Q&A: Kadi Lee of Highbrow Hippie
"I would tell 21-year-old Kadi, who was starting out as a shampoo assistant on 57th and Madison, to enjoy the process and soak up those early days, because it’s all going to work out."
I’ve been feeling the need to rush through everything. I wish I could say that’s been a recent development, but if I look back on my life, it’s honestly something I’ve always struggled with. It’s always been in the back of my mind that I need to get going, even when the direction hasn’t been totally clear. Every once in a while, I need a reminder to chill out and that everything will work out the way it’s meant to. This interview with Kadi Lee did that for me.
Kadi Lee is the co-founder of Highbrow Hippie. She was a colorist for decades and has worked with countless celebrity clients (she told me that a campaign she did with Julia Roberts was one of her favorites). She’s an expert in her field, a true artist when it comes to color, but the role of the hair salon is a lot more complex than that. Kadi is someone who has spent years listening to clients from the salon chair and creating a safe, comforting space for them to focus on themselves and to feel truly taken care of.
This is perhaps one of my favorite Q&As of all time (though to be clear, I love all of them!!!). I’ll keep this short because I don’t want to keep the rest of the interview waiting. But if there’s one thing this conversation reinforces, it’s that good things take time. You don’t have to rush everything to “make it.” Enjoying the hard work and even the small work is what makes it all worth it.
Tell us about your early career. Before starting Highbrow Hippie, was there a moment (a campaign, a cover, a client) where you thought, okay, I really know what I’m doing?
To go back to the very beginning, I started my career as a colorist in New York City at Frederic Fekkai right after I graduated from Spelman College in 2000, and I really do believe that my years there were very formative to the kind of colorist that I became. It was such a seminal and glamorous time to be in New York, and I was assisting the color director at the time, Constance Hartnett, whose clients ranged from the world‘s biggest actresses to NYC‘s most glamorous socialites, to female business powerhouses. Think Meryl, Sigourney, Nan Kempner and Martha Stewart.
Because Constance was a chemist before she became a colorist, time spent with her was like getting a PhD in hair painting and hair color theory, as well as a masterclass in navigating complex and intricate client relations. After assisting Constance, along with some French masters of true balayage, I can confidently say that nothing rattles me or makes me flinch in a salon environment. I have seen every color correction and scenario done under the sun, and worked with the most discerning personalities with impeccable taste who demanded and expected excellence at every turn.
After relocating to LA to the west coast outpost of Fekkai on Rodeo Drive in the early aughts, and then getting the incredible opportunity to then work with Serge Normant, these skills and experiences only compounded. And, I say to this day, Serge is not only the most talented hair stylist I have ever met, he is also the kindest and most elegant. I simply can’t believe my good fortune to have him as my mentor and dear friend.
So when the opportunity came to do a major color change for Julia Roberts almost 2 decades ago, I was ready. I was SO ready. Beyond. All that preparation had finally met the right opportunity. But, there was no luck involved. People always want to know- what’s the secret?? It’s simple. I worked relentlessly up until that moment, and still do.
I showed up early, I stayed late. I built my clientele one person at a time, gathering referrals, and never saying no. I sacrificed a ton of personal time to build the career that I have. I really and truly prioritized it. So when that moment with Julia came, I nailed it. I had only a few hours to take her blonde from brunette for a Lancome campaign, and to this day it’s one of the favorite projects I have ever painted. The finished result, styled by Serge, was dimensional with movement and depth and brightness in the right places. That was, without a doubt, the moment I really knew what I was doing, and that my career was going to be ok.
You built your reputation long before launching a product line. How did Highbrow Hippie move from an idea in your head to a living breathing company?
Highbrow Hippie is really the culmination of everything I’ve done and learned throughout my career. My business partner and I actually started Highbrow Hippie as a blog back in 2011. It wasn’t only about hair; it gave me space to explore parts of myself that went beyond my day-to-day work behind the chair - creativity, wellness, sustainability, politics, and community. This digital piece fed into our dream of opening a salon - one that was different from what we had both traditionally experienced.
