Our Founder & Co-Founder

When we started, doubt was the only thing that was certain. And whilst everyone was doubtful, my personal doubt was perhaps the strongest. We knew we wanted to change all things in the world of beauty. Everyone's guidance was that "you can't do 10 things at once". And so we did what was the right thing to do. We decided to do 10 things at once and called our craziness DECIEM, coming from decima, the latin word for 10 in a sequence.

I have now learnt there's merit in the advice of doing one thing at a time, but I also know that I and we could not be happier today. The wrong thing to do was the right thing for us. By focusing on many brands in many segments, our team is always alive and excited. None of our brands on their own could afford to have its own dedicated laboratory, production facility, creative team, distribution offices and complex backend systems, but combined together, they can each afford their timeshare of our incredible team and resources. By doing "10 things", we are actually doing more for each and every one of our brands on their own.

Building a brand is difficult. It's like building trust. I have been fortunate to experience both success and failure in creating brands across industries as diverse as technology and cosmetics, and along this path, I have identified my passion for creating authentic brands and guarding their growth like a benevolent parent.

DECIEM is an output for this insatiable intrigue toward creating brands that change what life seems to offer at least in the world of beauty. DECIEM exists to create beauty brands with one mission common amongst them: to marry function, design and authenticity. We believe strongly that, if we are unforgiving to every detail, there will always be those few who will recognize this dedication.

In June 2017, we entered into a family-like partnership with The Estée Lauder Companies so that we can do more of what we do. Please take a moment to read my open letter about this very special partnership here.

We are working hard. Our plate is very full. Yet somehow, despite all odds, despite all advice, we believe we can do even more. And I am grateful for this impractical-seeming desire that drives us and the peace we find in this pace.

Brandon

Founder

1978-2019

Dear reader—

Thank you for having the interest to reach this page. My favourite story to tell is DECIEM.

I met Brandon back in 2011 when I was working at Boots in the UK as a beauty buyer. From the moment we met, I was captivated by his energy and mind. He thought quicker than anyone and had the ability to remember everything.

Brandon was full of love, hope, and belief that the world can be a good place. DECIEM set out to be a force of good within beauty.

DECIEM is from the Latin word for the number ten, and we set out to build ten brands at once. Brandon was a strong believer that we should do everything in-house; design, formulation, and manufacturing included. We tried, we failed, we succeeded at so many different levels. Most importantly we loved, laughed, and cried along the way.

We never expected to be in a DECIEM without Brandon, and we are still processing what happened to the person we deeply loved.

Together with many of our founding team, we remain committed to putting innovation, function, and design at the heart of everything we do at DECIEM.

My love always,

Nicola

Co-Founder

P.S. You may wish to explore Brandon's personal project, AVESTAN, here.

P.S.S., You may wish to read my words on our partnership with Esteé Lauder Companies here.