- Kat Von D announced in an Instagram post on Thursday that she’s sold her shares of her namesake beauty brand to Kendo, a company she previously partnered with for 11 years.
- According to Kat Von D, the makeup company will be rebranded from Kat Von D to KvD Vegan Beauty as a result.
- The tattoo artist says she now plans on devoting more time to raising her child, running her vegan shoe company, and touring to promote new music.
- In a statement sent to Insider, a representative for KvD Vegan Beauty said the founder is no longer involved with the brand in any capacity.
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Kat Von D is no longer majorly associated with her namesake beauty brand.
In an Instagram post shared on Thursday, the tattoo artist confirmed that she’s sold her makeup line to Kendo, a company she says she’s partnered with for 11 years. As a result, the brand will no longer be called Kat Von D; it’s now called KvD Vegan Beauty.
She says she made the decision to sell her company after a life-changing year, during which she created new brands and had a child.
"This past year has been one of great change for me," Von D wrote on Instagram. "As many of you know, I gave birth to my beautiful baby boy, launched my vegan shoe line, and am now busy prepping to release my long awaited album in the Spring, followed by an international tour!"
She continued to say that while she wishes she could also balance these other projects with her beauty brand, she "just can't do everything at the maximum capacity."
"With that said, I've decided to sell my shares of the brand, turning it over to Kendo, my partners for the past 11 years," she wrote. "This was not an easy decision, but after careful consideration, I decided I wanted the makeup line to continue to thrive and grow, and I believe Kendo is primed to do just that."
According to Von D, the sale of her brand will not affect customers in any major way, though the company is rebranding with a name: KvD Vegan Beauty
She also thanked her fans for supporting her vision over the years.
"In order to avoid any confusion with such a big change, Kat Von D Beauty will take a moment to rebrand itself, so you will start noticing the change from KatVonD Beauty to KvD Vegan Beauty," the makeup mogul wrote.
"Lastly, thank you for understanding+respecting my choice, as it was a difficult one to make, but one I am proud of regardless, and am confident that the team will continue the KvD legacy!" she said. "Here's to many, many more years of KvD Vegan Beauty!"
According to LVMH, a luxury goods company, Von D launched her beauty brand exclusively at Sephora in 2008. At the time, the brand only sold eye shadow, lipstick, eyeliner, and brushes. Today, the brand sells everything from foundation to highlighter, and is also sold online.
While led by Von D, the beauty brand also faced numerous controversies. In 2013, for example, Sephora pulled a Kat Von D lipstick called "Celebutard" from store shelves. Other lipsticks, like "Underage Red" and "Lolita," were also widely criticized. Some people also boycotted the brand when Von D said she would not vaccinate her child in June 2018.
In a statement sent to Insider, a representative for KvD Vegan Beauty said the founder is no longer involved with the brand in any capacity
The statement also wished Von D luck and thanked her "for partnership the past 12 years."
"Effective immediately, the makeup brand is now rebranded KVD Vegan Beauty, and is 100% owned/operated by KENDO," the statement said. "Of course, we remain 100% committed to vegan and cruelty‐free, high-performance beauty. Our makeup will always be made with love, not animals!"
"KVD Vegan Beauty is being led by the same people that built the global empire with Kat, and helped create the products, programs and events that you know and love," it said.
Representatives for Sephora did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
Are you a Kat Von D employee with a story to share? Contact this reporter via email at [email protected], or Twitter DM at @amandalynn_14.
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