NAPOLEON PERDIS BUILDS HIS BEAUTY EMPIRE
Beauty Fashion interviewed Napoleon Perdis, CEO and Founder of Napoleon Perdis and Napoleon Perdis Makeup Academy to discover how he has grown his beauty business and his vision for the future development of his empire.
Napoleon Perdis
Beauty Fashion: As you pursued your career as a Makeup Artist, what inspired you to develop a line of cosmetic products, and why did you believe it was a good idea to establish your own concept store instead of turning to another point of distribution?
Napoleon Perdis: I wanted to be my own brand ambassador, and I knew that developing my own range would not only give me longevity and currency as a Makeup Artist, but it would also let me create trends and a very considered direction—and take that to women on a wider scale. I love conceptualizing our new color stories and creating products that both my Creative Team and I personally want to work with.
Our retail partnerships have, without doubt, propelled the growth of the brand in a big way, and I feel very proud of where we sit and the company we keep within the Dillard’s, ULTA, and Von Maur environments. But opening my own conceptstores allows me complete control over the brand within a specialized retail experience. We offer exclusive products in our concept stores and a Makeup Menu of
services. Having a team I have chosen and trained to work with my brand, sell my products and translate my message has really helped us carve out a strong brand footprint.
BF: How do you position your brand, and what is its point of difference from the other Makeup Artist-driven brands?
NP: For a start, I am one of the few working Makeup Artists who still creates for, controls and owns my own cosmetic company. I am personally involved in every product we launch. Education is the foundation of Napoleon Perdis; many of my staff came up through our Makeup Academy courses. My Makeup Artists—and the most promising students—are given the opportunity to sharpen up their skills at industry events such as New York and Sydney Fashion Weeks. Even my products stress education; empowering a woman to master her own makeup with pro-tips and application techniques detailed on packaging.
BF: Why do you believe your makeup brand has sparked such an enormous growth and gained international status?
NP: It’s down to a few factors: very considered retail partnerships that have aided our growth, ongoing media interest and support of both me as an Artist and the brand, and the fact that we are fashion-fit. We work the runway and the retail scene. Our target market is quite broad really; we offer a kaleidoscope of color and pro products and tools for Makeup Artists while still catering to the woman who wants wearable makeup.
BF: You have expanded your distribution to include ULTA and other retailers in the US as well as concept stores. How do you prevent one point from cannibalizing the others?
NP: By creating an experience that’s suited to that retailer’s DNA; that can be a customized retail environment or the products we offer in a certain location. I also like to work with the buyers to offer retailer-exclusive merchandise. Take our 2011 Holiday Collection as an example: it features four different makeup palettes that we have customized for different retailers.
BF: Does The Napoleon Perdis Makeup Academy train Makeup Artists to work in your concept stores as well as those who wish to have a career as a freelance Makeup Artist? Does it also serve as a laboratory to suggest future consumer products?
NP: It’s a mixture of the two. Some Academy students do go on to work at a concept store or with our Creative Team, but we also educate students in the necessary skills to build a portfolio to start their career as a freelance Makeup
Artist, be it for editorial, TV, film or as a specialist in the bridal industry.
BF: Please explain the process for developing your makeup and other products for the brand. Do you have your own product development team?
NP: Product development is equal parts meticulous planning, inspiration and the very crucial ‘development’ part of the process as in trialing and testing new shades, formulas and packaging. My team and I work anywhere from 6 to 18 months in advance, though I do insist on a bit of flexibility so that we can turn a trend around as fast as humanly possible. In the beauty business, it’s important to stay nimble. As a result, we are working with more and more American suppliers for both quality control and efficacy.
BF: Please define the lines sold through various points of distribution.
NP: The Napoleon Perdis product line is a Makeup Artist brand that empowers women to master their own makeup statement. We have 73 Napoleon Perdis concept stores and over 4,500 point-of-sale locations in the US, Australia and New Zealand. In the United States, there are two concept stores, including the flagship on Hollywood Boulevard, and the brand is retailed at over 420 ULTA stores nationwide as well as at Dillard’s and Von Maur department stores. We also work with etailers like dermstore.com, zappos.com and beauty.com, to name a few.
NP Set is all about getting the look but keeping the change. The NP Set customer is a quick convert to this range for its accessible price points, on-trend color and skin-supporting ingredients that are 98% paraben-free housed in cleverly designed, recyclable packaging. NP Set came about after Target approached me to become their first male Makeup Artist. A few years in, we’re available at over 1,600 Target USA stores as well as at 300 Target Australia stores and two new retailers by the end of 2011.
BF: How do you use social media and television to communicate the story of your brand?
NP: I use social media and television to stay current and connected with my customers and fans. My personal appearances once served that purpose, but Twitter and Facebook make both myself and the brand instantly accessible and relevant. It also allows me to connect with fans from Chicago to Melbourne. And yes, that really is me on Twitter!
My social media philosophy comes down to this: homepage equals homeland. Napoleonperdis.com serves as the homeland, and Twitter, Facebook and YouTube are embassies. I’m also a regular contributor to the Huffington Post as an expert beauty blogger.
BF: Your own personality and ability to communicate have played a most important role in the success of your empire. How do you keep up with the enormous demand for personal appearances while running your company?
NP: It actually hasn’t just been about my personality; I’ve worked really hard to create a Napoleon Perdis culture. A lot of that has come from creating systems and operational procedures, and, of course, finding great people and fostering their talent and growth through the business. I know I can’t live forever, so I have built and grown a brand that can.
BF: What are your plans for future expansion?
NP: I’m looking to expand the makeup academies into more markets including Beverly Hills, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago and New York. For Napoleon Perdis, my aim is to further expand our retail presence. Being West Coast-based, we’re doing the Starbucks spread—coming from the West to the East and through the South and Midwest. Part of this strategic direction has been through department stores like Dillard’s and Von Maur, and there are some other key retailers in the pipeline. I also plan to expand in South America and then Europe. BF
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Mr. Perdis backstage at the Australian Designer Alex Perry’s show |
Napoleon Perdis’ Auto Pilot Pore Minimizer and Mattifier and Pre-Foundation Skin |
Models in makeup by Napoleon Perdis showcase new Sabatini fashion designs. |
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Mr. Perdis applies Napoleon Perdis’ Mesmer-Eyes Mascara to a model for Australian Designer Carl Kapp’s show. |
Napoleon Perdis’ Better Off Red collection |
Napoleon Perdis’ Mattifying Mineral Primer and Advanced Mineral Makeup SPF 15 |
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Models in makeup by Napoleon Perdis |
A model in dramatic makeup created by Mr. Perdis at the Venexiana show at New York Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2011 |
Mr. Perdis designed a makeup look for the fashion runway. |