Key Takeaways:
For years, Emi Jay existed in a rarefied space: a cult accessories brand beloved by fashion insiders, creators, and a tight-knit community of customers who treated claw clips less like utilitarian tools and more like personal keepsakes. Today, the brand has grown far beyond its adolescence, while remaining fiercely protective of the intimacy and authenticity that defined it from the start.
Founded in 2009 by then-14-year-old Julianne Goldmark and her friend Emily Matson, the bootstrapped handmade hair tie brand’s evolution has been anything but accidental. What began as a side project for the teenagers quickly gained traction through word of mouth and organic adoption—initially selling to friends on Facebook, and eventually DTC, from Goldmark’s family guest room (until they established an office in 2012). Customers weren’t just buying Emi Jay hair accessories; they were forming emotional attachments to pieces that felt expressive, tactile, and intentionally made. That early relationship between product and sentiment would go on to define Emi Jay’s long-term brand DNA.
Rebranded under full ownership by Goldmark in 2019 as Emi Jay 2.0, the brand's ascent reflects a series of strategic decisions around distribution, product expansion, community building, and creative restraint—choices that have enabled it to scale without diluting its identity.
Strategic at Sephora
One of the most pivotal moments in Emi Jay’s growth came alongside its launch at Sephora in 2025, a move that dramatically expanded the brand’s visibility and reach. “Even after entering Sephora, our DTC business continued to show strong incremental growth, reinforcing that the partnership was introducing Emi Jay to an entirely new audience rather than shifting existing consumers,” Goldmark told BeautyMatter.
That distinction matters. Rather than cannibalizing its DTC base, Sephora functioned as a true discovery engine, bringing Emi Jay into the routines of new customers who may not have encountered the brand through social or creator channels alone. As that community expanded, so did usage occasions: Emi Jay’s claw clips and liquid hair products increasingly became daily staples, reinforcing repeat purchase behavior across categories.
The success of the brand’s liquid offerings has been especially notable. Emi Jay’s Toasted Sugar Aura Hair Mist launched at Sephora, posting 302% above the retailer’s one-month forecast, signaling not only strong demand but also the brand’s ability to compete in a more performance-driven product category.
However, with scale came complexity. Emi Jay’s Sephora launch tested the brand’s operational and organizational systems more than any prior milestone. “Everything from launch planning and inventory investments to creative asset readiness and cross-functional coordination required a new level of preparedness,” Goldmark said.
In response, the company adapted its workflow to meet the pace and rigor of a global retailer, strengthening its foundation for future growth.
Scaling Without Sacrificing
As Emi Jay grew, Goldmark deliberately chose not to overhaul the brand’s creative language in pursuit of scale. The founder has always committed to sticking to the same creative process. “We’ve built a highly distinct visual identity over the years through film photography that feels organic, intimate, and reflective of real life as an Emi Jay girl,” she said.
In an industry increasingly driven by speed and optimization, Emi Jay’s continued investment in tactile, film-based imagery stands out. The brand’s visuals feel lived in rather than overly polished, an aesthetic growing in popularity that mirrors the way customers actually engage with its products in everyday life.
“That authenticity is core to the brand,” Goldmark added, “and it’s something we're deeply committed to preserving as we grow.”
Leading Without Chasing
In a fast-moving beauty and accessories market, trend responsiveness can easily slide into trend chasing. Goldmark is clear that Emi Jay approaches forecasting as a “core pillar” strategic tool, not a shortcut. “We pay close attention to what’s emerging across fashion, beauty, and culture so we can lead trends rather than chase them.”
Every product launch is filtered through a single question: Does it feel unmistakably Emi Jay? That discipline allows the brand to participate in broader cultural conversations while continuing to build long-term brand equity.
Limited-edition accessories, capsules, and cross-category moments play a key role in this strategy. For the launch of Toasted Sugar Aura Hair Mist, Emi Jay introduced a small winter-ready capsule that included fluffy earmuffs—playful, functional, and seasonally relevant. “It was cute, but also purposeful,” Goldmark said. “That reflects the Emi Jay girl: expressive, effortless, and always on the go.”
Blind Box Brilliance
Among Emi Jay’s culturally led launches, its recent blind box activation generated significant organic excitement while demonstrating the power of its community. “Community is at the heart of Emi Jay, and Blind Boxes unlocked a new way for us to engage our audience in a distinctly Emi Jay way,” Goldmark explained.
Blind box formats have gained traction globally, and the product's market size stood at $14 billion in 2024, with projections indicating it will reach over $24 billion by 2033. Emi Jay was already primed for this sales format; before the launch, fans were collecting, trading, and treating the brand’s clips as keepsakes. The built-in mystery and rarity of blind boxes felt like a natural extension of that dynamic.
“We never launch something simply because it’s trending,” Goldmark noted. “Blind Boxes aligned organically with how our customers already engage with the brand.”
The blind box strategy paid off. In the days leading up to the launch, anticipation built rapidly over social platforms, fueled by creator unboxing and community speculation. On launch day, Blind Boxes sold out on the Emi Jay app in three minutes and on the brand’s website in two minutes.
The buzz generated more than $500,000 in earned media value, 2 million impressions, and 7.6 million in reach, driven almost entirely by organic reach. Creators and customers alike set alarms, shared reactions, and amplified the launch without traditional paid spend.
“This launch was fundamentally different from our past releases,” said Goldmark. “It generated a rare level of organic anticipation and deepened emotional ties to the brand.”
Creator-First Commitment
Emi Jay’s achievements are inseparable from its creator ecosystem, which the brand views not as a marketing channel but as a core part of its infrastructure.
“Our creators lead busy lives, and the way they move through their days—how they style themselves and share those moments—is central to who we design for.” Goldmark believes that creator content isn’t just amplification; it’s integral to the brand’s world.
For the Blind Box launch, Emi Jay seeded mystery boxes with 50 creators around the new year. The resulting unboxings, many posted organically during the holiday period, created sustained momentum without feeling transactional or scripted.
That same ethos carries through to community engagement more broadly. Emi Jay frequently reshares customer content, bringing everyday users into the brand narrative and reinforcing a sense of belonging.
What Comes Next
Today, Emi Jay’s tight-knit, 24-employee team evaluates success holistically. Community engagement remains a leading indicator, alongside brand awareness, new customer growth, and sales performance.
The metrics underscore the brand’s momentum. In 2025, Emi Jay sold its one-millionth claw clip. Industry sources estimate the brand generates between $15 million and $25 million in revenue, with 133% year-over-year (YoY) growth reported at the end of 2025. Emi Jay also saw a 47% YoY EMV growth and ranked among CreatorIQ’s Top 10 US hair brands in November and December 2025.
Looking ahead, Goldmark describes the next phase as one of thoughtful expansion. On February 27, Emi Jay is set to further expand their footprint at Sephora with 62 endcaps across top Sephora doors in Los Angeles, New York, Dallas, Miami, and the SF / Bay Area.
Innovation—particularly in the liquids and on-the-go styling solutions—will drive the next chapter, with products designed to move seamlessly through customers’ daily lives. Emi Jay’s newest launch, Angel Hold Styling Cream, cements its focus on functional, everyday styling solutions. Ahead of its official release, the product quietly made its cultural debut on the Grammy Awards’ red carpet, where celebrity stylist Jenny Cho used the product to create singer Laufey’s modern mermaid-inspired look. For Goldmark, moments like these signal the brand’s growing role in professional and performance-driven hair routines, without compromising the softness and ease central to Emi Jay’s aesthetic.
As Emi Jay continues to grow, its guiding principle remains unchanged: scale with intention, protect authenticity, and let community lead the way.