The Gallery — Now Showing

Madame Violet Greyby: Maxine Leonard Cassandra Grey has built an entire business on the idea that taste can be trusted—provided it comes from the right people. As the founder of Violet Grey, she shifted the conversation away from brands and towards the artists, the image-makers, the ones who actually know what works. In her interview with Beauty Papers, Cassandra Grey discusses the evolving beauty landscape through the lens of her highly curated platform Violet Grey, which she brought to London via an immersive installation at Harvey Nichols. She emphasizes a shift away from overwhelming choice toward careful editing, where beauty becomes more about storytelling, expertise, and emotional connection. This philosophy extends to the launch of her first fragrance, Madame Grey, conceived as a deeply personal, —positioning it not just as a product, but as a refined expression of identity. ML: What shift have you seen in the beauty industry since launching Violet Grey? CG: We launched Violet Grey in 2013, which—I mean—the biggest shift, the most obvious shift, and I guess it’s kind of a boring answer, was really the beginning of Instagram. Before that, we didn’t have this platform or vehicle to express our taste or artistic expression, either as individuals or brands....