Our Founder
Long before Kitsch turned into a beauty staple loved around the world, there was only Cassandra and one big idea. Say hello to our founder, take a peek inside her world, and find out which Kitsch products she simply won't go without.
Cassandra Thurswell
Founder & CEO
Back in 2010, Cassandra started Kitsch around one clear purpose: making beauty essentials of high quality that stay practical, refined and within everyone's reach. She grew the brand entirely from scratch, without any outside funding — guided by instinct, creativity and a sharp read of what today's beauty shoppers are really after.
Whether it's hair ties or heatless curls, every product idea of Cassandra's starts from an everyday beauty problem that needs solving. Going against the grain doesn't scare her: she reimagines ordinary routines through innovation, sustainability and a firm sense of style.
As founder, she still keeps her hands on every side of the brand — from developing products to the customer experience — so Kitsch never drifts from its vision: thoughtful products that leave you feeling good, looking good and doing good.
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Cassandra Thurswell on The Power of Micro-Intentions
Gwyneth Paltrow talks with Cassandra Thurswell — founder and CEO of Kitsch — about how seven ventures that failed, a handful of hand-tied hair ties and a single-paragraph plan grew into a worldwide beauty empire. Thurswell speaks candidly on the realities of bootstrapping, on building products that go viral, and on staying anchored to the brand's mission of accessibility, sustainability and innovation.
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Cassandra Thurswell on The Art of Incrementality
Even in unsettled times — tariffs, swings in the market and the complexities of the industry — our commitment stays with what actually works: incrementality, diversification, and meeting the customer right where they already are.
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Bootstrapped and Booming with Kitsch's Cassandra Morales Thurswell
In this episode Meghan sits with Cassandra Morales Thurswell, the founder of Kitsch, on how a passion project became one of the largest self-funded, woman-owned beauty brands in the U.S. From hand-tied hair ties all the way to a global business, the two get into the grit, the design instinct and the scrappy mindset that carried Cassie's journey.
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EY National Entrepreneur of the Year 2025
Kitsch founder and CEO Cassandra Thurswell was named Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year for 2025, recognized for a remarkable path that began with hair ties made by hand and led to a beauty brand known around the world. Her speech looks back at the grit, the passion and the resilience behind her rise as a self-made, woman-owned business leader.
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Behind Her Empire: EP 332
KITSCH founder Cassandra Thurswell explains how one handmade hair tie became a global beauty brand now sold across more than 27 countries — and how it happened after seven failed ventures and years of hustling with zero outside funding. From couch-surfing and cold calls to packing orders out of her own apartment, Cassandra shares how trusting her instincts and treating each job as a "mini MBA" shaped 14 years of building.
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Today Show
Cassandra Thurswell, the entrepreneur who founded and leads the hair care brand Kitsch, talks through the early days of the company and how she is scaling up to an entire aisle of her products inside Ulta. Jill Martin tells her story.
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Our Story
Kitsch began back in 2010 from one simple belief: everyday beauty should feel like anything but ordinary. What started as a small lineup of hair accessories has grown into a global brand that millions of people trust.
Our mission is to make your routine better—smarter, easier, more sustainable. From heatless styling tools to solid shampoo bars, each Kitsch product is created to solve real problems with intention and style. No fluff. No overhype. Just products that genuinely work (and look great while doing it).
As a self-funded, female-owned company, we’ve grown through grit, innovation, and a real connection with our community. And we’re only just getting started.
