Behind every production is the magic of a great team. And behind the Runway 7 shows that dazzle New York City audiences during NYFW are two beauty companies revolutionizing the industry in an amazing way.
Rogue House Salon and Book of Beauty are two women-owned businesses that have taken the initiative to change the way hairstylists and makeup artists work within the editorial and event space by emphasizing empowerment, respect and community.
Grace Mercedes – CEO of Book of Beauty ( Left ) / Jamielynn De Leon – Founder of Rogue House and House of Annex ( Right )
Rogue House Salon has an extensive history of editorial work in New York City. Founded in 2016 by “serial entrepreneur” Jamielynn De Leon, Rogue House was established in the trendy yet timeless East Village neighborhood, later becoming the official salon partner for Runway 7. With over 20 years of experience, Jamielynn’s background led her to creating companies that would push the envelope in the beauty industry. From Salon Receptionist, featuring cost effective virtual receptionists for busy salon owners, to Diary Of A Salon Owner, education designed to help salon owners run their business successfully, to Rogue House and recently House of Annex, their newly formed editorial-focused agency and hairstyle academy.
Book of Beauty is an innovative, intimate beauty team and platform run by CEO Grace Mercedes. Affectionately known to many as ‘Gretsha’, Grace is an NYC native with roots in Francisco de Macoris of the Dominican Republic. Before Book of Beauty, Grace pursued a Business Administration degree in New York City, became an entrepreneur, led a tech company for six years, and worked with private beauty companies. Her childhood passion for fashion and beauty combined with her business and industry experience eventually led her to create the luxury lash brand Book of Lashes in 2017. Her latest endeavor, Book of Beauty, came from the desire to create an inclusive platform that would empower women, support new talent and provide a safe space to raise voices and network. Book of Beauty has been the official makeup team for Runway 7 during NYFW and has since expanded to more global fashion events such as Milan Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week.
Women-Owned Beauty Businesses Changing the Landscape
Rogue House and Book of Beauty are examples of how the current beauty landscape is shifting. As POC, women-owned businesses, their inception signifies the growing force of women in leadership. Approximately only 30% of major beauty companies in the United States are women-owned, reported by the research team of Equality Database LedBetter, and 26% of small-businesses were women-owned in Guidant’s 2024 Women in Business Trends with approximately 23% of those being women of color.
The seed of change indicates a larger movement as these early-stage companies and brands grow. Rogue House and Book of Beauty are not only involved in that movement, they are also paving the way for the future of women in business as well.
Jamielynn De Leon of Rogue House took their renowned name in the editorial space to the next level by partnering with veteran hair stylist Rebecca Emmit to create House of Annex. Their platform allows hair stylists the opportunity to create editorial level work from experienced stylists in the industry through a streamlined 3-tiered system.
In a private interview, Jamielynn De Leon shared “I think that women compete against women all the time. And they were trained to. The new generation right now is women empower women.”
This shift from internalized cannibalism to a system of support echoes the last decade of society’s efforts to heal from outdated traditional means of survival and generational trauma.
Grace Mercedes of Book of Beauty focuses on offering freelance makeup artists the chance to work fashion events under her 4-day training program.
Her approach outlines the unspoken issue of access in the editorial and fashion space. Similar to the entrepreneurial spirit of Runway 7 providing a platform for designers of all backgrounds to have a opportunity to display their visions at NYFW, Book of Beauty allows makeup artists with non-conventional backgrounds an opportunity to work large fashion events, something that would not have been possible in the past unless you were attached to specific traditional schools.
Rebecca Emmit Co-Founder of House of Annex ( Right ) working with a stylist
Backstage at Sony Hall this past February at NYFW, 40 stylists and 45 makeup artists handled the hair and makeup for a whopping 1886 models under 130 designers. In under 25 minutes, hair and makeup for each model must be impeccable.
Thriving in the chaos, these events are a period of sweat and valor; and everyone is given respect regardless of background, title and age in the industry. Designers’ visions are materialized by the experience of lead stylists and MUAs. Newcomers are made to feel confident. Stylists are allowed to be artists. Individuals are pushed to accomplish more with the implementation of on-site educators, and in the process they become capable of diverse looks, ensuring the ability for everyone to work together on future projects.
Grace Mercedes, CEO of Book of Beauty, stated she “likes to challenge” her makeup artists on the floor.
“Sometimes people think that they’re not capable of doing things”, she said. “But when you don’t do it, you’re not going to know”.
After years of working together, Book of Beauty and Rogue House have created a connected, well-oiled machine made up of passionate, unconventional, pure talent.
And the connection shows. When asked about how House of Annex felt about working with Book of Beauty these past few seasons the partnership was described by Jamielynn as “Magical”.
“Because we work well together, the shows run efficiently and on time. Every show we’ve worked together at we receive a lot of feedback on how organized our workflow is together.”
Both beauty companies share the core mission of disrupting the beauty industry by creating inclusive access and a community of women supporting women. This proposed system of communal support is quite the shift from the dog-eat-dog nature of capitalistic ideals and even toxic aspects of NYC hustle culture.
But this industry disruption can really be summarized by the three words shared by Jamielynn of Rogue House. “We actually care.” And that at its core makes all the difference.
