Of course, that meant that customers were dying to get ahold of one of the palettes, which created insane demand at department stores and makeup shops. The one downside to such success was that Urban Decay couldn't use any of the amazing displays that were made for the Alice in Wonderland palette's debut. Talk about a good problem to have! Urban Decay needed just the right celeb collaboration to make a dent in the market. When you think of '90s fashion icons with an edge, who comes to mind? If you said Gwen Stefani — whose band No Doubt hasn't released an album since — we can't think of a better answer.
And speaking of that edge, Stefani and Urban Decay have a relationship that goes back for decades. Given Wende Zomnir's " guerrilla grass roots " marketing strategy early on, it's not surprising that she sought out Stefani at music festivals. Obviously, the "Don't Speak" singer is fond of Urban Decay as well, as she was the first celebrity to curate a collaboration with the brand, as noted by Allure.
We can imagine that helped sales grow! Stefani would go on to create another collaboration with Urban Decay in , according to the brand's Instagram page. If you thought that you were a super fan of Urban Decay, there's one other person who might be more worthy of the title than you. Even if your entire makeup bag is Urban Decay and Urban Decay only, chances are you don't love the brand as much as one uber fan.
As noted by Allure , back in the '90s which arguably were some wild times, we were there , one person was so committed to Urban Decay that she painted her entire car in one of the brand's nail polishes. As the story goes, the fan contacted Urban Decay and asked to get literally gallons of the Asphyxia shade; the makeup company was more than happy to fulfill the request and even sent the fan actual car paint in the shade in question.
And wouldn't it be impressive to have the car still running all these years later?! If you're a fan of Urban Decay makeup — even if you didn't paint your car to prove it — then you're probably a fan of one of Urban Decay's biggest and most successful products: their iconic Naked eyeshadow palettes.
It's a bit ironic, since Urban Decay set out to upend the market with bold, edgy colors, but when something works, it works. Wende Zomnir knew from the get-go that the OG Naked palette would be "a top-selling palette," but she didn't realize how hugely popular it would become. Since the inception of the Naked palette, the sub-brand is so insanely in demand that, globally, a Naked-branded product sells every seven seconds via Allure. There are now at least 29 such items, and 11 or more counterfeits have been identified.
Oftentimes, the true marker of a successful brand is whether it gets offers from industry juggernauts to purchase the company — this just so happened to Urban Decay. The edgy makeup brand celebrated a huge milestone when it was acquired by a global cosmetics brand, says Wende Zomnir. That is light years beyond coming up with makeup colors in your house and hustling at music festivals.
Of course, there have been growing pains, something that Zomnir has been forthcoming about. But from the looks of things, Urban Decay is doing just fine. Their most surprising, to them, was the Alice in Wonderland Book of Shadows in conjunction with the live action Tim Burton-directed film. Launched in January , it sold out in just two hours, leaving those who didn't snag one to resort to eBay. Among their other limited-edition film-inspired launches, there were two nail polishes — one for The Big Lebowski called The Dude which was the same acid green shade from a certain severed toe in the film and one chunky glittery black shade called Scream, which came out the same year as the film of the same name the actors wore the polish on the red carpet premiere.
Other than the Alice in Wonderland collection, there was also the Pulp Fiction palette released in conjunction with the film's 20th anniversary , and two palettes for Glinda the Good Witch and Theodora the Bad Witch in their Oz the Great and Powerful collection.
The story behind the notorious Naked palette: "If you had to take four eye-shadow shades to a deserted island, what would those eye-shadow shades be? One Naked palette is sold every seven seconds worldwide and an entire Naked category for the brand has launched, which includes 29 products for complexion, lips, and nails.
The brand has discovered 11 counterfeit Naked palette editions. Wende Zomnir has always been passionate about animal rights and a cruelty-free agenda hence why their products are always vegan and cruelty-free — the brand is certified by PETA. However, in , they launched The Ultraviolet Edge — a women's rights initiative, which donates to organizations that support and empower women. They made the full price of the limited-edition shade Enigma of their Eyeshadow Primer Potion go directly towards nonprofits selected by The Ultraviolet Edge.
Also, makeup artists and anyone studying to become a makeup artist can join the Urban Decay Pro program for free and get 40 percent off products. The Alice in Wonderland Book of Shadows sold out before it even arrived in stores. And you might remember the company's first popular eye shadow , the sparkly light-pink Midnight Cowboy. One thing they are certainly known for is their unique and oftentimes salacious shade names that are generally a nod to vices and grittier things.
There are no hard and fast rules, according to Zomnir. Even with her industry-changing success, Zomnir is still a little nostalgic for her scrappy beginnings. Because you might not have a lot of money, or a lot of help, but there's always a way to get it done. Zomnir and Urban Decay helped pave the way for more inclusivity in the beauty industry. This is a BETA experience. You may opt-out by clicking here. More From Forbes. May 13, , pm EDT. Feb 5, , pm EST.
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