Tending to curly, kinky tresses is quite an undertaking. Especially if you’re Ouidad, deemed the “Queen of Curls” in the late 80s by ABC and CNN, who in the next six months is planning several notable changes and revamps within her 32-year old company. First up is the company’s largest product launch in years, followed by a down-to-the-studs revamp of its flagship salon on 57th Street, only to be topped by the opening of a third US salon in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. An overhaul to its website is also on the docket, all of which is being overseen by a newly robust marketing and digital team.
“We are in a reinvention phase and are focused on delivering the message that Ouidad pioneered to the industry over 30 years ago, which centers around four curl types and her unique approach to caring for each of them. So much has happened in the curl space over the years and there’s a real opportunity to amplify our point of difference, from the way we develop products to how we customize curl care techniques. With a multitude of brands on the market, Ouidad has sustained its position as a leader in affordable luxury curl care,” said Melka Davis, AVP of Marketing, who joined the company in June 2015 from L’Oréal-owned Mizani.
Rounding out the marketing team is Jessica Cohen, a brand manager formerly with Lancôme who now develops marketing promotions and collaborates on new product development; Wendy Rodewald-Sulz, a former beauty editor who will spearhead branded content; and blogger Kristine Ayala, Ouidad’s new social media manager, who will amplify the brand’s social presence. Ouidad also tapped RED PR for a robust public relations and influencer program.
To build a social footprint with consumers, the company is partnering with outlets such as Refinery29, Essence.com and naturallycurly.com, which Melka said, “have a great network of beauty influencers who are the next generation of curls. We are tapping into those communities and the empowerment story.”
New brand imagery will launch in the third quarter, too.
“Ouidad has always been an approachable brand that’s relatable and makes people feel like they can show off their individuality. That ethos will be incorporated into fresh imagery.”
On to the brand’s New York City flagship makeover, which takes place this September.
“We are changing the entire aesthetic to create a luxury haven for the ultimate curl experience,” said Ouidad. The salon will also feature new treatment services, such as the 3-step Express Hydration Treatment, a service for curls requiring deep penetrating moisture and hydration. It features a craniosacral massage to stimulate the scalp and it prepares curls for healthy styling.
There will also be a new architecture for salon education. Ouidad’s trademarked curl cutting and styling techniques, Carve & Slice and the Rake & Shake, are currently used by more than 500 salons nationwide, as well as its Manhattan and Santa Monica flagships. The AVP of Education, Melanie Fahey, formerly of EVO and L’Oréal Professional, is responsible for building the new curriculum for stylists and manages product development to bring curl innovation to the market with her styling expertise as “her hands are in the product every day,” said Ouidad. Melanie oversees training, development and certification of stylists nationwide.
And, the brand is looking to open a new Ouidad flagship in Fort Lauderdale in May.
Then there’s the new product line, Curl Immersion, which looks to be a breakthrough for kinky curls in that the collection of five products uses formulas designed to deliver maximum moisture to the internal layers of the hair. Thanks to a sophisticated delivery system that penetrates into each strand, moisture aims to reach the hair’s cortex, adding mass, weight and definition to the curl.
While kinky curls can’t be defined by one ethnic group, Ouidad noted the growth of the market for black hair care is estimated to reach nearly $900 million in three years. As more African American women continue to embrace their curls, the styling product segment is also expected to increase nearly 75 percent in the next four years due to the demand for products that aid in the transition from relaxed to chemical-free hair. “The curl segment is growing three times the speed of the hair market,” said Ouidad.
The new line fits well into the brand’s overall mission of catering to the four different types of curls: loose, classic, tight and kinky.
In October, the brand is enhancing its yearlong commitment to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation with increased monetary donations to its longstanding Curls for a Cure foundation started in 2002 by Ouidad.
Perhaps of all the new developments, one of the most anticipated is the return of the enhanced Mongongo Oil in September, a multi-use treatment oil that was part of the Professional Series collection.
With all of the changes, combined with expanded distribution in Ulta and Beauty Brands, the company has high ambitions of 20 percent to 25 percent growth in revenue for the fiscal year.
