Create & Cultivate 100: Beauty: Jen Atkin
THE MANE EVENT.
THE MANE EVENT.
No one can stop her, she's all the OUAI up.
But for real. Jen Atkin, the celeb hair stylist and founder of Ouai Haircare and Maneaddicts.com is really at the top of her game.
The number of mag covers she's styled is beyond impressive. From Kim K.'s Forbes cover (#notbadforagirlwithnotalent) to Gwen Stefani's Vogue and Nylon covers to Lorde's Rolling Stone cover, there are few places her magic hands haven't touched. From Bella to Chrissy, Kendall to Kaia, Jen's made a name for herself as one of the industry's most sought-after.
Instead of riding the celeb gravy train, she launched a company. Ouai Haircare has minimalist packaging with cheeky messaging. Her frizz sheets come in a white "cigarette box," with the phrase Frizzy Hair Kills, on the side. The #OuaiSquad is strong.
And honestly, she's just cool. And calm. Even though she's straight running shit, we've never seen her lose hers. It makes sense that the hair boss says, "One of the biggest keys to success is try to say YES instead of NO."
More from Jen below.
Name: Jen Atkin
Instagram Handle: @jenatkinhair
Business Handle: @theOUAI & @ManeAddicts
Part of your success can be attributed to the fact that you didn't listen to people in the beginning. You had your own ideas, your own vision. Was it ever hard to stick to your guns?
Two major things come to mind that people told me not to do and I stuck to my guns.
1. Once I started working with certain clients I had my peers and agents worried about who I was working with and didn’t think it would be good for my career. I’ve always chosen to work with people who have ambition and are inspiring and lovely to work with. I always trust my gut.
2. When I decided to not call my haircare line “Jen Atkin”. I was adamant about creating a line for real women and it was never about ME or how I do hair. I wanted to create a cool brand that could live on its own and have people like it regardless if they knew I was behind it or not.
Where do your drive and passion come from?
I grew up with a working Mom. She taught me how to juggle and she never skipped a beat. I realize as I grow older that I try to emulate a lot of what she instilled in me about hard work and being a kind person. I also take pride in how many of my girlfriends are entrepreneurs in fashion, beauty, and tech. I get so much inspiration from watching all of them and the way they push boundaries every day.
At what point did you realize, woah, this big! And how did you handle and manage your success?
My a-ha moments in my career for sure have to be when I got the cover of Vogue with Gwen Stefani when I got to work with John Galliano and assist on Guido’s team at PFW when I launched Mane Addicts when I launched OUAI. In my classes, I try to tell my students: Be humble, work hard, and don’t try to compete with anyone else. There’s enough to go around for all of us to be successful. Don't expect success overnight. It takes years of hard work to start to build a long-standing career. And no matter what, remember we are in a service industry and it’s never about us it’s about our clients and them feeling comfortable and pretty.
"There’s enough to go around for all of us to be successful. Don't expect success overnight."
When did you know it was the right time to launch OUAI?
I struggled to find a haircare brand that I identified with or spoke to me or my clients. A brand that engaged with its consumers, a relatable brand. I was starting to feel like there was a major lack of realistic communication with haircare. It’s always been my dream to have my own hairline. I’ve been listening to my clients and followers for years and they all have the same complaints- they want healthier hair and they have a lack of time. I created OUAI as a real line for real life- it’s for the girl on the go that only has 5 minutes to do her hair. No more unrealistic hair campaigns- just multi-use products that cut styling time and nourish hair health. We are trying to create a brand, but also a culture. We are fighting against conformity, against boringness, against drudgery. More than a product we are selling an idea- a spirit.
What was the learning curve like in the beginning?
I think in the beginning I was so naive about what was needed to create OUAI. Looking back it's insane that nothing went wrong. Production, the messaging, packaging, etc... We are still such a small team and the whole HQ is full of amazing hardworking multitasking people. I’m excited to see whats next for us.
You've said that every client and every girlfriend has been part of the process for OUAI. Why is it important to you to be surrounded by other strong women?
