The much-anticipated launch of Byredo Makeup is here.
“Ultimately, beauty is subjective — Byredo Makeup had to reflect that.”
— Ben Gorham, Founder & Creative Director, Byredo
The first Byredo Makeup collection features five core products in which the gender and identity boundaries are dissolved. Taking a cue from his work in fashion, the design of the unique and totemic objects by Ben Gorham
presents products that are obscure objects of desire, to be possessed as well as worn. As in Byredo scents where emotions and memories are translated into fragrances, this time, colour becomes the expression.
“I wanted to create a sense of freedom in the way we approach using makeup but also in the way we communicate the products. Byredo can be anything — that is what we are trying to establish.”
— Isamaya Ffrench, Makeup Artist & collaborator
Colour is an emotion, rather than a strategic choice for Byredo Makeup and the ultimate expression of this comes in the form of the universal product: The Colour Stick–Bâton de couleur. The Colour Stick is a vehicle for
self-expression. Easy to apply and intended to be used all over the face. Housed in a silver metal, the slim stick with a curved bullet tip is designed to be used easily, quickly and instinctively while eschewing ultra-perfection,
the colour is blendable with fingers or brushes. The Colour Stick comes in finishes aligned to corresponding shades, encompassing lightweight, dewy, matte and creamy textures.
Byredo’s particular style of naming its products is already familiar from the brands perfumes, where each name tells a story; this is Ben Gorham’s particular, personal endeavour. Here the stories continue and can be found principally related to the names of the Colour Sticks and Lipstick.
Byredo Lipstick, in its silver-gold metal casing and organic shape, is a perfect expression of form and function. The weight also plays on the quality of cosmetics past but brought up to date with a contemporary design. This precise slim-line stick is protected by a satisfying magnetic click. Colour rich with an exceptional formulation that is both comfortable and impeccable, Byredo lipstick has sumptuous levels of colour saturation, high comfort property, ultra-gliding and easeful application. An everyday extravagance, the lipstick is either sain or matte, dependent on the shade. A satin finish to reflect light and expand the colour, with a vegan formula. A matte finish to absorb light and intensify the colour. The essence of the everyday transformed is also echoed in the names of the initial fifteen shades.
“The approach to colour should not be overblown and the name should be instinctive — there is also a sense of reality in names like ‘Divorce’ and ‘Commuter’. Each name and colour have a story and comes from Isamaya and me.”
— Ben Gorham, Founder & Creative Director, Byredo
Notes to Editors:
About Ben Gorham, Founder & Creative Director, Byredo
A native Swede, born to an Indian mother and a Canadian father, Ben Gorham grew up in Toronto, New York and Stockholm. His original and very serious dream was to play Basketball professionally. As a young athlete he excelled at the game, playing for his high school in New York and then college in Canada before leaving to play professionally in Europe. Unable to obtain the correct paperwork to continue professionally, Gorham reluctantly gave up the game. He eventually found solace in the arts and enrolled in art school in Stockholm. Upon graduating, a chance meeting with a perfumer convinced him that he’d rather express his creativity through fragrances than paintings. With no formal training in the field, Gorham sought out the services of two world renowned perfumers explaining his olfactory desires and letting them create the compositions. As an outsider in the beauty industry, Gorham is somewhat of an anomaly and has been recognized for his personal style and connection to fashion and art in several international magazines.
About Byredo
Byredo was founded in 2006 in Stockholm. A true expression of a contemporary luxury brand with an ambition to
translate and elicit memories and emotions through, and into products. Byredo is reinventing the formulaic approach
to business, where creativity and instinct are the overriding forces for the brands decisions. Manifested through a
variety of objects, using the highest quality materials available and intelligent design details, the Byredo universe,
that started with a fragrance, has since evolved into a full range of beauty, home, leather goods and accessories
sold in more than 40 countries in the world’s leading retail points. Byredo’s intention is to be timeless yet relevant,
meaningful and inspired.