Hair styles and particular hair color choices reflect trends not only in fashion and key accessories, but also one’s sense of individual style. With the advent of hair chalk, for example, sold by Urban Outfitters and edgy cosmetic companies, fresh new looks are easy to achieve and relatively inexpensive.
Hair color reflecting the color of the rainbow has been on trend now among younger females and male for the past couple of years, corresponding with preferences in colored denim, bright neon graphics, colourful nail accessories, and a matching preference for electronic music. The trends in hair, in some circles, reflect preferences for retro rave styles and the modern edge of preferences in combo dance music and emo. From Kei$sha to Azealia Banks, sporting colourful stripes is a part of the growing fascinating of looks and styles among musicians.
Other than colored denim, graphics, and Converse sneaks, the crossover effect from fashion is growing as more models are sporting the rainbow hair look, including Never the Bride’s featured model, Chloe Norgaard. The brand, launched by Courtney Love, takes the grunge-meets-Victorian look via thrift aesthetics to new heights and the colorful hair of Chloe goes perfectly with the look and feel of today’s youth culture seeking an alternative choice in personal identity at a reasonable price point.
Extreme color has always been in the repertoire of company’s like Manic Panic. Rooted in punk rock and Goth, the brand is a favourite among young people. For Urban Decay, the originators of wicked names to describe colors like Moonshine, Sin, Road Kill, Mildew, Dew Me, and Heavy Metal in eye make-up and other style products, have not only turned Goth-like elements and the urban detritus of society into a name-game, but also tapped into youth culture’s lack of inhibition when it comes to using color as a way of expression.
Therefore, the announcement today, November 26, 2012 that Urban Decay, created by Wende Zomnir, has been purchased by L’Oreal, who was seeking for a way to tap into an edgier youth marketplace, makes complete sense.
While the buyout cost has not been revealed, Urban Decay had sales of $130 million at the end of June, 2012 for their fiscal year, and analysts estimate the deal at double, or between $250-300 million.
According to Nicolas Hieronimus, President L’Oréal Luxe, “Urban Decay will beautifully complement L’Oréal Luxe’s portfolio of iconic brands. It is the make-up specialist we needed to fully satisfy young women in search of playful colors and inspiration in selective distribution, at an accessible price point.”
Interestingly, among today’s post-gender generation, color isn’t for young women only. As Label Networks’ street reporters can attest, more and more young guys are into color, from eye make-up to hair color, especially, and the trend is still ramping up.
Anticipate that hair color and bright colored, edgy make-up will be on the rise when it comes to youth culture markets this holiday wish-list season, and once again in full-swing for summer 2013.
