Welcome to our column “Hey, Quick Question,” where we examine relatively random happenings in the fashion and beauty markets. Enjoy!
Changes are underway at KimKardashian West and Kylie Jenner’s particular beauty brand names, KKW Beauty and KylieCosmetics, and the seeming abruptness and uncertainty behind these upcoming brand name overhauls is stimulating numerous reports regarding what’s truly going on.
OnTuesday, KKW Beauty published a message on its social platforms from KardashianWest herself specifying that the brand name’s website will be closing down onAug 1 “so that we can come back to you under a completely new brand with new formulas that are more modern, innovative and packaged in an elevated and sustainable new look.” Kardashian West indicated that this rebrand is absolutely nothing more than an individual desire to produce a more deliberate, sleek KKWBeauty “I’m excited to continue to develop and expand my product range and for you to finally be able to experience it the way that I have always envisioned,” checked out the declaration. Among the “improvements” to be anticipated are updates to the shopping experience, consisting of a single site that will enable consumers to buy from both KKW Fragrance and KKW Beauty through the very same platform.
Prior to the website’s shutdown, KKW Beauty’s existing stock is likewise being sold at greatly affordable costs, in between 20% to 75% off. While no particular amount of time for the rebrand has actually been revealed, Kardashian West ended her message by stating, “I promise we won’t be gone for too long.”
This statement came less than a week after Kylie Cosmetics bulk owner CotyInc. revealed a relaunch of the brand name on July 1, with a concentrate on “improved clean and vegan formulas” in addition to a brand-new site set to debut on July15 In a relocation comparable to KKW Beauty’s structured method, the brand-new Kylie Cosmetics site will likewise include Kylie Skin items.
For her part, Jenner released a press declaration comparable to Kardashian West’s musing about updated solutions to much better serve customers: “I’m so proud to relaunch Kylie Cosmetics with all new formulas that are clean and vegan. Innovation has come far in the past few years. When creating this line, it was so important to me to commit to using clean ingredients across the board, but to never sacrifice performance. My new lip kit has eight-hour wear and is so comfortable on the lips, and all my new formulas are amazing. I’m excited for everyone to try the new products.”
In revealing the relaunch, CotyInc promoted brand-new solutions with “strong customer test results to support [their] effectiveness.” It’s real that the ultra-matte lip set that introduced Jenner’s at first mega-successful beauty business in 2015 is far less stylish than it as soon as was, and customer need for vegan items is well shown. But exists in fact more at play behind the scenes than simply an effort to stay up to date with developing market patterns and customer choices?
As is typically the case with anything including the KarJenners, the news of these double relaunches rapidly ended up being the topic of speculation and reports. People on Twitter thought that possibly Kardashian West would be relabeling her brand name to drop the “W” after applying for divorce from KanyeWest But that concept was laid to rest by WWD, which reported that KKW Beauty’s relabel has absolutely nothing to do with those initials. Quoting a declaration from a confidential “source close to Kardashian West,” the publication shared, “Kim is still Kim Kardashian West and has not changed her legal name. Kanye actually helped Kim come up with the new name and the packaging. The innovative formulas and even the shopping experience of being able to shop all categories in beauty and cosmetics under one brand, one website has always been Kim’s vision from the beginning.”
But there is likewise speculation that these relatively unexpected rebrands remain in action to legal difficulties. In June of 2020, Forbes reported that Seed Beauty, the business that produces items for both KKW Beauty and Kylie Cosmetics, had actually submitted a suit in California versus Coty Inc., the bulk owner of Kylie Cosmetics and a 20% minority owner of KKWBeauty “According to the complaint, Kylie Cosmetics knowingly disclosed Seed’s trade secrets — confidential intellectual property — with Coty, the beauty giant that also owns CoverGirl, Rimmel and Sally Hansen, among other brands,” composed Madeline Berg at the time.
Forbes likewise reported last June that Seed Beauty had actually been approved a momentary injunction in a civil claim it had actually brought versus KKW Beauty to avoid its trade tricks from being shared.
If it was these legal hazards that performed in reality trigger these most current brand name overhauls, it would barely be the very first time a member of the Kardashian-Jenner household has actually been required to carry out a brand name pivot. Some may even state that they have actually constructed their whole empire on pivots and re-brands of sorts. In 2019, Kardashian West altered the name of her then-newly introduced shapewear brand name from Kimono to Skims when the previous stimulated criticism of cultural appropriation. This pivot showed extremely effective, with TheNew York Times putting the business’s evaluation at $1.6 billion last April
In the field of beauty particularly, the Kardashian-Jenners have a variety of stopped working, mainly forgotten companies and licensing collaborations in their past Take, for instance, Khroma Beauty, a makeup line Kardashian West introduced together with sis Kho é and Kourtney in 2012; the brand name lasted hardly a year in shops prior to it was pulled from racks after having actually been struck with numerous copyright violation claims from likewise called beauty brand names. And then there was Kardashian Beauty, a mass-market hair brand name that simply never ever truly removed in the method subsequent Kardashian-Jennerbeauty endeavors did.
All celebrations included are staying tight-lipped as far as offering extra information on the rebrands and thinking behind them– KKW Beauty, Kylie Cosmetics and CotyInc decreased Fashionista’s ask for extra remark at the time of publication. But if there’s something celebs like the Kardashian-Jenners have actually shown they succeed, it’s transforming themselves (and their companies) to preserve their fortress on public awareness. We’re quite sure Kim and Kylie– in addition to fans of each of their beauty brand names– are going to be juuuuust fine.
.
