2020 marks not just the beginning of a new decade, but also 40 years of Paul Mitchell, and it all started in 1980 with two friends and a dream.
John Paul DeJoria and Paul Mitchell, with just $700 in their pockets, started a company that would support the success of hairdressers and provide salon-quality products at an affordable price.
The original Paul Mitchell brand is famous around the world for its black and white bottles. However, this wasn’t a decision built on branding or style preference. As John Paul tells it, he and Paul were ready to launch Paul Mitchell Systems, their hair product company on half a million-dollar loan from vice president of Citicorp in France when the loan suddenly fell through. Resources were so limited that the Paul Mitchell brand’s now-famous black and white packaging was a result of not being able to afford color ink. At one point, the company consisted of a post office box and an answering machine with a female friend (with an English accent) producing the message recording to convey that there was, indeed, an ‘office.’ However, the partners had a unique and winning strategy –a company-building plan that stemmed from their convictions.
Mitchell and DeJoria traveled extensively to conduct no-cost product demonstrations for salon ownersin a bid to grow the company into what it is now. They guaranteed salon owners would sell all products purchased; if they didn’t, they could return any unsold products for a full refund. Such practices represented a first for the hair care industry, and eventually led to John Paul Mitchell Systems becoming one of the fastest growing privately heldcompanies in the United States.
For more information, visit paul-mitchell.com