Launch Date: April 2020
Geography: Los Angeles, CA, US
Founder: Cassandra Morales Thurswell, Founder + CEO
Executive Team: Jeremy Thurswell, COO
Advisor: Anna Doherty, G9 Ventures
2026 Full Year Projected Revenue: $500M+, according to industry estimates
Primary Category: Haircare
Other Categories:
Funding: Self-Funded
Primary Distribution Channel: DTC
Other Distribution Channels:
Key Retail Partners:
Key Markets:
2026 Projected Offline Distribution Points: 32,000
Kitsch is a global beauty brand built on purposeful innovation, sustainability and accessibility. As founder, I bootstrapped the business at 25 with my $30,000 life savings, selling handcrafted hair accessories door-to-door in LA. Today, Kitsch has grown into a category leader available in 32,000+ stores across 95 countries. This omnichannel presence fueled a brand driven not by one viral product, but a community-powered brand ethos, which has reached 15,000,000+ customers via Shopify, doubled its space in 1,500+ Targets, become #1 accessory brand at Ulta Beauty, a top 10 beauty brand on Amazon and TikTok Shop, and top performer internationally.
We create elevated essentials, from haircare to wellness, with thoughtful design, best-in-class performance, and attainable price points. Kitsch is a splurge and a steal, eye-catching and user-friendly, a comprehensive suite of products for every moment of the day. Our commitment to sustainability shows up in every detail, including over 15 patents and packaging designed to reduce environmental impact. With a customer-first mindset and a fully remote, globally diverse team, Kitsch is more than a beauty brand; we're a movement reshaping the industry with heart, vision, and intention.
Insights: Cassandra Morales Thurswell, Founder + CEO
Why now and why you?
It's about setting the stage for other founders, showing them that you can build a business in a different way, be profitable from the start, and seriously thrive even 15 years later.
What fuels your competitive advantage?
When you are not distracted by all the fundraising minutiae, all that energy can be channeled into social listening and innovation. You have time for so many other things: listening and responding to customers, meeting them where they are, and inspiring them. You have time to let vision and innovation come to life.
What’s your proudest accomplishment to date?
It’s going on 16 years, and it’s still as exciting as it was on the day that I started! I am really happy that we made Kitsch a place that I am still really happy to go to every day. I’m also really proud that we step up and face every challenge and continue to push through every single one.
What is the one thing you wish someone had told you?
I wish someone had told me to “communicate when things are extra challenging to get what you need.” For example, I’m such a rule follower, in terms of deadlines or processes. I wish someone had told me to just ask for permission to break certain rules, as I now realize that it happens all the time without consequence.
What would you tell your past self before starting this journey?
I wouldn’t tell myself something; I’d just give myself a hug.
What does success look like in the next 3-5 years?
We’ve built such a strong infrastructure with such high operational excellence, we are set up perfectly to be strategic and acquire other brands.
What's one industry trend that is overhyped, and what's being overlooked?
Being cool is overhyped, and selling with exclusionary tactics, and overpriced products; the customer is too savvy now.
What's being overlooked? Meeting the customers where they are, understanding the customer is moving so quickly, making value elevated and making value giftable. Another thing overlooked is straightforward packaging and not compromising design for clarity.
How do you think the industry needs to evolve?
I can’t tell you specifically how the industry needs to evolve, but I can tell you how I need to evolve. Where do I even start …
If you could wave a magic wand, what one wish would you make for your business?
That we wouldn’t need social media.