Months ago, the Duchess of Sussex revealed to the New York Times that she invested in Cesta Collective, a woven-purse company operated and owned by women. Meghan also revealed to the Times that she has now invested in five to ten other brands. It was a big, rich mystery, one which the British media only acknowledged to mock (this story is going to upset Camilla Tominey so much). Well, as it turns out, Meghan has invested in another female-owned company – Highbrow Hippie, which was founded by her good friend and colorist Kadi Lee. Kadi has been Meghan’s colorist (and colorist to celebrities like Julia Roberts) for years. Now Kadi has turned her successful hair salon (Highbrow Hippie) into a product line of the same name, a product line in which Meghan invested. From InStyle:
Kadi Lee on her mission: “I work with some of the most visible women in the world; keeping their hair healthy has always been at the top of my mind,” says Lee, who specializes in sun-kissed balayage that radiates warmth and makes skin glow. And while Lee insists that good hair health is holistic, she’s bottling some of the magic in her new Highbrow Hippie hair wellness line, developed alongside her salon co-founder and longtime friend Myka Harris. The pair, who first met as students and opened their hair atelier in 2019, designed their debut offerings—a supercharged scalp serum and wellbeing supplement—to optimize all the tenets of good hair health, from luster to density.
Why these products: Lee and Harris have seen their clients through many seasons of life, including postpartum and aging into their 40s and 50s, when hair loss often becomes more pronounced. The duo point to statistics that have motivated their work: 80 percent of women experience hair loss throughout their lifetime; it’s among the top issues affecting women’s self-esteem. Moreover, hair health is often an early indicator of various larger health issues, such as chronic stress or hormonal imbalance, but is not always taken seriously. So, they set out to formulate comprehensive, science-backed formulas that prevent and treat the root causes of hair loss. “We always knew we wanted to start a product line, and the conversations being had with clients made it clear that it needed to be about hair health,” the pair explain. “We knew that we needed to start there and provide them with a comprehensive system that treats the root causes of hair loss and damage while holistically supporting overall wellness and longevity.”
Meghan’s investment: The line’s potential has drawn attention from Markle not just as a client, but as an investor, as well. “Kadi has a mastery of hair health, and her Highbrow Hippie collection is a perfect reflection of that,” Markle tells InStyle. “I am so proud to invest in her as a friend and as a female founder.” In an increasingly crowded space where overnight solutions for hair loss are being pushed on us from every direction, Lee and Harris offer something with integrity. They are mindful of all textures, only use premium-grade ingredients backed by clinical trials, and, of course, offer unmatched experience tending to the world’s most famous heads of hair. As the pair put it, “Women of any age looking to have healthy hair that thrives even under the most stressful of circumstances now have a product they can trust.”
I love that Meghan is investing in her friends and investing in female-owned brands which share her personal ethos. It’s really cool. While I’ve thought the makeup and skincare industries have been oversaturated with celebrity-run lines, there’s so much room in haircare to make a good product which could really catch on. Beyonce has that with Cécred! But it sounds like Highbrow Hippie’s products will be more of an industry/California thing for now. I’m sure Meghan would love to see her friends go national in a big way though.
A photo of Meghan from last night’s launch party, via Highbrow Hippie’s IG:
Photos courtesy of Highbrow Hippie’s IG Stories and Kadi Lee’s IG Stories. Additional photos courtesy of Cover Images.
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- Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex attending the One Year to Go Event before the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 at Mountain Square Featuring: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex Where: Whistler, Canada When: 14 Feb 2024 Credit: Dutch Press Photo/Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE NETHERLANDS OR FRANCE**
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- One Year to Go event before the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 at Mountain Square Featuring: Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex Where: Whistler, Canada When: 14 Feb 2024 Credit: Dutch Press Photo/Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE NETHERLANDS OR FRANCE**
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- Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex attending the second day of the One Year to Go Event before the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 at Mountain Square Featuring: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex Where: Whistler, Canada When: 15 Feb 2024 Credit: Dutch Press Photo/Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE NETHERLANDS OR FRANCE**
Love how Meghan is living her joyful life doing what she enjoys with folks she enjoys hanging out with. While the gutter press in the UK push the narratives they want for her life, she is living her best life. Love this for her.
I agree she is living her best life and investing in other women and just out there doing her thing. Yes it does make the gutter press insane that they can’t control her narrative!!! I love how she is just thriving.
If I was very rich and fabulous, this kind of thing is exactly how I’d spend my time and money.
My BFF who always wanted to open a cupcake shop? Here, have a pile of cash to try it for a year. I’ll show up at the opening in a cute dress!
My cousin who teaches kindergarten and has to buy her own supplies? LMK what all the teachers need. We’ll set up a non-profit for kindergarten teacher to never have to buy pencils again! I got you all!