I think that more brands are trying to empower women to learn how to do their own hair and creating tools, products, and content that make that easier to do (without a stylist). From a social standpoint, women are most active on social because we tend to share things more. We are changing the conversation in business and beauty!
What is your biggest pet peeve?
A "no" person. One of the biggest keys to success is try to say YES instead of NO. Or people letting their fear and doubt keep them from fulfilling their goals.
What are your biggest fears about running a business?
Now with social media, there aren’t boundaries when it comes to product. My biggest fear is not getting our product to consumers in a swift enough way. Supply and demand is always the root problem in business. Its hard to come up with, make and market a product, but then the challenge of getting it to the people who want it, when they want it- is one of my biggest concerns.
What's something you'd like people to know about your job that they probably don’t?
Working as a hairstylist isn’t just about doing hair. There is a lot of scheduling and politics involved when you’re working with multiple clients. You also have to be up with current trends, etc.
IYO-- How can we stay original when we are so saturated by other people's work?
I think everyone is inspired by every genre, era, etc. I think there is so much out there with Pinterest, Instagram, Magazines that we are foolish if we don’t get inspired by it all. Also, don’t be scared to try new things it may be the next big trend.
What about your career makes you feel the most complete?
Making women look and feel good about themselves.
If you had to trade jobs with anyone else in the world, who would it be and why?
Honestly, I have always wanted to be Sade. It’s so random. But I dream of being as cool as her and having that voice.
At what point in your career did you find the confidence to really take charge and become the woman you are today?
I listened to my gut and have always been super proactive. I never shy away from hard work and my parents thankfully instilled confidence in me from a young age. I was always taught to write down and accomplish goals.
What's the best advice you've ever been given? Or your favorite piece of #realtalk?
Serge Normant said not to be threatened by your peers, but be inspired by them. I truly believe there is enough work for all of us to go around and we should support and encourage each other. And Tracey Cunningham always says “Rejection is Gods protection”.
“Rejection is God's protection” - Tracey Cunningham
Tweet this.
When you hit a big bump in the road, how do you find a new road or a detour?
I always try to look at the bigger picture and consider all options available.
What song do you sing in the shower when you’ve had a bad day?
I don’t sing in the shower, I brainstorm.
I don’t sing in the shower, I brainstorm.
Photo Credit: @davisfactor
Hair & Makeup: @SmashboxCosmetics @TheGlamApp @TheOuai
TO SEE THE FULL CREATE & CULTIVATE BEAUTY LIST CLICK HERE.
Meet the Celeb Stylist Who Styled OG Beyoncé
Say her name, say her name.
Two days ago Billboard released its list of 100 greatest girl group songs of all time. Coming in strong at No. 7 is Destiny’s Child’s iconic anthem Say My Name. The year was 1999 and Destiny's Child was starting to make serious moves (take a 4-minute break and relive this greatness).
On set for the song's video, stylist Negar Ali Kline was holding it down in the wardrobe department. Glossy lipstick was en vogue. There were still four members of the group to dress. And though she recalls it being her longest shoot ever, ("a record 26 hours!!") the styling maven says, "There’s nothing better than being in a wardrobe truck with my team and in the trenches together. In battle together."
As for Queen B? "Even at the very beginning, Beyoncé was just pure magic and such a force," she says. "I remember all the ladies were so gracious and down-to-earth Southern girls. The video shoots were epic, this was the height of the big budget video."
"There’s nothing better than being in a wardrobe truck with my team and in the trenches together."
Tweet this.
In the early 2000s that was the life of celebrity stylist Negar Ali Kline, who has styled everyone from Beyoncé to Tom Hanks to comedian Maya Rudolph and badass Jessica Lange. If it sounds like a dream career, it is, but Kline has put in years of hard work, building relationships with people across town, and navigating the styling space with smarts and class. The sought-after stylist says she "really paid her dues" in New York, developing her confidence and experience at Paper Mag. "At the time," she notes, "there were only a handful of stylists— celebrity styling wasn’t a thing."
