“I’m thrilled that BELLAMI is entering its next chapter of growth alongside the BIG team,” said Nikki Eslami, co-founder of BELLAMI.
“Their like-minded focus on elevating the hair solutions category marks a natural evolution of BELLAMI’s mission over the past decade. With BIG’s support, BELLAMI will expand its reach in meeting the diverse hair needs of women, whether it be thinning, alopecia, dryness, postpartum hair loss, damaged hair, or length. It is no surprise that hair is emotional and a critical part of many people’s identity. We want it to be a source of confidence.”
BIG is backed by L Catterton, an investment firm that emerged from a partnership between Catterton, LVMH and its billionaire owner Bernard Arnault.
Under the terms of the acquisition, Eslami will continue to serve as an advisor and support the company as it advances its differentiated go-to-market (GTM) strategy and looks to amplify its customer base.
BELLAMI was originally founded in 2012 by Eslami and Julius Salerno, the company’s current chief executive officer (CEO), with a vision to bring luxury hair extensions to women that want to look and feel their best.
“We have long admired BELLAMI for truly redefining the quality, perception, and customer engagement strategy of hair extensions in the growing DTS category,” said Derrick Porter, Chief Executive Officer of Beauty Industry Group.
“The brand has a remarkable runway for growth, and we look forward to working with the team to equip BELLAMI with the product innovation, data insights and analytics, performance marketing expertise, and supply chain focus that BIG has cultivated through our ongoing brand-building efforts. Our partnership with BELLAMI represents an important step towards creating a complete hair solutions company that tells the story of how hair products can solve problems for women around the world.”
In addition to building out its direct-to-consumer (DTC) business model, over the years, BELLAMI has become a leading educator for stylists to learn the various methods and techniques, understand the best maintenance and styling practices, and continue their education in new technique applications.
“Our research has shown that consumers of all generations are increasingly demanding solutions for their hair challenges that provide a distinctive combination of functional performance, luxury experience, and broad accessibility across a variety of channels,” said Avik Pramanik, Partner at L Catterton. “We are confident that the combined capabilities of BIG and BELLAMI will enable the business to continue providing consumers with the most innovative products and services not only in the hair extensions category but also well beyond. L Catterton and HGGC are pleased to continue supporting BIG’s vision to create one of the world’s leading beauty platforms.”
BELLAMI’s products and services will still be available under its existing brand but as a part of the BIG portfolio. BELLAMI will also remain headquartered in Chatsworth, California.
Harris Williams served as exclusive financial advisor to BELLAMI.