I’d be the same if I had money. One thing Mr Tea and I have done for the last two or three years is not send paper/card birthday and Christmas cards. We send cards through Jacqui Lawson online cards instead. In December I send an email to everybody reminding them that we’ll not be sending hardcopy cards and that the money saved on buying the cards and postage will be going to charity. With postage costs very high especially for sending overseas, the money really amounts up (I keep a little spreadsheet) and then I round up to the nearest $10. I also include a list of the charities I’ve chosen for donation for that year. Some charities have stayed on the list, others we’ve added and dropped some. We favour local and provincial charities rather than federal and worldwide.
I thought people might be offended but we’ve had 100% support, And a couple of people have even taken up the idea themselves.
Mr Tea and I also do donations for various life events Including pet deaths – there are a couple of local animal charities was in desperate need of money.
Anyone who wants to steal this idea, go for it, we probably stole it from somebody else, we don’t remember 🤪
Well I love that we know she does beautiful work so if she puts her name and reputation on this product, I would buy Kadi’s product line just on that. Love that Meghan is making a habit of investing in her friends and women.
Duchess Meghan is radiant! The launch party’s atmosphere, particularly the choir, has me enchanted. Who knew I needed a choir at my next celebration?
The hate pieces about Meghan are going to go OFF on Shutter Island.
It’s not easy to make Meghan’s natural hair texture stay shiny and healthy when straightened (I assume it’s a near-daily blowout, which has to be hard on her hair?). So if she uses these products, I can easily believe they’re amazing. I would totally try them if they’re sold online
I read where the stylist stated Meghan does not do blow outs daily because she does not like heat on her hair that often.
Daily blowout? Black women do not do daily blowouts. She likely gets it done weekly and it’s more of a silk press. She likely wraps it at night like we all do to keep it looking fresh.
@roséqueen: absolutely
That’s a silk press. And she’s putting her hair up and wrapping it to keep it looking fresh.
This is yet another reason why Meghan was never going to mesh with the royal family and their yes men. Aside from being bi-racial, they would never want a woman who is smart, energetic and follows through on what she says instead of just being “keen to.” Regardless of whether these business ventures work out (and I hope they do), she gets credit for her go-getter attitude that supports these types of companies. And then there’s Kate, tip-toeing through the tulips wearing her floaty dress… God forbid Meghan was still in the royal family and had cancer (which I don’t believe Kate ever had), we all know she would be using her iillness as a force for good. She would become involved with support groups and use her position to highlight health awareness and appreciation for all that medical people do. I have a friend who absolutely loathed Harry and Meghan and was entirely Team William and Kate. Wow, has her opinion changed! It is becoming more and more obvious that everything Harry and Meghan were saying is true. And they don’t have to keep saying it to convince people (not that I think they are interested in that anymore.) Actions speak louder than words and when you compare these two couples (which I wish the British media would stop doing in a negative way), Harry and Meghan come out way on top. Actions speak louder than “keen” and “empathetic” words.
Love seeing Meghan with her friends and supporting them. She is true and loyal to the real ones. Her hair is gorgeous so these products could do really well.
Speaking of support, sending love and healthy wishes to celebitchy today! ❤️
According to Tina Brown, Meghan’s a failure and she should return to the UK as a working royal. Talk about delusion. I hope the new line is successful and I love to see Meghan enjoying her life and supporting her friends.
Tina Brown was once the editor of Vanity Fair and is now a blogger on Substack. I don’t think anyone needs to get her advice on failure. She needs to use Meghan and Harry’s names to get attention these days. What a looser. While Meghan is out there just living her life and ignoring the concern trolls and their ridiculous opinions. Hope this hair care line is a big success.
Every time Tina mentions the Sussexes, she’s wrong and it ends up making her look stupid. She should give it a rest and focus on the left-behinds, the ones she really knows about.
@julia: Came to say the same. Former editor of Vanity Fair and the New Yorker, now grubbing for clicks on substack. It’s hilarious.
A couple of people I follow on Twitter pointed out that American Riviera Orchard was tagged in the Instagram story reel, wonder if the launch is getting closer?
This is smart on a number of levels – smart for Meghan to invest in a women-owned product line she believes in, but also smart for these women to see a potential gap in the market for products for those in their 40’s and beyond.
Live your best life, Princess Meghan!! Best wishes to your friends’ new business!
Love that for her, she is really staying true to herself ❤ Taking care of your mental health is real.
Meghan introduced me to Clevr Blend latte mixes and Finlay shades. I’d guess that over 2/3 of my many books were written by women. My favorite outfits include pieces by Zuri. My oldest bank account is at a Black owned bank. My newest —and favorite— hair product is by Fenty Hair. I’m happy with my Universal Standard jeans. I have lots of jewelry that was handmade by women artists — including old favorites by Imani. I try to buy from people that I’d like to support. Good on Meghan for using her influence wisely and well.
The definition of putting your money where your mouth is. I truly respect how Meghan lives her values.
Things like this only confirm that they made the best decision to leave completely. There would be no way she would be allowed to support friends in this way while stuck over there.