Personally, I had hit a wall working in spaces where I felt overwhelmed and overstimulated by noise and chemicals. My nervous system was shot, and I could see it in my clients as well. It’s funny, because in almost every photo of me working before we opened Highbrow Hippie, I’m working outside. I would find a peaceful nook, bring in my own flowers, and just put my head down and paint. Those habits started a daydream of “what if” there could be a salon and a community that was built intentionally like this? Where I could do my best work, nervous systems could be reset, and clients could escape for a bit of respite during the few precious hours they had to themselves. And then finally, In 2019, we opened the Atelier in Venice.
The “how” has never been one big leap. It’s been a series of small steps — talking to people, listening closely to clients, workshopping ideas, refining things in real time, and taking each chapter as it comes. I’ve always believed in building in conversation with community rather than in isolation. There have been real highs, and also moments that make you question everything, but you keep moving by staying clear on your why.
As a Black woman, the path hasn’t been linear. There is always the unspoken pressure that everything needs to not only be good, but excellent. There is a persistent awareness that we do not have the luxury or space to be just mediocre or produce the status quo. Yet, even through challenges, I’ve stayed focused on the same goal — creating spaces where people feel seen and supported, and developing products that actually serve them.
My clients have been a huge part of that journey. I’ve worked with many of the same people for over 25 years, from some of the most famous faces in the world, to women like myself, and we’ve moved through different life stages together. I’ve guided them, but they’ve also supported me — through loyalty, referrals, and belief in what I was building. Their trust is what helped turn an idea into a real company, and is a big reason why I’ve kept on going.
What gap were you seeing in the hair and wellness space that made starting Highbrow Hippie feel necessary?
Over the years, I kept seeing the same patterns of damage again and again - over-processing, excessive heat, harsh ingredients, and a real lack of education around scalp and strand health. And as it relates to hair color specifically, the industry often prioritizes quick visual change instead of long-term integrity. There also wasn’t enough conversation around prevention, nourishment, or how internal health shows up externally in your hair.
As my career evolved, I became even more committed to a hair-health-first philosophy. I’ve always wanted my clients to look like the best version of themselves - not a trend, or a transformation that erases their essence, but something that feels aligned and sustainable.
I’ve had the privilege of working with many of the same clients through major life stages — pre-pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause, menopause, and everything in between. Around the time COVID intensified stress and immune-related issues, it became impossible to ignore what was happening. Client after client was sitting in my chair talking about shedding, thinning, and sudden breakage. We were already beginning to think about product development, but that moment clarified the urgency. The gap wasn’t simply better products - it was meaningful solutions that addressed the root causes of all of these issues. What my clients needed was a full hair-health ecosystem that supported the scalp, the strand, and the person’s overall wellbeing.
Around that time, I also signed up for an accelerator called Dream Ventures. I knew we would eventually need to fundraise for the product line as we had bootstrapped all of our product development up until that point, while also running the Atelier full time, and I wanted the tools to be prepared, especially as I thought we had enough clients who wanted to support me to participate in a robust friends and family round. I knew we were on to something when in my first pitch I had the group’s attention when I asked how many of them had experienced hair loss, and almost every hand was raised. Then I announced- “the hair industry does not need another shampoo and conditioner” to massive nodding and agreement. And then, my pitch deck ended up winning the entire competition! It was clear- we were on to something and touching a nerve. People were simply tired of the same ideas being fed to them and promises that went nowhere. They were desperate for real hair health solutions.
You’ve worked with some of the most recognizable women in the world. How did those long-standing client relationships shape your confidence as a founder?
Trust has honestly been the biggest confidence builder for me. I’ve always gone above and beyond for my clients, so having that trust returned year after year has been both encouraging and grounding. And while I’ve worked with women who live very public lives, I’ve also earned the trust of so many clients who aren’t in the public eye at all - and their support has been just as meaningful. That consistency across the board is what really keeps me centered. It is built into the ecosystem of who I am and how I approach running both businesses.
Working with clients I’ve known for decades has taught me the importance of discretion, consistency, and truly listening. Those relationships weren’t built overnight. They came from showing up, delivering results, and earning trust over time. Building a company isn’t that different - it requires the same patience, reliability, and commitment to doing things well.
It also sharpened my instincts. When you spend years helping people move through career shifts, family changes, and identity transitions - all through something as personal as hair - you develop a clear sense of what actually matters. Their loyalty reminded me that I wasn’t just providing a service; I was offering care and expertise that had real impact. Stepping into founding a brand didn’t feel like a dramatic leap - it felt like a natural continuation of relationships and standards I had already built.
