Pattern Beauty, the renowned hair-care brand championed by Tracee Ellis Ross, has taken a significant stride by extending its market presence to the realm of professional salons. The brand, celebrated for its specialized products catering to curly and textured hair, is embracing a direct-to-stylist approach, marking a strategic expansion in its distribution channels.
Announcing this move on August 2nd, the brand, now four years into its journey, is diversifying its omnichannel distribution strategy to encompass the professional salon sphere. This transformative step not only introduces a fresh revenue avenue but also forges a vital connection between skilled hairstylists and patrons seeking textured-hair solutions. Notably, Pattern Beauty’s offerings are already retailed through established platforms like Sephora and Ulta Beauty. While the exact count of the initial salon partnerships remains undisclosed, the VP of Global Marketing at Pattern Beauty, Amy Elisa Jackson, has opted to retain confidentiality regarding revenue and growth figures.
Jackson elucidated the rationale behind this bold move, emphasizing the integral role that stylists and salons play in nurturing beauty aspirations. “Stylists are not only the artisans who manifest our aesthetic visions but also the confidants we trust to metamorphose our looks. Their foresight often perceives the unformed before it crystallizes,” stated Jackson. The brand’s aim is to perpetuate this personalized rapport with the community by fostering a direct link with stylists.
According to insights from McKinsey, Black consumers channeled a remarkable $6.6 billion towards beauty expenditures in 2021. This impressive figure accounts for 11.1% of the entire U.S. beauty market, closely trailing the 12.4% representation of the Black population within the United States. It is noteworthy that Black customers exhibit a threefold higher likelihood of discontentment with their options in hair-care, skin-care, and makeup, in comparison to their non-Black counterparts. The year 2020 witnessed Tresemmé shedding light on the issue of hair bias through a survey, spotlighting a discernible training gap among stylists, particularly concerning textured hair. This often fosters an uncomfortable and underserved ambiance for Black women and textured-hair patrons within salons.
While Pattern Beauty is not the sole brand adopting a direct-to-stylist strategy, it does emerge as a distinctive approach, still burgeoning in the professional channel arena. A pertinent example was the acquisition of Bellami Hair, specializing in extensions, by the L Catterton-backed Beauty Industry Group in May 2022. Bellami’s distinctive engagement approach with stylists was a noteworthy aspect of this acquisition. Traditionally, brands associated with salons were distributed to salon proprietors via intermediaries.
Pattern Beauty’s novel approach encompasses comprehensive support for stylists through in-person and virtual on-demand training modules, constituting an intrinsic part of their direct-to-stylist blueprint. It’s important to note that participation in these training sessions isn’t obligatory to attain Pattern beauty pro salon status. Notably, salons can access discounts of up to 40% on select products, aligning the initiative with the standards of professional wholesale distribution. The Pattern portfolio boasts an impressive array of around 50 distinct SKUs.
In order to foster continual engagement, Pattern Beauty has launched a dedicated Instagram account, intended for ongoing social interaction. Additionally, the brand’s newly formed sales team is actively pursuing direct outreach to salons. As for the brand’s operational scope, while Pattern Beauty is comprised of approximately 30 employees, specific figures pertaining to the professional channel sales team remain undisclosed.
Jackson encapsulated the brand’s enduring mission, asserting, “Our objective has perpetually revolved around surpassing the beauty requisites of the curly, coily, and tight-textured community. A significant facet of this mission entails bolstering stylists and salons in their pursuit of identical objectives.” With this forward-looking expansion, Pattern Beauty solidifies its commitment to both its community and the hairstyling artisans who guide and shape its vision.
