Meet KJ D’Aubyn

Today we’d like to introduce you to KJ D’Aubyn.

KJ, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
The D’Aubyn Color journey started after I went to art school in New York. Having grown up immersed in both visual and performing arts while also having a very real fear of being “broke,” I decided as a teen to learn the craft of hair before getting a formal art education.

I started in Los Angeles and then, after a year in Norway, I was accepted into Parsons School of Design. After arriving in New York, it didn’t take long for me to realize that being a student at a private art school was not going to be sustainable. So I decided to make a go of being a colorist once I realized that color and fiber were always where my fingers wanted to go. Since I can remember, I was playing with fabric and dying things. I had literally sewed my way into art school because I hadn’t taken any formal drawing or painting classes to create a portfolio. Even though I never got my BFA degree, I’ve always been grateful for my short-lived time at Parsons because it solidified my innate creative process—of navigating between what I wanted to create and the limitations that presented.

As I dove into the hair color world, I became frustrated with the limitations of hair color products and the way they were being taught. My clients were frustrated too. They were constantly showing me pictures of their kids and saying, “Make my hair look like this!” But the products that were available destroyed all the subtleties of what makes “virgin” hair color have, what I call, “the glitter effect.” I began playing with every hair color I could get my hands on, whether it was the hot new thing or not, while also studying the nuances of hair color fiber. I was lucky to have a secret player on my team: my husband, Randall, who has an extensive background in chemistry. He had just left UCLA medical school when I met him and was looking for something “more fun” to do, so he had started pursuing hair and make-up in the print/TV/film world. He was instrumental in helping me understand the chemistry part of hair color products and hair fiber.

What happened next? I created a philosophy about naturally occurring hair color effects and techniques and, ultimately, a product system to support the D’Aubyn Color philosophy. My approach is a total paradigm shift from the way hair color is taught and implemented in the century-old hair color world. It would be another decade before I was able to manufacture a line of hair color that offered my dream toolbox of color. And a third decade to learn how to build an audience for this new way of thinking about and doing hair color.

Although the way my private clients feel about their hair color brings me never-ending joy, my true passion is for “Hair Pro-preneurs.” Learning a full range of formulating and techniques as well as learning the art of managing clients’ expectations while creating a high-end sustainable hair color business are no small feats. In the past, we were lone colorists on an island with very little real-live support. The DCI Collaborative movement is just that—collaborative! We all have fun learning new ways of approaching our hair color businesses, and I learn as much from this highly receptive group of Hair Pro-preneurs as they do from me.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It’s interesting how much we focus on that “one great idea” in our culture. I too thought, if I could just crack the code, I’d be able to create a brilliant new hair color company. I’ve been fortunate to be able to sit down with some very successful business people over the years. But none has been able to help me figure out how to create a paradigm shift in the hair color industry. I’ve learned there is no formula; it’s literally about building one relationship at a time. However, after 30 years of inception, I feel the time has finally arrived for D’Aubyn Color, Inc. Maybe because of the way the Internet has given small businesses the ability to teach niche concepts, or maybe because attitudes have shifted to embrace new ways of doing just about everything, or maybe because I’m super stubborn and it’s been three decades. I don’t know, but I’m very excited to work with the hair pros who’ve embraced this shift.

D’Aubyn Color Inc – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
D’Aubyn Color, Inc. is a hair color company created by a pro-colorist for Hair Pro-Preneurs. We are committed to helping hair pros create high-end sustainable hair color businesses. The DCI mission is to bring seamless, forgiving and believable hair color—through the hair pros—to all who seek it.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I have two. The first was when I was eight and my parents adopted my younger brother from the Philippines. The second was when I was 12. My family spent a year abroad traveling through Europe and living in Switzerland. Both these experiences solidified my already keen interest in learning about other ways of being in the world, especially since where I grew up in Los Angeles was not a harmonious place at the time.

Contact Info:

• Email: Hey@DaubynColor.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daubyn_color_inc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HairColor/
• Other: FB Group for Pros: https://www.facebook.com/groups/521799568387513/?source_id=65683732183
  For Hair Pro-preneurs: https://revolutionizehaircolor.lpages.co/dci-collaborative-classes-2020
  For D’Color Connoisseurs (Consumers): https://revolutionizehaircolor.lpages.co/d_color_connoisers

Image Credit:
D’Aubyn Color Inc

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