Jen Atkin was once dubbed as "the world's most influential hairstylist". But the reality is, she's much more than that. Yes, while Atkin is a sought after hair guru for the elite, she's also a successful entrepreneur and influencer. Atkin, through Mane Addicts and Ouai, has managed to create brands that can not be put simply as "beauty", but instead as a lifestyle that women around the world live by.
Watch Below: Jen Atkin's Guide To Achieving Effortlessly Cool Hair.
You may know Atkin as the celebrity hairstylist responsible for the manes of the Kardashian's, including Kim, Khloe and Kendall, as well as Jessica Alba, Chrissy Teigen, Bella Hadid, Lily Collins and Kaia Gerber (just to scrape the surface). Developing her loyal clientele and following, Atkin went on to launch Mane Addicts, a digital playground and community for all things hair, in 2014, creating a platform that everyone from brands and stylists to consumers could use. In 2016, she launched Ouai, the digitally native haircare, that has quickly become a lifestyle as opposed to "just" a beauty brand. She is also an ambassador for Dyson, visiting their labs every six months to help their engineers create “tools for the everyday girl to do her hair.”
Atkin was arguably one of the first of the industry to recognise and harness the power and potential of social media, building her influence and authority through Instagram - that also reflected her star clientele, in a respectful and "loyal" way, as she admittedly says. It is this savvy businesswoman brain and boss AF attitude that had us itching to talk to Atkin at Bumble Australia's inaugural APAC Bizz Summit.
On What She Wishes Somebody Told Her:
"I feel like I was really naive about how long I would be working really hard for. I think everyone thinks of this time: You work hard, and you retire and then you're happy for the rest of your life. And that's not really reality. I feel like if you find something that you love, it'll come easy. I hope I'm doing hair for the next, twenty or thirty years. I wish somebody would've told me that. I wish that somebody would've told me that."
In true Atkin form, she adds: "I wish somebody would've told me that, 'The best way to get over guys, is to get under another'."
On The Rarity Of Brands Giving Back:
"I don't even think it's a brand thing. I think it's a person thing. Lorraine Schwartz is a good friend of mine, the jeweller, and she was somebody who I really respected because she's always giving back. She always told me that. She said, 'The more successful you become, just don't forget that there are people who are less fortunate. You're so lucky and you need to give back.' So I think it's different for everybody. Especially brands that have a platform, I think it's really funny that it's rare. I think it's so weird. We try to do some sort of initiative to give back to a course and people were like applauding us. I hope it's a trend and I hope everyone starts doing it."
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