Chronicle of Experts - 19/99 Beauty
From renowned thought and culture leaders, to members of our community, we learn about what gives meaning to what they do.
MYKIGAI is a dedicated space to maintain purpose and profit from career and life experience for an active 50+ community. In our newsletters we profile our Ambassador Experts to explore what makes their lives purposeful. In this edition we learn about a new vision of beauty as we age with the next guest speakers on our MYKIGAI Talks, 19/99 Beauty, the new brand narrowing the generational gap (Thursday May 21, at 6 PM ET).
Interviews by Leanne Delap who has been both the Fashion Editor and Fashion Reporter for the Globe and Mail and was the editor-in-chief of FASHION Magazine.
A NEW BEAUTY ATTITUDE
The best stories coming out of the pandemic are forward looking, starring ideas that aim to move us not just back to where we were, but onward a much better place. The fashion and beauty industries were already in a state of flux, forced to adapt in real time to consumers voicing their desire for products that more accurately reflect the range of real women. We come in different sizes, and colors, and abilities, and we do not—nor do we even want to any longer!—look 20 forever.
Camille Katona and Stephanie Spence are the co-founders of 19/99, which they describe as “a brand that is inclusive of all ages, and challenges the industry’s current, flaw-focused, idea of aging.” The duo has a decade of experience in the beauty field, having worked together on Bite Beauty from startup, launching the flagship in New York, up until the sale to European conglomerate LVMH. They went on to launch Red Earth Beauty together with Target last year.
The 19/99 mission,” they say, “is to start a multigenerational dialogue to break down the idea of age-appropriate and narrow the generational beauty gap.” In other words: makeup with an inclusive message, with formulations and colourways that can work for everyone. The ageless vision of 19/99 was developed in conjunction with legendary branding guru Diti Katona of Concrete agency (who is also Camille’s Mom, making it a multigenerational launch for a multigenerational brand) and celebrity makeup artist Simone Otis, who was also a founding partner at Bite Beauty.
The 19/99 team—Camille, Stephanie and Simone--will be in conversation on the MYKIGAI platform with Laura deCarufel, editor-in-chief of The Kit, on Thursday May 21 to dig into this concept of intergenerational beauty.
The brand launched with a handful of products—itself a statement in this time when beauty companies have been stuck on excess mode. “Working in the industry,” say Katona and Spence, “we found ourselves testing and trying so much product, and we realized how much excess there is, and what essentials you really need.”
The paring down of our makeup bags into multi-use essentials is important for Otis, along with her view that there are no age-restricting “rules” for makeup. Healthy and dewy skin is #goals for every age.
Camille Katona & Stephanie Spence Simone Otis
But it is the underlying ethos that really makes 19/99 stand out in the crowded beauty space. Otis has seen it all: Based in Toronto, she has travelled the world with her makeup kit, working with international photography legends such as Annie Leibovitz and Francesco Scavullo, for bibles such as Vogue, Vanity Fair, and behind the scenes at shows from Balenciaga to Mark Jacobs. She has also worked with a dizzying array of A-list celebs : Selena Gomez, Salma Hayek, and Rita Ora amongst many more.
From all those heady life and work experiences, Otis has taken away a frustration with the status quo in beauty world. “You are either ‘eccentric’ and present yourself with wild colour and bold clothes and makeup, or you are impossibly chic, minimalist in your colour choices and the cut of your clothes and only choose the ‘simple classics’ as rule for your makeup. And these two choices are mostly shown to us wrinkle free.” She doesn’t see herself in either of those polarities. “Why just the two choices? Can we be more?”
That desire to open up the beauty industry’s “ideals” aligned perfectly with Spence and Katona. Why, they wondered in turn, did the industry want to sell them “anti-aging” products in their 20s? “The concept of anti-aging also makes no sense – aging is inevitable, why do we have to try to stop it?!” says the 19/99 founders. “Who decided that a wrinkle was the ultimate flaw? We want women of all ages to have fun with beauty, and in order to do this, this out-dated, flaw-focused take on aging needs to evolve.”
One of the taglines for the brand is “unprescribed,” which Otis explains: “Unprescribed means that there is no rule or barrier to what you should do or can do when it comes to your makeup. The options should not be fewer because we have wrinkles, or don’t look a certain way.” Cheers to a future of lighter makeup bags, and more options, all at the same time.
