Meghan Markle has mixed business with friendship after investing in her friend Kadi Lee’s new hair health range.
The 43-year-old Duchess of Sussex attended a glamorous launch party for the collection on Wednesday night at celebrity-loved Gjelina restaurant in Venice, California, where she showed off her chic look in a chic sleeveless top from New York brand Khaite.
Kadi opened a Highbrow Hippie salon in LA’s bohemian neighborhood of Venice, with her clients included Oscar-winning actress Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt and Sigourney Weaver.
They styled Meghan’s hair for the children’s hospital gala in LA in October, the ESPN Espy Awards in July and the Invictus Games in February – but the two are now more than just hairdressers and customers.
They are known to be good friends, having marked the Princess’s 42nd birthday with a belated celebration and putting on a delightful display at the launch party earlier this week.
Speaking about her latest investment, Meghan, who is also an investor in trendy oat latte brand Clevr Blends and handbag label Cesta Collective, said: ‘I’m very proud to invest in (Kadi) as a friend and as a female founder.’
She told InStyle: ‘Kadi has mastered hair health, and her Highbrow Hippie collection is the perfect reflection.’
Meghan and the celebrity colorist are believed to have met through celebrity hairstylist Serge Normant, who famously did the former actress’ hair for her wedding ceremony in 2018.
The Duchess of Sussex (centre) with glamorous Instagram poet Cleo Wade (left) and celebrity colorist Kadi Lee (right) to celebrate her 42nd birthday.
He was one of the other guests on Wednesday night’s show, along with Meghan’s friend and make-up artist Daniel Martin. The Duchess was seen attending the event without Prince Harry.
Kadi and her friend Myka Harris founded the salon in 2019 after the success of their shared blog.
The webpage – which also shows its owner’s star sign – reads: ‘Highbrow Hippie was created to fill the void. The aim is to expand the definition of the salon and return it to its historical meaning – a gathering place for the exchange of thoughts and ideas.
‘It creates a sense of community, self-care and a way to put in a few hours and focus on yourself.
“Our goal is to refocus on self-care, community and experience. What’s best for our customers is always in our minds and we hope people will leave feeling inspired, connected, connected and maybe even have learned something new – about ourselves or others.
‘These small steps and attention to detail are equal to a huge amount of luxury in today’s fast-paced and overly connected world.’
The new collection will include Root Replenish Active Growth Serum ($88.00) and Essential Wellbeing Complex supplements ($118.00) to start.
While Kadi doesn’t have her own Instagram, the stylist often shares posts from her salon account, Highbrow Hippie.
The Duchess of Sussex (pictured left), 43, looked glamorous in a sleeveless black jumpsuit as she supported friend and A-lister hairstylist Kadi Lee (pictured centre) in Venice, California. Pictured right, celebrity hairstylist Serge Normant
The hairdresser, who runs the ‘Highbrow Hippie’ salon in Venice, California, often posts about Meghan’s hair colouring. Other clients include Oscar-winning actress Julia Roberts (pictured right)
In 2020, salon founders attend BLM marches and highlight how black-only businesses are on their streets.
She previously worked at the Aveda Institute in New York as well as a stylist and often blogs about her life, including a post on ‘aligning your period with the moon’ and details how she colors celebrities’ hair.
In addition to being a hair salon, the Myka and Kadi brands also promote ‘conscious living’ and sell smokeless incense, California olive oil, Mason Pearson hairbrushes and magnesium dietary supplements.
In 2020, the couple also attended a BLM march and highlighted how black-only businesses are on their streets.
He captioned the post: ‘Where else? If we have to estimate, the shortage is due to many systemic blocks that start with the lack of access to capital.
‘Black women start businesses at 4 times the rate of others, and get the most funding – the most people in the room and yet the most dollars. 0.34% of the total equity capital purchased to be exact. Make sense.’
Myka also took aim at ‘self-serving’ Taylor Swift in an impassioned Instagram post after the star officially endorsed Kamala Harris for US President following her first live debate against Donald Trump.
The caption read: ‘Am I the only one missing this Taylor Swift endorsement moment? Glad she supports him, but I find his timing lacking in taste and judgment.
“They couldn’t let Kamala Harris dominate the news for 30 minutes after one of the biggest nights of her life before she stepped in to be part of the story.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Kadi Lee, Serge Normant at the Highbrow Hippie Launch Party held in Gjelina on November 14
High Brow Hippie salon owner Kadi Lee revealed that she colored Meghan’s hair ahead of the Women of Vision awards in New York in May 2023
‘I find it selfish and disrespectful. The same agreement today or tomorrow will produce the same impact. Let him have his moment. It’s big.’
In May 2023, the salon announced that Meghan had booked a hair coloring session with Kadi ahead of the Vision Women awards in New York.
Listening to the Princess’ treatment, Kadi – who paid $550 for a full Balayage – hinted that Meghan goes to the salon for regular gloss treatments to keep her hair healthy.
She wrote in the caption: ‘There’s nothing like a warm and rich brunette. For this shade, the hair is first painted slowly and carefully, a little away from the roots, being careful not to tighten the 3 shades from the natural color.
‘A layer of gloss is then applied, and left on for at least 15-20 minutes, for maximum saturation, shine and staying power. The result is a reflective brunette with natural movement.
‘The key here is to not look highlighted, and to let others think the end result could be your natural hair colour. As the summer progresses, the highlight on the bottom layer (never in that part) just needs to be lightly touched up, and the gloss is reapplied every 2 months or as needed.
‘This shade is ideal for the warmer months as we enter the low-maintenance period where most clients want is to maintain their hair colour.’