When we meet up with Kline, she’s wearing her LA uniform: jeans, sweater, and a block heel. But she doesn’t carry any of kind of industry bravado. We're at Palace Costume, a beloved industry spot only open to pros. It is owned and operated by Melody Barnett, who opened her doors in 1960 as a vintage clothing retailer. Barnett was the first vintage retailer on Fairfax. Today, the 36,000-square-foot emporium houses over half a million different pieces, making it one of the largest vintage clothing collections in the entire country (and not open to the pub, sorry!) Also on the scene is Lee, the costume house's second employee. Kline has known him since her first pull.
Despite having come for twenty years, she’s like a kid in a candy store. "The first time I walked in here," she says, her eyes already moving toward the rows of racks on racks, "it was intimidating and overwhelming, but at the same time I knew this is what I was meant to do. I was 19, but it was very obvious." As we walk through the rooms and floors of goodies, Kline points out some of her favorites and for whom she's pulled. "The Western room, I've pulled for Beck." She casually mentions one of her first jobs assisting on an Elton John video. She's more enthralled by the clothes than the big names she's worked with. A stylish though-and-through.
The costume house is organized by decades and themes. There's a veritable polyester playground. “Wardrobe at That ‘70s Show has definitely pulled every single shirt here,” she jokes. There are rows of 1920s gowns and piano shawls, the likes of which you’d see mostly on extras she says, in period movies like The Hours. Being here with Kline is like walking down memory lane with her via articles of clothing, and is a testament to the longevity of her twenty year career.
Along her career the Los Angeles-based stylist and mom has weathered every storm. Part of her strategy has been mixing up the work. She’ll work on big agency jobs, styling big brand commercials, as well as editorial shoots and press tours.
"I think the biggest misconception is that its 'glamorous,' she shares. "The truth is that it is a tremendous amount of hard work- literally and metaphorically 'heavy lifting.' The process really requires left brain and right brain. It is creative, but there is also managing the budget, team and client expectations, and an insane amount of organization."
She continues, "I always find it hard to describe what I do because there’s a bit of range from advertising styling to red carpet to costume design on a film, and they each require a different philosophy and approach. There are many levels to it."
For Kline, her 360-degree approach to the biz keeps things from getting stale. "I feel very grateful that I have a range," she explains. "One day we’re shopping or pulling at Tom Ford and the next we’re at Kohl’s in Sun Valley for Lauren Conrad." Though some jobs are inevitably more glamorous than others, she maintains that she's much happier working like this. "I like to constantly be challenged, with styling there is always a new problem to be solved. With every project it’s different."
Like one of her most recent jobs styling yet another QUEEN, Jessica Lange, on the Feud press tour. "With editorial and music video, there are quite a lot of creative liberties one can assert. On a press tour, you are not dressing a 'character,'" she says, explaining the various nuances of her job. "It’s more about feeling authentic and comfortable in what they are wearing and cultivating a personal style."
With more corporate clients, Kline says those companies are hiring her to have a POV, even if that means gently pushing back against their comfort zone. "When I find myself in those situations, for instance, in a room with a creative director and the agency and they’re looking to me for an answer, I have to explain the 'why.' Why I believe your hero character should be in denim rather than a suit— that’s really the job of a stylist. Something as small as the hem of a shirt. The width of a tank top strap. There are so many thing that go on behind-the-scenes." Kline says that clients appreciate, and continue to hire you, when you have the knowledge to back up the 'why.'
Though she no longer works on music videos (BTW she's also done OG Snoop and Puffy videos NBD), explaining that "3am fittings are not conducive to morning drop-offs when you have a family," someone she'd still love to work with is Sofia Coppola. " I love the aesthetic of her films and I am very much drawn to working with female directors."
To check out more of Negar Ali's work, see her portfolio here.
Arianna Schioldager is Editor-in-Chief at Create & Cultivate. You can follow her @ariannawrotethis.
