Kristin Ess, the celebrity stylist behind Kristin Ess Hair, and beauty brand incubator Maesa have called time on their legal battle.
At the end of last year, Ess filed a lawsuit against Maesa, her eponymous brand’s long-term partner.
The filing claimed that Maesa had deprived Ess of both the creative control over and ownership of her brand.
In a series of Instagram stories this week, however, Ess revealed that she and Maesa have resolved their legal dispute.
“As you may or may not know, late last year I filled a lawsuit against my business partners,” Ess wrote.
“At the time, I’d explained it wasn’t what I wanted to do, but felt like I had no other choice.
“Today, I am relieved and grateful to say – we found a way forward.”
Ess added that, having worked together for seven years, both parties “wanted to try once more to work things out privately”.
She said the brand’s new path prioritises the Kristin Ess Hair customer while “amplifying the vision of the brand, which remains centered (sic) around affordable luxury and high performance”.
In her original lawsuit, filed 22 November, Ess said that the private label manufacturer had sold her its business model based on its ability to launch and grow her hair care brand, with the end goal of eventually selling the company.
According to Ess, the parties had agreed that once Maesa and Ess grew the business to a value in excess of US$40m, it would position the brand for a sale to ensure the business’ continued success.
However, the complaint accused Maesa of refusing to sell the company, despite it being valued at more than $40m.
Ess launched the Maesa-developed Kristin Ess Hair brand in 2017.
She is also a social media influencer, with 520K followers on Instagram, and co-founder of thebeautydepartment.com, which aims to bridge the gap between a ‘professional glam squad’ and the every-girl.
Cosmetics Business has reached out to Maesa for comment.