Lisa Eldridge, renowned for her YouTube tutorials and the make-up bible ‘Face Paint’ also launched from backstage into her own line of lipsticks as a teaser to a possible full line (reportedly in cahoots with husband Robin Derrick, ex-Creative Director of both British Vogue and Spring Studios). ‘An Atlas of Natural Beauty: Botanical ingredients for retaining and enhancing beauty’ similarly acted as the icing on this make-up plastered cake when it was finally released by the reincarnation of 19th century Parisian trendsetter and beauty emporium L'Officine Universelle Buly (now based on Paris’ Rue Bonaparte).

 

It appears that clothes are no longer seen as a required method of promotion for luxury fashion’s profit spinning cosmetic ranges. Instead, beauty is steadily becoming its own self-governing entity; capable of curating their own independent voice and following.

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Lucy Willis, Fashion & Beauty Editor at Selfridges, believes that “Make-up is taking inspiration from the energy, excitement and creativity of the traditional 'backstage' experience. Within a retail environment in particular, this translates as a unique area to explore and experiment.” With everything from biscuits (Biscuiteers, £24.99) to candles (Byredo Limited Edition, £60)  in their latest curated 'Beauty' space, they're definitely not holding back with the name of a make-up legend behind them.

 

If a transition like this is being actively made, it may be as a reaction to the steady decline of traditional collection presentation and a rapidly evolving fashion schedule. It would also be reasonable to assume that the adaptation of marketing would also affect what’s offered inside the luxury stores of the brands investing in beauty.

 

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Earlier this week, Rihanna told the New York Times her Fenty label would be “as disruptive as possible. The brand is not traditional. There is no runway show. It’s a new way of doing things because I believe that this is where fashion is going to go eventually.” The brand's flagship is also a digital one - fenty.com - its launch is well outside the classic fashion schedule and also breaks away from the usual sportswear or streetwear inspired garb of popstar-cum-designers; Beyonce's Ivy Park or Drake's October's Very Own. It's also important to note that Fenty is the first new luxury house to be founded by LVMH since the launch of Christian Lacroix in 1987. It would seem that the stakes are high for this beauty rule breaker's foray into couture.

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Dazed also bet big on beauty last year with the launch of its namesake offshoot 'Dazed Beauty' - in the form of social, online and print editorial. “Dazed is inclusive, radical and exciting. We're not a beauty blog saying this is the trend of the season. We want to be talking about what beauty means in all its dimensions and not via simply putting out images,” explained Bunney Kinney, who added editor-in-chief of the platform to his existing responsibilities as editorial director at Dazed Media.

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Rival youth-oriented publishers including Refinery29 and Vice Media-backed i-D are also targeting the opportunity at the intersection of youth and beauty. “90 percent of our audience say they visit Refinery29 for beauty content,” said Kate Ward, executive vice president of Refinery29 International, who added that beauty was a key revenue driver for the business. The company currently reaches 425 million users across all platforms and has global revenue in nine figures.

 

Make-up and beauty has allowed some of the biggest names in fashion to flourish and expand, but if the latest movements in the industry continue, cosmetics may soon overtake their namesake brands signature looks as the head-turning product.

 

By Daniel Love

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