If there is a brand that has contributed to rewriting the world and, above all, the beauty market, then this is it. glossy. Appearing on the scene in the mid-1910s, it experienced a peak of incredible success, followed by many problems and contradictions that led it to a deep crisis in the last two years. What makes it even more legendary in our region is the fact that it has never been available in Italy, even if last year it was announced that it would appear in Sephora by 2023, but there is still no sign of a launch. therefore, in our opinion, even more exclusive, a real cult item for the most passionate. So it’s not as popular here as it is in the US, where the book just came out. Glossy – ambition, beauty and the inside story of Glossier by Emily Weisswritten Marisa Meltzer and published by Simon & Schuster, which promises to cause quite a stir as it reconstructs the history of the brand through intuition, success, problems and accusations from former employees inextricably linked to its founder Emily Weiss, an elusive character with an unmistakable style. .
Marisa Meltzer Glossy: Ambition, Beauty and the Inside Story of Glossier Emily Weiss
Marisa Meltzer Glossy: Ambition, Beauty and the Inside Story of Glossier Emily Weiss
But let’s take a step back. We have already told you the story of the brand and her parable: everything was born in 2014 from the idea of an ambitious American entrepreneur, an intern Teenage fashion with an appearance in the program behind him Hillswhich millennials know very well, who turns her beauty blog into something concrete To shinegiving shape to the shiny, glossy aesthetic that is currently trending on social media. Anticipates trends and identifies imaginary made of perfect skin, plump and radiant, kissed by the dew expertly created with there is makeup, but you can’t see it, and all this combined with super recognizable packaging and fonts. The takeover of the nascent beauty community on social media was immediate, as was the case with early influencers and, above all, celebrities, and the support paid off. And in the period from 2015 to 2016, as reported in the article CNN, Glossier is experiencing 600% growth and its products are becoming bestsellers. In the five years since its founding, it was worth a billion dollars, achieving success and recognition, including the support of names such as Gigi Hadid or Beyoncé, becoming an instant classic, or rather, instant icon.
But the higher the peak, the more painful the fall will be. Everything is happening in 2020, a difficult year for the world, but which has seen an explosion in the beauty market: this could have been the moment of final dedication, as if it were necessary, but for Glossier it’s the opposite. Some former employees formed a collective From gloss and they begin to anonymously share their very negative experiences with the company and Weiss on social media, talking about constant pressure, stress and even episodes of discrimination, followed by official apologies. Meltzer met with some of them to get to the bottom of the mysterious dynamics glossy and understand what really happened and what the problems were, and then also interview investors and the founder herself, who, however, was rather reluctant to speak openly, which added to the ambiguity that revolves around her character.
However, this is not a dead or failed brand, on the other hand, this year it opened a new store in Soho, the inauguration of which had queues, but it is at a difficult stage: -26% of sales recorded in 2021, but in 2022 its only fragrance, You, sold one every 43 seconds. It is still distributed by Sephora and boasts various single-brand stores in the States and one in London, but in the last two years a third of its staff have been laid off, some launches have failed and there has been competition from new brands, including celebrities , it’s cruel. The criticism may be that the company has failed to reinvent itself also due to a short-sighted view of the sector. However, in May 2022, Weiss stepped down as CEO of Glossier, remaining on the board as executive chairman. Glossy tells and analyzes her figure as an innovator and innovative entrepreneur, as well as the various facets of what was not just a name in the vast sea of the world of beauty, but really influential phenomenon, which defined the period both in real life and on social networks, interpreting them first in the correct world. The question is, what, if any, is the future for Glossier?
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