Editor’s Letter
WOTC Magazine’s August/September Issue looks at how the influence of the industry has attracted many young women who are choosing the entrepreneurial route in beauty, rather than the traditional academic route.
Phadria Prendergast The beauty industry has saved the lives of many women, however the way in which the industry is often perceived, or has been PR’d, for years, it would almost seem as though beauty was simply ‘a hobby,’ not a job. So once upon a time if your daughter came to you and proposed wanting to be a makeup artist or hairdresser or beautician, it’s more than likely that she would have been met with disapproving words, forbidding her from even thinking such.
And so, for decades, parents have capped their children, placing them in boxes where the things they were naturally good at or had a passion for didn’t matter and they were instead only allowed to become doctors, teachers and lawyers — children who ultimately could have become the next beauty multi-millionaires like Kylie Jenner and Huda Kattan.
And there are certainly many more Kylies and Hudas out there, but the huge difference I am seeing is that these women had the support of family, like Kris Jenner, the mastermind behind the entire Kardashian empire. Similarly, Huda had her sisters (who are co-founders of the Huda Beauty mega brand), her husband — a family unit, pushing her brand and making her believe that lipstick and lipgloss were not just a side hobby.
And so I began thinking about how many dreams have been killed in the beauty industry because it looked like it’s nothing, but the mere fact is, all of you reading this letter today have more than likely spent over £100 on beauty items in the last 2 months, whether you bought body lotion, sanitary towels, deodorant or a make-up brush. So, it’s safe to say that beauty is one of the biggest driving forces in the world, especially with the multi-billion-dollar value tag that it comes with.
I thought about the young girls and women in the back of a room somewhere doing make-up or braiding hair because it’s the only thing they know how to do in order to pay their rent and get by.
And I thought about the importance of events like the Big Beauty Summit 2022 which we hosted in July at the Hotel Café Royal allowing those very young girls and women to see possibility, the young girls and women without a choice, possibly immigrants like a Huda Kattan once was... and how the next beauty idea which will make her the next Anastasia Soare, Emily Weiss or Kylie Jenner is on the inside of her waiting to be given the opportunity to be unlocked.
In this issue, we welcome new cover stars Jane Wurwand who changed the skincare game as founder and visionary of Dermalogica; my dear friend Akash Mehta, co-founder of Fable & Mane and OG YouTube beauty star and influencer Chloe Morello, alongside her business partner, Ashley Villa who founded beauty brand Sireni.
Enjoy
Love Phadria x