Sign up to join the discussion about Intergenerational Beauty with @1999Beauty and @TheKit this May 21 from 6PM ET.
EDITOR ON A MISSION
Laura deCarufel - Editor in Chief The Kit
Laura deCarufel has been charting the rapid changes on the fashion and beauty scene from her perch as editor-in-chief of The Kit. There is strength in numbers, she says, as female consumers’ calls for changes to the industry are now being heard. “I think brands have finally (finally!) caught up to what fashion and beauty consumers want, which is to see themselves reflected back in the most beautiful and aspirational way,” she says. “The aspirational part is important. We’ve seen huge strides in inclusivity and representation over the past three years, as mainstream media brands and fashion and beauty companies widen their extremely narrow definition of beauty: blonde, age 15, size 00. I think this reflects a huge cultural shift.” Influence, she says, is now a commodity, and a hot one at that: “people are using that power for good, to demand better. It’s so inspiring.”
Aging--and how we are “supposed” to look and dress and act as we age--is another area where deCarufel feels a shakeup underway. She is hopeful “that women now feel that they have the freedom to do what they want with their own faces and bodies.” The struggle, she says, from personal experience, is real. “The other day, I caught myself thinking “Should I stop wearing red lipstick?” because I thought maybe it was aging. But I love red lipstick! I never want to give it up. The messages that we’ve internalized for decades burrow and cling, but I do feel optimistic that this moment of authentic inclusivity is helping us shed all of that nonsense.”
Women are also learning to value their own experiences, and bring their weight and power to the table. Another critical element is women magnifying each other’s voices. DeCarufel herself says she was blessed right from the start of her career by the generosity of colleagues. “Years and years ago,” she says, “when I was fresh out of journalism school, I interned at Elm Street, which was a really smart women’s magazine. Everyone there treated me like I belonged—they asked my opinion, they invited me to try writing for them. As a result, I thrived and felt confident in my own abilities that yes, media was where I wanted to make my career. I carry that generosity of spirit with me as an example of how I’d like to be.”
THE POWER OF VIRTUAL CONNECTION
Laura Bowley
The unexpectedly all-virtual world we are living in right now is old hat to Laura Bowley, who is a virtual facilitator. What is that, you ask? In Bowley’s words, “A virtual facilitator is someone who knows how to engage participants in a video conference through a combination of good meeting planning and management, facilitating conversations, and using digital tools to enhance collaboration.”
An early adopter of Zoom video conferencing (circa 2013), Bowley was already living our future. She loves the way that video conferencing brought people together from all corners of the earth. The conversation is so much richer when you hear the perspective of people you wouldn't meet normally. “That's why I love MYKIGAI.” The MYKIGAI Community Ambassador will be leading a talk on June 3 called Changing the Story of Dementia, to elaborate on why the virtual world is such a great place to foster change.
Bowley combined her communication skills—30 years of experience as a writer, management consultant and graphic designer-- with her passion project, mindsetmemory.com. She was inspired to start the project by her own mother’s experience with vascular dementia.
There’s power in connection, says Bowley. “People living with dementia first connected online through social media, and then through Zoom. They started creating their own organizations and contributing to those created by caregivers. They can connect with support groups where none exist in their local communities. They are able to contribute to projects with the Alzheimer Society, for example, and use their professional expertise towards the greater good.”
Bowley always imagined her Mindset Centre for Living with Dementia as being a physical place, but it has become a virtual gathering place, and a way for people to connect through webinars, roundtables and the like. Her focus now is on To Whom I May Concern, an interactive theatre project that engages people living in the early stages of dementia to tell their stories of what it's like to live with condition. “The project provides meaning and new purpose to participants living with dementia,” she says, “and educates families, friends and communities about what it's like to be a person living with dementia and how to be more supportive.”
Here is Bowley’s main message, which aligns directly with MYKIGAI’s mission: “Don't forget: these are people with a lifetime of experience looking to make a difference through their skills and knowledge. Dementia doesn't change that.”
Sign up for the Community Experience with Laura Bowley, Changing the Story of Dementia on June 3rd at 4 pm ET.