All posts tagged: interview

TBG Interview: Holly Thaggard, Supergoop! Founder and CEO

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Sunscreen is that one anti-ageing skincare product category that works for sure. Wrinkles, spots and sagginess are warded off as long as you use sunscreen consistently, and if possible, way before the spots and wrinkles appear. But Holly Thaggard’s concerns weren’t exactly just about clear and firm skin when she launched her dedicated sunscreen beauty line Supergoop! a decade ago. Skin cancer was. As Supergoop makes its mark at Sephora Singapore stores, Thaggard shares the story behind her brand with The Beauty Gazette. I decided to launch Supergoop when a close friend of mine was diagnosed with skin cancer when we were in our early 30s. I set out to learn everything there was to know about sun exposure. What I found was that skin cancer was the most common type of cancer in the U.S., and that it was primarily preventable with daily SPF. But no one wanted to wear it because it didn’t feel good, so that’s when I got to work. The three things we stand for as a brand help set us …

TBG Interview: Etienne de Swardt, Founder, Etat Libre D’Orange

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Enigmatic, intriguing, irreverent and irresistible. That pretty much sums up the indie French perfume label Etat Libre D’Orange. The selection of juices concocted by Etat stands out from a sea of same-ness in the over-commercialised perfume industry, and seals its cult status. Classic examples: Like This (Indonesian ginger, pumpkin, tangerine, immortal flower, Moroccan neroli, rose, spicy notes, vetiver, woody notes, musk, heliotrope) blended with the imagination of actor Tilda Swinton. Tom of Finland (Aldehydes, citron, feuilles de bouleau, pin, safraleine, poivre, cypres, geranium, vanille, feve tonka, iris, vetiver, daim, musc, ambre gris), inspired by the Finnish homoerotic artist Touko Valio Laaksonen. Secretions Magnifiques (Iodized accord – fucus, azurone – adrenalin accord, blood accord, milk accord, orris, coconut, sandalwood, opoponax), a cocktail of the “scent” of blood, sweat, sperm, saliva… Etienne de Swardt, the brand’s maverick founder answers – with his usual irreverence – a few of The Beauty Gazette’s quick questions. What sets Etat Libre D’Orange apart? The permanent art of sabotage and indecency with the sole dogma of highest quality for the formulation itself; somehow to save our souls by …

Dr Barbara Sturm and her skincare line: 6 things to know

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“I’m the Mother of customised skincare,” declares Dr Barbara Sturm, the German orthopaedic surgeon-turned anti-ageing skin expert. Instead of sounding arrogant, she is actually just matter-of-fact. The doctor is after all, the word-of-mouth go-to for some of the most beautiful and ageless in Hollywood, young and older: from Cher and Jennifer Aniston to Rosie Huntington-Whitley, Irina Shayk and Hailey Baldwin.  In 2003, she pioneered a method that uses one’s blood for a customised anti-ageing face cream, the MC1 or “Blood Cream”. In a nutshell, here’s how it works: she puts a vial of your blood through a “mechanical stimulation” process to trick the cells into thinking that it needs to produce wound-healing proteins.  “The resulting concentration of anti interleukin-1 and transforming growth factor (TGF) beta is 140 times higher than what you would have in the body,” says Dr Sturm. She adds the concentration into a tub of moisturiser, and there is the customised face cream. (Primarily, the use of your own blood is for hygiene purposes.) The doctor created the MC1 when she was …

TBG Interview: Rowena Bird, Lush co-founder

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In today’s crowded global beauty market, there isn’t another brand quite like Lush. The British label is literally one of the most effervescent around: it is energetic, colourful, vivacious, dynamic, and its bestsellers include fizzy bathbombs that release a riot of colours and essential oil blends into the bathwater. Lush is also firm in its beliefs, everything from animal rights to environmental causes; and is loud and proud about it. Founded in 1995, Lush is actually an incarnation of the six founders’ previous mail order business, Cosmetics To Go (CTG) [more on this in Q&A below]. Today, Lush is available in 50 countries across more than 800 stores. Rowena Bird, one of the brand’s founders, tells The Beauty Gazette why, in the face of increased competition, Lush still stands out. Today, the beauty retail market is overcrowded. But what do you think has led to the success of the brand, so it can hold its own?  Lush is incredibly unique in what we offer – with creativity and innovation running through everything we do. When …

TBG Interview: Suzanne Santos, Aesop co-founder and general manager

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FEW places in a mall or shopping street make you feel like you’re in an oasis of calm, like an Aesop store. The warm and soothing essential oils that fill the air, interiors carefully designed by world-class architects (like the stylish Aesop Midtown store in Tokyo by Torafu Architects, pictured above), the unpretentious brown pharmacy bottles with monochromatic labels, to the refreshing licorice tea served, take shoppers away from the harried rhythms of the city. Each store is different but still unified in theme – an authenticity. And Suzanne Santos has a hand to play in every little detail of the the Aesop brand. The general manager and brand advocate has been with the label for more than two decades. Right from its inception, through to its recent full acquisition by Brazilian cosmetics manufacturer Natura Cosmeticos. Today, Aesop marks its 30th Anniversary in the business. It operates 177 stores, and another 84 department counters, across 20 countries. Suzanne shares with The Beauty Gazette on how Aesop stays true in a busy marketplace. It has been 30 years since …

