Beauty and Fashion: A powerful alliance

Over the past few years, the beauty industry has been experiencing a significant change as the launches of more and more brands are setting the industry by storm. With an estimated value of $532 billion, (1) the beauty industry is expected to continue on this rising path. Makeup artists and beauty influencers play an important role in defining the next big beauty trends. Subsequently, cosmetic and skin-care brands will continue to benefit from their influence. 

Furthermore, a great deal of beauty content creators with a hefty online following don’t shy away from posting fashion content. As François Nars, Makeup Artist and Founder of NARS Cosmetics, once said: “Makeup is an accessory to fashion. You buy a bag, you buy shoes, you put on eyeliner, you buy a lipstick, makeup compliments the clothes.” (2) 

So, how can fashion brands collaborate with beauty content creators to expand their reach and impact? To answer that, we have interviewed Christina Kassi, a Houston based lifestyle blogger who creates both beauty and fashion related content, and Marie Thomsen, a professional makeup artist based in Copenhagen who has worked with the likes of GANNI, Stine Goya, By Malene Birger, and ELLE magazine.

While celebrity fashion icons, such as Rihanna and Lady Gaga, have successfully launched their own beauty brands, makeup artists are also rapidly gaining strong interest on social platforms. Notably, this increasing digital momentum is evident in the work of veteran makeup artist Pat McGrath and her work with Maison Margiela, Givenchy, Louis Vuitton and Valentino.

We’re also seeing that fashion enthusiasts have a great interest in what is going on behind the scenes of global fashion weeks, and magazines like VOGUE, ELLE, and Marie-Claire are now reporting what’s going on backstage. Pat McGrath herself confirms that there’s a definite interest for backstage interviews from the general public. (3)

Steven Kolb, the Executive Director of Fashion Designers for America, explains in an article for Consumer News and Business Channel that: “When you look at a designer and their collection, the styling and the presentation of that collection is so dependent on the complete look. To have the right makeup and hair, that is an extension of the collection or that aesthetic, is really important.” (4)

With that mind, fashion brands should use the increasing interest in beauty content to give extra, added value to the collections that they have created:

Christina Kassi: “Most major fashion houses have their own beauty lines, so there’s always that intimate connection between the current collection of RTW and beauty products released for that same season. Beauty content creators can help give ideas on how to make these looks wearable and how to incorporate beauty to dress up/down an outfit and give ideas on where it’s appropriate.”

Marie Thomsen: “Beauty makes the product final and compliments a fashion collection. It gives an extra signal of what kind women would wear it. For example, for the last Stine Goya SS20 runway show, we wanted to magnify the play-fullness and the vibrant colors of the collection. We translated that onto the makeup, with bold colored lips to create a funky and funny look to accentuate the colors of the clothes. For By Malene Birger, we wanted to emphasize the strong silhouettes with strong red lips and super slick tight hair to represent a powerful boss woman.”

Ines is the French Fashion and Design Researcher at VOCAST. After spending most of her life on the beautiful African continent she has chosen Copenhagen as her home-base. A self proclaimed “beauty addict”, she previously worked in the beauty industry and is now exploring her passion for digital marketing, fashion PR and design.