Why we can’t get enough of Darren Kennedy’s grooming range
Is there anything Darren Kennedy can’t do? The stylist-turned-TV presenter-turned- dancer is now a beauty guru too, writes .
You can tell a lot about a person from the people they’d invite to their dream dinner party. In the case of TV presenter and fashion maven Darren Kennedy, at least two of the people on that list fit the profile. Oprah Winfrey and Tom Ford, two high achievers who’ve excelled in their respective fields of television and fashion; one is the most powerful broadcaster in TV history, the other is a barometer of good taste who’s rewritten the rulebook on men’s style. Put them on a Venn diagram and somewhere in the middle you’d find Darren Kennedy, a broadcaster whose impeccable sense of style helped put him on the path to TV success.
It’s the third name on Kennedy’s list that’s the curveball, and you have to dig a little deeper to find out why Sir David Attenborough completes his dream lineup.
“One of my great escapes is nature,” he tells me. “Growing up I wanted to be a zoologist and a vet, I was obsessed with nature and animals.” It would be easy to underestimate the extent of this urban sophisticate’s connection to the natural world, but when I sat down with him to talk about his latest venture, it quickly became clear that nature played a huge part in inspiring him to create Kennedy & Co, his five-piece collection of male grooming essentials — so good that women across Ireland are nabbing it for themselves.
In an era of hyper-educated female beauty consumers, when the average woman can spot the plumping effects of a hyaluronic acid at 1,000 paces, it speaks to the quality of the Kennedy & Co offering that it’s being snapped up by all genders.
Launched late last year after two and a half years of development, the range is comprised of a moisturiser, an eye gel, a scrub, a beard oil and a hair clay. When describing the products, Kennedy lists ingredients that would satisfy any skin care aficionado, but they’re the perfect building blocks for a beginner regimen too. “These five products are the absolute essentials,” he says. “The things every man needs.”
A moisturiser with SPF and hyaluronic acid that’s “like a drink for your skin”; an eye gel with more hyaluronic, and avocado oil and caffeine to cool and de-puff; a peat scrub with natural exfoliating particles to renew the skin; a beard oil with potent botanicals like jojoba, grape and avocado oils to soften and nourish the face, whatever your facial hair preferences; and a hair clay,
warmed between the hands and swept through the hair for instant grooming in under sixty seconds.
“The hair clay also contains a trademarked ingredient proven to stimulate hair growth, prevent hair loss, and increase hair thickness and density,” he says. “I’ve yet to meet a man who doesn’t want any of those things!” In fact, the range is very much tailored towards giving men what they want— even those who don’t yet know they want it. “Education is a huge part of growing a brand like this,” he explains.
It’s touching, feeling, using, and explaining that, while these things are great for your appearance, grooming is also about taking a few minutes in the morning; just closing the bathroom door for a bit of ‘you time’. Women are ahead of the curve on that.
At the same time, he says: “I’m very low maintenance. Whatever I do it has to be quick, and I’m very much your average guy in that sense. So these are just good products with great active ingredients all under 100mls; you can throw them in your gym bag, keep them on the bathroom shelf, and you’re sorted.”
Even though they’re all under €15, he says: “I wanted them to be as natural as possible; harnessing the power of nature. They’re sulphate and paraben-free, vegan and cruelty-free, and they’re made in Ireland. It’s about affordable luxury. That was my goaI: to create excellent products that anyone can use, at an accessible price point that anyone can get into.”
Perhaps not unexpectedly, given his profile, homegrown stockists have been quick to embrace the range, from Dunnes Stores, McCabes, McCauleys, Cara, Lloyds, Meaghers and Hickey’s pharmacies, to a host of independents. “That’s down to consumer demand,” Darren explains.
“Provenance has never been more important and people want Irish products, especially in the sector I’m in: male skincare, hair care and grooming. It’s very underserved, particularly at this price point.”
In this and in every respect, his timing feels bang on.
“I’m a firm believer in timing,” he says.
This has been an ambition of mine for five or six years, during which time I would have worked with a number of big, international brands like L’Oreal and Le Mer, which is a great product but out of reach for most people. I learned a lot working with those brands — it was on the job market research.
Likewise, his six-season collaboration with Louis Copeland was part of his learning curve. “I was only meant to do one season, and Louis took a punt on me, but I’d just been named Ireland’s most stylish man, and I knew what I wanted as a younger consumer.
“I drove everything from the marketing to the creative direction; I honed those skillsets, and now I’m able to bring that experience to Kennedy & Co. I’m creative director, I’ve devised and painstakingly developed every single product. I’m a perfectionist, but this is my brand so it had to be spot on. It’s a long-term project. It’s my future.”
Which is not to say he’s about to put down all the other balls he’s juggling at any given time. “There’s never been one career path for me,” he admits. “It’s more like a spider’s web. I always wanted to be a TV presenter, and I’ve done that; I’m still doing it, and I love it, but it’s not enough for me. I have a fast-moving, creative mind — sometimes too fast — and I’ve always got ideas. I am up for challenge and I like to get stuck in, it’s what motivates me and what gets me out of bed in the morning,” he says. “In terms of a grand plan, I’ve not always known what the next step might be, but I’ve never been afraid to take the first step and see where that goes.”
And speaking of steps, he added a few new moves to his repertoire this year with his appearance on Dancing With The Stars. The experience was intense. “You go down a rabbit hole,” he says. “You’re so focused on training and learning your routine, seven days a week, and it’s 6-8 hours training per day, so it’s full on and very physical, and you get so invested in it.”
At the same time, he was philosophical about his elimination.
“It was the end of a short chapter in a very long book. I gave it 150%, I knew it would be intense —in fact they had asked me for the previous two years to take part, but I was never in a position to give it my all —but his time, Kennedy & Co had just launched so the timing was right. I never took it for granted that I would get all the way through, I just went in thinking ‘enjoy every minute’, and I did.
Well known as one of Ireland’s most stylish men, TV presenter, Darren Kennedy is swapping his glad rags for glitter!
— DWTS Ireland (@DWTSIRL) December 3, 2018
Are you ready to show us those moves, @Darrenken?! 🕺 #DWTSIrl pic.twitter.com/TZyfoNjvJs
“Then suddenly I was out, and it’s like, ‘Oh, ok!’ You’re not necessarily ready for it, and on my first Tuesday off I remember thinking, ‘This is weird, I have to think about what to do today’, but then by Thursday I was on a plane to the BAFTAs — life moves on!”
Now that he’s back to reality he has several projects in the pipeline, but a razor sharp focus on growing Kennedy & Co. There are new products to dream up, and with the brand already shipping to the UK, Germany, USA, Canada and South America, there’s an international launch to oversee.
He’s instantly accessible to his customers via Instagram, and the positive feedback — including one eczema sufferer who said Kennedy & Co had changed his life — is all the validation Darren needs that the hard work has been worth it. “That’s what’s really fulfilling for me. I’ve been able to stay true to who I am, stand over this as my brand and my product. It’s the genuine, authentic deal, and that feedback validates 150% what I set out to do.”
Photos: Miki Barlok
Shot on location at The Alex Hotel, Dublin. Located close to Merrion Square, it’s the ideal location for a city break.
www.thealexhotel.ie
Styling: Darren Kennedy
For more on Kennedy & Co see kennedycogrooming.com
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