TBG Interview: Francois Arpels, co-founder, Brands & Beyond

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The Singapore-based skincare label which is set on global domination, Skin Inc, has a new member on its advisory board: Francois Arpels. Of Van Cleef & Arpels fame (his family used to own the luxury business, and he started his career there), he now runs a private-equity fund focused on investments in lifestyle and luxury brands. The luxury retail mogul shares his industry insights with The Beauty Gazette.   What are you currently focusing your energies on?  I moved to New Delhi 18 months ago, following more than a decade of close dealings with India, to set up Brands & Beyond (formerly IndEU Capital). It is a private equity fund focused on investing in independent and non-ethnic made-in-India lifestyle and luxury brands that my partners and I plan on rolling out of India. Our business model is closer to that of a strategic operator; we plan on actively contributing value in the strategy of our portfolio companies than that of a typical financial operator.   How do you intend to contribute to Skin Inc’s advisory board?  I’ve …

TBG Interview: Marc Chaya, CEO and co-founder, Francis Kurkdjian

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The celebrated perfumer Francis Kurkdjian is one of the biggest names in the rarefied world of French noses. Kurkdjian’s claim to fame was Jean Paul Gaultier’s Le Male, which he concocted at the age of 26. The award-winning perfumer went on to create many other distinctive juices with his signature juicy, sexy, yet fresh and delicately feminine accords. The Beauty Gazette loves loves loves Guerlain Rose Barbare (2005), Carven Le Parfum (2013), Elie Saab Le Parfum (2011), and My Burberry (2014). In 2009, Kurkdjian launched his eponymous perfume house with businessman Marc Chaya. To kickstart 2017, Kurkdjian adds Aqua Celestia to his signature Aqua Universalis (2009) and Aqua Vitae (2013) line-up. The juice is described as having “a fresh, colorful and generous top note accord that resonates with the sunny radiance of mimosa blossoms from Provence and a celestial whisper of musk”. The Beauty Gazette finds out more about the essence of Maison Francis Kurkdjian from the brand’s CEO and co-founder, Marc Chaya.   How did you first meet Francis Kurkdjian? I met Francis some 10 years …

Actor Yusuke Fukichi’s style pointers

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Before Nicola Formichetti was styling Lady Gaga for her hit music videos and directing Diesel’s fashion campaigns, he discovered Yusuke Fukuchi. “I was a literature undergrad who wanted to be a model. For my first gig, Nicola styled me in an abandoned love hotel in Kabukicho, Tokyo,” says the Japanese actor-model, now 32. The editorial spread was for the British magazine Another Man, and it had the moody, sexy patina of a Wong Kar Wai film. That shoot was the beginning of Fukuchi’s love affair with the camera. Today, he has starred in at least eight dramas (in Singapore, Japan, Taiwan), and seven films (Japan, China), with another one coming up in 2017. Fukuchi’s acting career was an indirect result of his three-year modelling stint in London where he was based in his early 20s. There, he had easy access to the classic stage plays around town. And the influence of the theatre seeped into his persona at work. “Every photographer I worked with told me how the image they captured of me reminds them …

TBG Interview: Sabrina Tan, founder, Skin Inc

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In September, Skin Inc launched its new concept store at Scotts Square in Singapore to cater to women who need flash facials for their jam-packed days, and a relaxing pampering session on their days-off. The store also carries a full range of the brand’s products, from its signature serums to the best-selling masks, and nifty beauty devices. Skin Inc is currently available in 100 cities in Asia, Europe and USA (including Sephora) and online retail channels (Sephora, BeautyBay, Zalora). Next year, the Chinese market is on its cards. Skin Inc’s founder Sabrina Tan, shares why the new concept store is absolutely necessary for the brand’s expansion, and other insights on the brand; with The Beauty Gazette.   Why did you decide to open the new Facial In A Flash Skin Bar? We live in a fast-paced era, where we’re all busy, have little time for almost everything; and when it comes to taking care of ourselves, we literally have no time. But, we want it all. So, I decided to solve this issue that many face with a …

Sarah Moon for Nars Holiday 2016

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The best thing about Holiday collections: the beautiful limited edition sets. Like the Sarah Moon for Nars line, where ethereal images of beautifully made-up women adorn the boxes. A French fashion photographer, Moon is known for her somehow touching, out-of-focus, and translucent pictures that look like water colour paintings. She is also recognised for her work in the famous Pirelli calendar, and commissions by Chanel, Dior, Vogue and Comme des Garcons. Pictures: Sarah Moon And here’s how Francois Nars first met her, in his own words: WHEN DID YOU FIRST DISCOVER SARAH MOON AND HER WORK? I discovered Sarah’s work in the early ‘70s when she was doing quite a bit of editorial work for ELLE and Vogue. I never actually met her until we decided to work together though. It was really incredible to be able to do this collaboration and work with her for the rst time after all those years of admiration. HOW DID YOU PICK SARAH MOON AS YOUR NEXT COLLABORATOR, WHAT DREW YOU TO HER? I pick the people whom …