Reverie

Reverie believes that less is plenty and haircare should be for all humans. The collection reflects their desire to distill the nuances of haircare into a thoughtful curation of essentials.

Made intentionally in California, REVERIE’S attention to detail at every stage of the process is at the brand’s core. They mindfully source vegan ingredients, perform comprehensive in-salon and lab testing, follow rigorous sustainability protocols, and consciously use recyclable packaging.

We had the opportunity to ask the founder and industry-leading hairstylist Garrett Markenson, a few questions about the brand, his vision behind starting REVERIE, how ingredient sourcing to their own sustainable standards play an important role within the brand.

Art Direction & Interview NICOLE GAVRILLES
Photography VICTORIA JANE

Tell us a little bit about your background.

I’ve always had a passion for art and music - drawing, painting, and playing in bands is how I spent my youth. My career in hair began in 2003 while I was studying fine art in Florence, Italy. An inspirational salon experience refocused my creativity toward hair, and it’s been my passion ever since. In 2011 I created REVERIE, after being uninspired by the mediocre offerings available to me behind the chair. I wanted to create something that would have a positive impact for my clients, fellow hairdressers, people, and the culture of hairdressing while being as conscious of our environmental impact as we possibly can.

What inspired you to launch REVERIE? What gap did you feel was missing within the haircare space?

So many things, but perhaps one of the biggest was the way hairdressers were treated as a commodity by large hair companies that dominated the salon landscape at that time. The relationships were transactional, capitalistic, and ultimately, their products do harm to us and our clients. I took the years of insight I had from clients and started dreaming up products that would not only solve a lot of the problems they presented with, but also minimize the number of products they needed to use. At REVERIE, we truly believe less is plenty. By formulating our products with the highest possible quality ingredients, we delivered potent, multi-functional products that are unmatched in terms of efficacy.

What drew you towards making your brand sustainable?

Nothing drew me into creating a sustainable brand per say, it’s a reflection of how I live. We use the words ‘Environmentally Conscious’, it more accurately reflects our feelings. It is next to impossible to be a sustainable company while producing products. As we grow and evolve, we are constantly striving to be better at mitigating our impact.

What would you define as the key aspects that make REVERIE stand out from other haircare products?

Quality, efficacy, scent, being thoughtful about what we introduce, being founded by a hairdresser with 20 years of experience. We have always looked to skincare for our inspiration of how to formulate ingredients, which puts us 5-10 years ahead of what other hair care brands are doing. When Milk launched in 2011 it was the first silicone-free Anti-Frizz product on the market…. how wild is that?

“Nothing drew me into creating a sustainable brand per say, it’s a reflection of how I live.”

Your philosophy stands by less is more, why is that?

We believe less is plenty. Part of the creation of REVERIE was breaking out of the traditional cycle of launching 6 redundant products a year to generate more revenue and making people think they need a myriad of products to have “healthy” hair. We only create essentials. The things our customers can’t live without, or ask us to create a cleaner, more effective version of. Most of our product are multi-functional, and all of them can be used wet, dry, clean, or dirty (well, except the Shampoo and Conditioner, of course). As a hairdresser, I want to be able to pack 3 products in my kit that can create versatile looks on all my clients.

It shows that not just sustainability is the core of REVERIE, but also ethics. When factoring in production and packaging, what areas are the most important to you?

To be completely honest, all of it is important because each aspect plays off one another, but if I had to choose one it would be our ingredients. Our suppliers are special people at the top of their game. We can’t just swap vanilla for another vanilla if there’s a shortage because the particular vanilla we use in engrained in our story of the only Malagasy-owned farm on Madagascar where we source our vanilla essential oil from, the ethical harvest, fair wages and labor practices. Our bio-engineered ingredients are best in class, so even though they are made in a controlled environment they are still derived from certain plants and if that crop is short, then our supply chain is affected.

When we made the decision in 2019 to repackage in 100% PCR, an endeavor my wife wholeheartedly took on, it was a labor of love and placing planet over profits. PCR is much more expensive that virgin plastic, but it didn’t matter because it's the right thing to do.

“Our bio-engineered ingredients are best in class, so even though they are made in a controlled environment they are still derived from certain plants and if that crop is short, then our supply chain is affected. ”

What's been the most challenging hurdle you have come across/overcome thus far?

Everything about starting, funding, and running your own business is challenging as any entrepreneur will tell you. Not a month goes by that something doesn’t happen - like our new packaging arriving 3 months behind schedule! Staying the course true to ourselves, our mission and values is extremely challenging in a world that wants you to peddle to the masses…. we will continue to create at our own pace. Listening to our voice, with humility and patience, while continuing the promise we’ve made and kept.

What impression/legacy do you hope your work with REVERIE will leave behind?

To serve and contribute to our community. To leave this space better than we found it. I recently launched Reforma - Disciplines of Hair Culture. A book I wrote from personal experience flirting with the edge of ego, but with an energy that comes from a career filled with passion, discipline, and purpose. Finding myself in a constant flow of participation & creating in hair culture which to me spills into culture itself, I'm quick to suggest we should celebrate the heritage that sustains, redefines & evolves us. Who are we without looking back?

REFORMA couldn't exist without heritage. Culture itself shapes and shifts with history. However, we are not bound to the conventional wisdom of this art and craft. Thankfully we can wonder. A deeper consciousness has evolved for me behind the hairdresser's chair. It has remained essential in my road to fulfillment, that endless possibilities await when I continue to learn. My story is carried by such a pursuit. Our hair has something to say. In most cultures and religions, hair has been sacred and significant to who we are as individuals. It can represent strength, self-respect, self-awareness, faithfulness, and sexuality. We have chosen a practice of great importance if we are able to see hair as an indicator of these things and ultimately as our channel of self-expression and energy.

Name a personal hero, can be related or unrelated to your field and why:

David Bowie for his art, transformations, and sound continues to bloom while staying true to his artistic voice. His expansiveness. Also, our 5-year-old son - love him.

Something you're currently reading/listening to/watching:

Reading several different books on Japanese gardening, concrete homes and watching Ancient Aliens.

For more information about REVERIE, follow on instagram. REVERIE products are available on gmreverie.com.

Interview published for ONE Magazine Online