Patrick Simondac began his career as a photographer. And over the years, he’s leveraged that beginning to become the world-renowned makeup artist and beauty personality known as Patrick Starrr.
In 2013, Starrr launched a YouTube channel; and today he counts over 12m followers across platforms. It’s that roster of fans and friends for whom he’s developed the ONE/SIZE brand: “I am so excited to finally share ONE/SIZE with everyone,” says Starrr, in this month’s media release.
“I created the brand to be a love letter to my supporters, friends, and family,” he explains, adding that, “I wanted anyone that ever felt underrepresented to feel embraced and welcomed from a place of kindness, empathy, and compassion. Luxury Brand Partners are the perfect partners to honor my vision for expression and acceptance.”
Luxury Brand Partners specializes in brands led by beauty industry leaders and artists
The Miami, Florida – based Luxury Brand Partners venture fund was founded in 2012 and functions something like an incubator with a heavy dose of business operations.
LBP’s current brands portfolio includes ONE/SIZE, R+Co, V76 by Vaughn, Smith & Cult, IGK, and In Common. The firm has also worked with ORIBE and BECCA—and had successful exits with both brands, selling ORIBE to Kao in 2018 and BECCA to Estée Lauder in 2016.
The firm sees tremendous potential in ONE/SIZE even in an uncertain cosmetics market: “We are entering the market at an unbelievable time. There is a critical need for voices like Patrick to lead the charge in evoking real change within the beauty industry,” Tevya Finger, CEO of Luxury Brand Partners, tells the press. “We are proud to be partners in setting the new industry standard,” he says.
“This infusion of capital into the ONE/SIZE brand, allows us to create extraordinary products and build a community for anyone that has ever felt voiceless. We have hired an incredible syndicate of strategic partners that will help drive this important message forward,” adds Finger.
And it's likely some of the capital he’s referring to comes from LBP’s recent deal with Bookend Capital Partners. In January, that fund made a $50m minority stake investment in LBP. And as part of the deal Alexander Panos, founder and CEO of Bookend, joined the LBP Board of Directors.
“Luxury Brand Partners is a remarkable success story of brand building,” Panos told the press at the start of the year. “They have assembled an extraordinary portfolio; their team is top-class and driven by a common mission to be the best in the world at what they do. I could not have picked a better company as the first investment of our new fund,” he said.
“Makeup is a ONE/SIZE fits all.” is the tag line of Patrick Starrr’s first beauty brand
In a video on onesizebeauty.com, Starrr calls O/S “a beauty brand that stands up for every brand of beauty.” And he describes himself saying, “I’m a gay, plus-size, makeup-wearing, fashion-loving, Pilipino man. And I wouldn’t change a damn part about that sentence.” These statements delineate the brand’s mission.
As Robert DeBaker, Group President at Luxury Brand Partners, notes in his recent remarks to the press: “ONE/SIZE, is more than an influencer brand; it is redefining beauty by elevating the voices of the unheard, creating space for everyone to belong. With Patrick and LBP at the helm, ONE/SIZE is poised to usher in a new generation of beauty that is unlike anything we've ever seen before.”
The first products and retail deal from O/S
As of Friday, July 17, ONE/SIZE products are available on onesizebeauty.com and sephora.com. Starting on July 30, the brand will be available in 523 Sephora doors across the US and in Canada.
The beauty brand launched with just two products: a makeup remover spray and makeup remover wipes. The small SKU count is the beginning of the O/S brand story. As another short video on onesizebeauty.com suggests, the two products in the brand’s Go Off line were inspired by a time when Starrr was told to remove his makeup at work.
And the abrupt ending of that teaser video implies that this story and these products are the beginning of something much bigger.
