Kat Von D Departs Namesake Cosmetics Brand

Kat Von D Beauty has announced that founder Kat Von D has made a full departure from the brand to focus on other artistic endeavors, leaving Kendo as the sole owner and force behind the beauty line. Effective immediately, the brand will now be called KVD Vegan Beauty.  

"This past year has been one of great change for me,” says Kat Von D, founder, Kat Von D Beauty. “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! As much as I wish I could balance all of this, on top of continuing my makeup line, it has become clear to me that I just can't do everything at the maximum capacity. With that said, I've decided to step down as founder (and from all other capacities) of Kat Von D Beauty, and sell my shares of the brand, turning it all over to Kendo, my partners for the past 12 years. This was not an easy decision, but after careful consideration, I decided I wanted the makeup line to continue to thrive and grow, and Kendo is primed to do just that."

The company will continue offering its current product lineup, as well as creating new vegan and cruelty-free makeup for consumers.

"I want to thank Kat for helping to change the beauty industry with us,” says David Suliteanu, chief executive officer, Kendo. “The products we created together have stood the test of time and become icons. Kendo, along with our global retail partner, Sephora, look forward to the continued growth of KVD Vegan Beauty under Kendo's leadership, ownership and direction. We are fully positioned to continue the brand's growth and development in both product and marketing. We have developed a very strong product pipeline for 2020 and beyond. The same Kendo team that made history with KVD Vegan Beauty is ready to do it again."