Your investor base includes longtime clients like Meghan Markle, Vicky Tsai, the founder of Tatcha Beauty, actress Kristin Davis, and Lela Becker, the founder of Mother Denim. What did it mean to have people who knew your work back your vision financially? Was that a tricky slope to navigate?
Having people who already knew my work back our vision financially has meant so much to me.
For me, trust is everything. I’ve spent decades building relationships with clients, often guiding them through major life transitions, and those relationships were always about care and respect. When individuals chose to invest in Highbrow Hippie because they had experienced that firsthand - because they had watched me work extremely hard and show up for them in the chair year after year - it validated what I’ve always believed a brand should be: a lived experience, not just a product line.
Having investors like Vicky Tsai, Kristin Davis, and Lela Becker, and even clients who had been with me for 25 years brought both reassurance and a deep sense of accountability. Further, clients and fellow founders such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Jenni Kayne, Emma Grede and Aurora James have become defacto advisors and indispensable sounding boards. These are people who believed in the philosophy long before there was packaging or product attached to it. They weren’t investing in hype; they were investing in shared values, lived experience, and a long track record of integrity.
There’s always responsibility when personal relationships intersect with business, so I was very intentional about clear communication and professionalism. I never wanted familiarity to blur expectations. But it didn’t feel tricky - if anything, it added another layer of mutual respect to the relationship. Their support reinforced that the foundation of the company was real, built on years of trust rather than momentum, which gave me a lot of confidence as we grew. And, it meant a lot to me to make them proud.
As the brand has continued to evolve, I’ve also been able to lean on our investors and advisors alike for honest advice and perspective, which has been incredibly valuable. The conversations happening in my salon chair are deep and serious! I’m so incredibly fortunate to be surrounded by all of these women everyday. I consider it the biggest privilege and badge of honor that they trust my taste level and point of view by choosing me to be their colorist.
As a Black woman founder, visibility and credibility often come with extra pressure. How have you navigated that while building a premium brand on your own terms?
There’s definitely added pressure that comes with being a Black female founder, especially in the luxury space. People are often surprised by the level of work or the scale of what we’ve built, and over time I realized that reaction says more about them than it does about me. I learned early on to stay focused on consistency and let the quality of the work speak for itself.
Opening the Atelier with my business partner came with real hurdles. Before the current iteration of Highbrow Hippie, we were blindsided and had an investor pull out at the last minute, and faced unrealistic, and honestly, racist restrictions from landlords and city officials. We had to go through formal city hearings just to validate our right to exist as a business in that neighborhood. To this day we are the only Black-owned business on Abbot Kinney which is a sad statistic.
It was exhausting, but it also clarified how strongly we believed in what we were building and again, the why. We’ve also never been shy or quiet about the higher hurdles we have had to climb. We often discuss race and the intersection of feminism, and in fact have hosted multiple dinners on our patio at the Atelier on MLK day every year, facing these very topics head on with a diverse range of women.
On a personal level, navigating my career has required very clear boundaries. I’ve become more selective about the number of clients I take and honest about what I can realistically give my energy to. The stories I could tell about this! There truly isn’t enough time. Maybe I’ll save that for a book one day. For years, I felt like I had to say yes to everything, including opportunities that drained me more than they fulfilled me. However, at this stage in my life and most importantly in this political climate, I prioritize peace.
What part of building Highbrow Hippie surprised you most? Was it product development or the business side of things?
I don’t know that I was surprised by one specific area as much as I was by how much the business side demands from you. Product development felt very intuitive - it came directly from years of hands-on experience with clients. The operational side, though, requires a completely different muscle: logistics, forecasting, compliance, timelines, finances. It’s less visible, but it’s where a lot of the real work lives, so I’ve learned to intentionally create space for both the creative and the technical. Both sides however, are still really about being aware of others, having open dialogue and conversation, and being as prepared as you can be.
To be honest I was actually pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed digging into all the nuts and bolts of the financial and operational side of the business. I’ve seen so many cautionary tales of founders not knowing that something was off with their businesses until it was too late, so it’s deeply important to me to never have my head in the sand when it comes to the hard parts. I truly love it all and feel so blessed to get to work on my life’s dream every day. Many people don’t ever get that chance, so I don’t take it for granted.
