Renowned Swedish brand Byredo has become a heavy-weight in the Scandi beauty industry since their 2006 launch. And now, with makeup artist Lucia Pica joining the fold, things are really getting exciting...
Quintessentially Scandinavian beauty brand Byredo has become known worldwide thanks to their well-crafted fragrances, minimal aesthetic and boundary-pushing performance. From classics like Blanche and Mister Marvellous to other gems like Vanilla Antique, it’s safe to say that scents are a category the brand has mastered and continues to do so with every launch.
After exploring body care and home scents, the brand explored pigments and textures, and thus: their makeup category was born. With some heavy-hitters like their colour sticks and cult-favourites like their lipsticks, the brand most recently shook the industry with the launch of a whole different product category: lip glosses.
Photo: Byredo
Lucia Pica. Photo: Max Farago/Trunk Archive
Lucia Pica, former global creative of makeup and colour for Chanel, joined Byredo earlier this year as their creative image and makeup partner, making the launch of the glosses her first major move at the brand. “I think I started seeing this new brand of perfumes, this new concept in the late 2010’s, and I could see these interesting collaborations,” reminisces Pica when asked about her first memories of the brand. Though the years then rolled on, when she then got the call from Ben Gorham her ears pricked up. “It just sounded like we were talking the same language," she recalls.
The mutual respect felt between the pair of creatives is evident. “There's a lot to say about the fact that he's built a brand on the depth of emotion and memories," she says. “Makeup is really that medium that helps women to express themselves, express emotion, to remind themselves of some emotions from what they believed before."
Photo: Byredo
I think I just felt quite at ease, which is a nice feeling to have when you meet someone you're going to have such an important collaboration with. And so I thought it was just right. It was right for where I am right now.
Lucia Pica
With the collaboration set in place, Pica sets high standards for what to expect from their collaboration. “It's the beginning stage of their make-up journey. I feel like I've come in at a time where it's very exciting, there's so much to create and there's almost like a blank canvas,” she details, “He[Gorham] is giving me this freedom to express myself and to be. And as a consequence, I feel really excited."
As for the new glosses, it marks the first time the brand introduced liquid pigment into their ranks with their new offering of ten liquid lipsticks. "All the colours are very earthy, natural and nudes. But I chose to use a clear colour for the campaign because I wanted to create a clear start and also be transparent and try to get in touch with the person that is behind that,” explains Pica.
Finally, as to what to expect now from their new path together, Pica decided to focus on the clash of creatives. “I think the most interesting thing for me is to be somewhere where there can be an exchange between two creative humans... And you know what I've learnt so far from Ben? To embrace what I can give.”