Cassandra Grey (Violet Grey) on Buying Her Company Back, Finding Your Look, and the Vogue Effect

What does it take to build a luxury beauty brand that’s as cool as it is strategic? Cassandra Grey has the answer. She’s the force behind Violet Grey—the ultra-curated beauty platform that has become a tastemaker in Hollywood and beyond.

Cassandra’s playbook is not the usual one: she launched her brand, grew a cult following for nearly a decade, sold the company in 2022, and then bought it back in 2024. Today, she shares what she learned from every milestone. Cassandra explains what selling her brand taught her about business, insights from her early meetings with Anna Wintour and Gwyneth Paltrow, and how to find your aesthetic as a brand.  

Here’s what Sammi covers with Cassandra:

00:00 Meet Cassandra Grey

01:30 Cassandra’s Introduction to Glamour and an Unusual Childhood

04:06 The Violet Grey Origin Story

05:20 Crafting a Business Plan Without an MBA

12:29 The Violet Code

17:31 THE Gwyneth Paltrow Phone Call

19:40 Acquisition by Farfetch

24:04 Why Delusion is Good in Business

25:56 Buying Back Violet Gray

28:02 Incubating Brands with Violet Labs

30:29 The Push into Retail

37:26 Hiring for Your Weaknesses

40:31 Actionable Tips for Finding Your Brand’s Look

44:34 How to Show Social Currency Some Love

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