Beauty has always been fashion’s twin flame, mirroring one another as both strive to push the boundaries and explore groundbreaking notions on what it means to be the next in. This is evident more than ever in recent times as luxury fashion brands shift focus to get a slice of the beauty pie; conjuring innovations of fragrance, cosmetic and skincare to appeal to a wider consumer audience.
Take last year alone, for example. Established luxury houses such as Carolina Herrera, Dries Van Noten and Off-White introduced make-up collections while designer Stella McCartney launched skincare. The fashion-founded world of beauty also witnessed the exciting addition of Prada Beauty—with the house’s release of a line of matte lipsticks, eyeshadows and foundations. Combining technology and creativity, Miuccia Prada joined hands with make-up artist Lynsey Alexander and digital make-up artist Ines Alpha to develop strong pigments optimised for different skin tones.
This is not the first time that fashion brands have dipped their toes into the beauty pool. Luxury fashion’s key players such as Chanel, Dior, Burberry, Saint Laurent and Givenchy, to name a few, have long established ventures into the market of cosmetics and skincare. It is no surprise as to why the beauty industry is growing at an exponential rate, and is only expected to increase in the coming years. By introducing cosmetic lines, price points in luxury are widened and this casts a net to the rapid rise of the younger and influential Gen Z set. A Dior Saddle might be a far-reaching dream, but the Dior Addict Lip Glow Oil could very well be a surefire reality.
With a rising interest in the beauty sector, take a look at these fashion brands’ fresh foray into beauty.
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Marc Jacobs Beauty
With a blooming fragrance under its brand belt, Marc Jacobs Beauty is set to make a comeback after signing a deal with luxury beauty conglomerate Coty. Originally launched in 2013, the brand amassed a cult following after releasing a dauntless and subversive make-up collection in a time where natural and elegant makeup trends took precedence, before quietly pulling from the shelves in 2021. Two years on, Marc Jacobs Beauty hopes to see a fruitful rebirth following the popularity of its diffusion Heaven by Marc Jacobs amongst the younger crowd as well as its sell-out hair dye collaboration with Bleach London. Slated for release in 2025, the brand looks to be on the cutting edge of pop culture, appealing to the Gen Z as it strikes a balance of nostalgia and current.
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Sporty & Rich Beauty
Lifestyle and activewear label Sporty & Rich try their hand at beauty, curating a skincare collection as “an extension of the wellness-focused principles that guide the brand’s lifestyle”, as expressed by the brand. Grounded in simplicity and healthy living, founder Emily Oberg intends to create products that are gentle yet effective, after her personal experience with autoimmune disease. The collection is formulated for all genders and skin types and includes a softening milk cleanser, nourishing body oil, multi-vitamin face mist, replenishing hand cream and lip balm.
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Rabanne Beauty
Following a rebranding effort à la Saint Laurent by dropping its first name, Rabanne made its make-up debut last month after being an established contender in fragrance. Known for its radicalism and Space Age aesthetic, the brand imbues its beauty collection with a futuristic glam that reflects the house. Packaged in sleek silver tubes and capsule compacts, the line includes lipsticks, eyeshadows and liquid metallics. Aligning with Gen Z’s mantra of creativity and fierce individuality, Rabanne Beauty’s debut collection is encompassed of refined textures and metallic hues that is evocative of founder Paco Rabanne’s signature chain mail.
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Balmain Beauty
Balmain’s legacy seems to extend to beauty as well, following the brand’s newest partnership with beauty giant Estée Lauder to create a beauty division. Spearheaded by creative director Olivier Rousteing and Estée Lauder’s global brands president Guillaume Jesel, the brand aims to “transform the luxury and couture beauty world.” Set to launch next year, expect a sweeping range of cosmetics and fragrances as Rousteing notes an effort to bridge the gap between skincare and colour. This marks the luxury house’s official foray into beauty, aside its venture in Balmain Hair Couture—a line of haircare products and tools.
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Gabriela Hearst & Fueguia 1833
Luxury fashion and accessories designer Gabriela Hearst joins hands with botanical perfumer Fueguia 1833 to create two new fragrances, the first under her eponymous label. Aptly named ‘Paysandú’ and ‘New York’, the fragrances are inspired by the “two geographies of her life”, with the former representing her childhood memories and landscapes on her family’s ranch, and the latter being the culmination of personal womanhood and her identity as a designer. Paysandú is an aromatic floral that includes pioneering perfumery scents of carqueja and marcela botanicals, while its New York counterpart is a woody blend with notes of tobacco, maple and patchouli. This marks the first fashion collaboration for Fueguia 1833 and a first attempt at fragrances for the esteemed designer.
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Ann Demuelemeester
Known for its bewitching and subversive tones, Ann Demuelemeester’s eponymous label has released its first fragrance, simply titled ‘A’. A nod to Demuelemeester’s first initial and the beginning of the alphabet, ‘A’ symbolises the essence of expression, core and constancy. Crafted and formulated by the Antwerp Six designer herself, the fragrance focuses on ingredients in their rarest and purest form with top notes of Calabrian bergamot, Sicilian lemon and Ceylon cinnamon with bases of sandalwood, vetiver and patchouli. The packaging, inspired by a blank canvas, is an ode to the founder’s Antwerp boutique.
