Andrew Fitzsimons Launches Eponymous Beauty Brand With Maesa
One of beauty’s hottest categories has a new, celebrity-approved entrant.
Andrew Fitzsimons, celebrity hairstylist, is launching his namesake beauty brand, incubated by Maesa. With an initial offering of 27 products, all priced at $14 each, the brand has entered the U.K. and Ireland markets at Boots this week, going into all doors with Ulta Beauty in April, and a June launch in Germany at retailer Müller.
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Fitzsimons didn’t comment on sales expectations for the range, but industry sources estimate Andrew Fitzsimons Hair to reach a sales volume of $20 million in its first year on the market. Maesa’s track record with hair care brands is strong, too. As reported by WWD, Kristin Ess Hair, also backed by the incubator, is said to have reached $230 million in sales for this year. Other top brands include Drew Barrymore’s Flower Beauty, Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ Anomaly.
The products span hair care and hairstyling, and include ranges for every hair type. “It was important for me to be able to show the beauty of each hair type in my brand,” he said. “In Europe, you learn all hair types, you don’t just learn whatever your specific hair type is.”
Fitzsimons first started hairstyling after dropping out of school at the age of 13. At 16, he moved to Paris; at 21, New York. Now, based in Los Angeles, he counts Kim and Khloé Kardashian, Madonna and Jennifer Lopez as clients.
Despite the caliber of his clientele, and his own considerable influence — his personal Instagram account has more than 600,000 followers — accessibility defined how he formulated the range, and where it is launching.
“I knew that with a brand, I wanted to be as inclusive as possible. For me, growing up in a single-parent household in Dublin, it was important for my brand to be price inclusive, too,” he said. “Being price inclusive, knowing that the products I’m using on Kim Kardashian for a red carpet are the same products that my mom can afford was really important to me.”
Beyond that, he also wanted to ensure the widest range of hair types, textures and concerns could be remedied by his initial assortment. “I like to be solution-oriented,” he said. “There are very, very common hair concerns I’ve seen from living in Paris, North Africa, East Coast and West Coast. I knew that the fundamental first step for me was to be able to create a core range of products that go as wide as possible.”
The brand covers all the bases of modern beauty trends, including the “skinification” of hair, and thoughtful formulations and packaging. “I was jealous for years and years when skin care and makeup industries popped off,” he said. “It was such an exciting time for everyone else. There wasn’t as much vision I saw, weren’t as many concepts being presented with hair care.
“The brand is vegan and cruelty-free, and all of our packaging is made with PCR materials,” he continued. All of the wash-out and non-styling products also include AF Bonding System, a proprietary protein technology that structurally repairs damaged hair.
Fitzsimons is also dedication a portion of the brand’s sales to support various LGBTQ centers in L.A. and London.
“[Fitzsimons] came to Maesa knowing our capability to challenge conventions and we couldn’t be more pleased partnering with him to bring this vision to life. After all, as brand incubators, we are continually focused on bringing the future into the present,” said Gianni Pieraccioni, chief executive officer of Maesa Group, in a statement.
Added Jessica Phillips, vice president of merchandising at Ulta Beauty, “Our guests have proven their loyalty to products that contain a bonding system, and with the collection’s affordable price point, we know this will be the perfect addition to any beauty lover’s hair care routine.”
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