You’re known for a very intuitive approach to beauty. How do you balance gut instinct with data when making decisions for the brand?
I’ve always led with instinct, but instinct for me is a really informed experience. After decades behind the chair, you develop a strong read on what people need and what will actually work in real life — not just on paper. That intuition usually gives me the starting point.
Data is what helps refine and validate the direction. I don’t see them as opposites. The numbers tell you patterns, timing, and scale, but they don’t replace human insight. At the end of the day, if I feel like something won’t work for my clients and customers, the data takes a backseat.
We’ve also time and time again been way ahead of the curve when it comes to product development and pipeline. In the short year since our launch, the amount of times one of our ideas that we had YEARS ago is executed by someone else, has been astounding. I mean, if I had unlimited funds- the ideas I could birth! But, that is obviously not the way life works. What works for us is going with the intial gut reaction, then, put our heads down and focus intensely on making the kind of product that will blow our clients away. The data to back it up always, always appears.
What does “luxury” mean to you and how does that show up in your formulations and pricing?
For me, luxury has never meant exclusivity for optics. It’s about intention, integrity, and care. It shows up in the details - the quality and sourcing of ingredients, the thought behind each formulation, the education that supports the product, and the experience someone has, whether they’re sitting in my chair or using something at home.
My clients are also incredibly busy. They want products that work, that integrate into their whole lives, and that don’t require buying five additional steps just to see results - so luxury, to me, is also about efficiency and respect for someone’s time. A product should simplify your routine, not complicate it.
Regarding our formula and pricing, from the moment we set out to create our products, we knew we wanted the absolute latest ingredients and science available to us. And that stance by default makes our product firmly prestige. I can’t state enough how much smoke and mirrors exists in the beauty industry. And as a brand, it’s important to us that our values always shine through. We are also the only prestige brand since Christophe Robin that is formulated and developed from a colorist’s point of view to keep hair color at its most optimal. That combined with what customers need from an overall wellness lens makes us firmly exist in a league of our own.
Looking ahead, what does success look like for Highbrow Hippie in this chapter?
Success, to me, looks like a company that’s financially healthy, customers and clients who are genuinely seeing results, and a team that feels supported. It means having more peace and more joy in the process, not just growth for the sake of growth.
It’s also about having the ability to keep creating - continuing to develop products, spaces, and experiences that feel aligned and useful. If we stay financially healthy, serve people well, and still enjoy the work, that feels like real success in this chapter. We have so many exciting launches coming up, as well as some incredible, really interesting partnerships on the horizon, so being able to throw real marketing weight behind all of this is top of mind.
I’ve also long considered our brick and mortar Atelier in Venice our secret weapon, and we launched our products with a strong and deep community already established and in place. We never had to search for our ideal customer, because we were talking to them every single day. And success to me means continuing to allow these wonderful humans to inform me of what they need, and delivering for them in a big way, allowing them to naturally and easily continue to be our best advertisement.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Oh my goodness, the first thing I would do in this and every other lifetime, is travel WAY more without worrying too much about hurrying to the next stage of life. I would savor those younger years when I had energy in spades, to explore the world and live in a few different countries. I would tell her she would be working very hard for many years to come, so try and chill. It’s a marathon not a sprint. Be diligent about saving money, even if it’s a small amount every month. And, take care of your health. Without it, none of this matters. I would tell 21-year-old Kadi, who was starting out as a shampoo assistant on 57th and Madison, on top of the Chanel building, to enjoy the process and soak up those early days, because it’s all going to work out in the end.
Any books or articles you’ve read lately that you recomennd?
The book I re-read every January without fail is ‘Bird by Bird’ by Anne Lamott. It provides practical advice when I feel stuck for both life, and writing. I’m currently reading ‘The Soul Instinct’ by Bea Dixon, a fellow female founder and the mastermind behind the brand Honeypot. Bea is just cool to the core. She is kind, consistent, and is a tremendous force to be reckoned with. She is generous in spirit, and getting to hear about even a snippet of her incredible success, purpose and approach has already changed me in a profound way.
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