KimChiChic Beauty - ethnography report, brand strategy & creative direction

Rebranding a cult-favorite bold makeup line to champion beauty as rebellion.

KimChi Chic Beauty was already a bold, campy, high-pigment favorite within the beauty community, but it wasn’t owning the cultural power it had. In a world where beauty standards are being torn down and rewritten, the brand had an opportunity to step up, not just as a makeup brand, but as a platform for radical self-expression and creative rebellion.

The Challenge
Mainstream beauty brands were starting to mimic bold, expressive aesthetics but many missed the deeper values of authenticity, individuality, and self-expression. KimChi Chic was at risk of blending in with brands that looked loud but felt hollow.

The question became:
How do you evolve a fearless, community-driven beauty brand without losing the soul that made it stand out?

And how do you speak directly to a new generation of beauty rebels while cutting through a sea of rainbow-washed marketing?

What I Did

Audience Research & Insight Development
I conducted qualitative interviews and cultural research to understand the mindset of KimChi Chic’s core community. What emerged was a shared identity: bold, expressive, imperfect on purpose. These weren’t just makeup users, they were Glam Hacktivists. People remixing beauty to reflect their truth, not perfection.

Positioning & Strategy
I repositioned the brand around the idea of “beauty as rebellion.” We framed KimChi Chic not as a makeup brand with attitude, but as a cultural movement with pigment. This wasn’t about covering up, it was about calling attention to what makes you different.

Tone of Voice & Messaging
I rewrote the brand’s voice to be louder, cheekier, and more unapologetically real. From “flaws are fuel” to “color outside the lines,” the new copy brought the brand’s values to the surface and gave it language that felt lived-in by the community.

Design Target Development
I defined the Glam Hacktivist as the brand’s north star, Gen Z and Millennial creators, drag artists, and DIY beauty rebels who use makeup as art, protest, and storytelling. They’re bold, messy, political, and creative. The brand system was built for them.

Cultural Context Mapping
I created a timeline that positioned KimChi Chic within the evolution of alternative beauty, tracking how drag, digital creators, and indie brands reshaped the space. This grounded the strategy in both where the brand came from and where it could go next.

Role: Brand Strategist, Creative Director, Designer