The £30.4bn beauty industry is driven by creativity and entrepreneurship – Isamaya Ffrench, British makeup artist and creative director, epitomises both. Here, she tells all about her journey and hopes for the future of beauty
From launching her eponymous brand to ‘keying’ some of the most famous London Fashion Week shows and catalysing Byredo’s entrance into colour cosmetics and beyond, Isamaya Ffrench has a beauty CV to lust over.
What’s driving her commitment to industry? Looking beyond what beauty looks like today. ‘I’m interested in newness,’ she starts, continuing: ‘I’ve always played with techniques, materials and narratives that had little to do with commercial beauty.’
It’s this future-facing creativity that has seen her create some of the most memorable beauty looks of recent years. Remember Vivienne Westwood’s 2019 show that saw models march the catwalk with ‘plastic’-covered visages? Or, Chet Lo’s 2023 coloured tongues? Just two of Isamaya’s fashion week defining looks.
‘To me beauty has limits. I am always working in service of a greater storytelling that goes beyond the traditional beauty we’ve been served for decades,’ she continues.
Ffrench launched her own brand back in 2022, entering the market with that viral penis lipstick, launching her Core Line, and carving her corner of the Selfridges Beauty Hall since. This hasn’t come easy: ‘Being a founder is a journey, and a long one. You’ve got to be ready to invest 10 years of your life at once, and pour your energy into fighting for your ideas because people will constantly weigh in on your every move.’
At a time when brands are launching products at a rate of knots, Ffrench is dedicated to innovating and creating products that have never been done before. ‘What’s the point of creating another version of what’s already out there!’, she reiterates.
Wondering how she unlocks newness? Research, research, research. ‘The essence of creating products is continually scrutinising your work and the world around them. What’s new now will be outdated in five years.’
‘Only new research and technology will be able to improve what we currently have.’
It’s this speed of change that’s exciting Ffrench rather than worrying her. It’s the amalgamation of beauty and technology that she believes will drive the future of the industry.
‘It’s inevitable,’ she says. ‘We interact with the world through our screens half the time, and people are so knowledgeable about what they put on their face and body that the demand for the best products is increasing.’
‘Technology is advancing whether you like it or not. If you don’t embrace it, you may as well throw in the towel now.’
Isamaya is far from giving up, in fact over on Instagram she’s teased what she believes to be the future of beauty… Could there be a new innovation on the horizon?
Find out more here.
