Napoleon Perdis has celebrated the 25th birthday of his eponymously-named brand with a cake in the shape of his iconic Primer at the opening of his latest store.
The event, at the brand's new store in Sydney's Surry Hills, attracted a colourful collection of guests including Krissy Marsh and Nicole O'Neil from the Real Housewives of Sydney and “a Drag Queen, Drag King and Leatherman”.
Napoleon, whose beauty empire around australia now includes 86 concept stores, 101 department store counters and over 875 stockists, recently attracted lots of media attention in the Prix De Marie Claire Awards after he told the crowd those who didn't support equality and same sex marriage could “all get f***ed”.
“At Napoleon Perdis I tell girls from a early age, since i was always the camp ground one, the gay one, the that one, the married one- accept people for whatever they are and celebrate them.
“We love transgender within our staffing, we love diversity, we like same sex marriage, we like different physique, we like different weight size and it is time that Australia embraced that because everyone can be individual and what works best for two people doesn’t have to work for anyone else, they can all get f***ed.
“You just need to do-it-yourself, it's really simple.”
Therefore after the birthday celebrations, Professional Beauty took the opportunity to ask Napoleon a few questions about his career success – which speech.
What would be the biggest changes you have seen in the beauty industry because you launched your brand?
The largest changes I have seen within the beauty industry since launching Napoleon Perdis is the consumer is now completely sought after, there's more competition than in the past and product must be in keeping with its performance.
What do you think continues to be the key to your success?
I do not really know. I don't consider myself successful as a result, I just like to work and that i prefer to work hard. I really like the beauty industry therefore it keeps me passionate and driven. So, you could say passion and drive are fundamental in becoming successful.
What have been your biggest business highlights?
My biggest business highlight is having realised my dream and opening my first flagship store in Oxford Street, Paddington in Sydney in August 1995 – followed closely through the launch of the Napoleon Perdis Makeup Academy which opened in August 1993.
What have been your biggest business lows?
Certainly one of my biggest business lows was when I wasn't in a position to have the funds flow to achieve more product variety across every season. However, over the years it's become easier and we've managed this as a business to make sure newness is constant.
What may be the business’s plan for the following five years?
My company arrange for the next 5 years is ultimately to possess Napoleon Perdis available everywhere around the world.
Why did you decide to publicly express your support for same-sex marriage at the Prix de Marie Claire awards?
I did not choose to publicly express my support at Prix de Marie Claire, it just arrived on the scene naturally. When i banded there encompassed by so many creative people in the one room, I felt the urge to want to celebrate the truth that everyone, regardless of their gender or sexuality, must have the chance to be treated equally and feel the love.
Is the organization planning to do any promotions from the ‘yes’ vote within the lead-up to the same-sex marriage postal vote?
No. The organization supports equality within everyday routine, whether it's marriage, gender, or opportunity-based.
