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O ur beauty industry is comprised of roughly 82 percent women, yet the spotlight still remains focused on a small clan of predominantly men. They hold most executive titles at top companies and command the lion's share of stage time at shows and trade events. But the future is female—or will be, if one woman has her say. Enter Lyndsey Bardnell, vice president of strategic projects and industry development at Luxury Brand Partners (LBP). At October's LBP Idealogue in New York City, she launched The EmpowHERment Project, an initiative designed to celebrate bold beauty biz babes. "Our mission is to promote the equal recognition of talented women, both behind and in front of the chair," Bardnell enthuses. "Through regional and grassroots events plus the leveraging of social media, we'll create a collaborative, action-driven community that tells the stories of strong, entrepreneurial women." Joining Bardnell on this mission are equally passionate advisors, dubbed the PowerHER Council. Members include tress pros like Debbie Webster (president,TONI&GUY;), Alexis Thurston (cofounder, Butterfl y Circus and Pulp Riot), Coral Pleas (Intercoiffure Board of Directors) and The Hair Nerds (Annie Lerwill and Erin Short). Together, they've identifi ed three different categories of inspiring women in our industry. First are the Ceiling Crashers—those who defy hierarchy like Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg or Coty president Sylvie Moreau. Next, the Radgals who break the rule, à la Misty Copeland, the fi rst African American principal ballet dancer in American Ballet Theatre's 75-year history. The more these fearless femmes are told "no," the harder they persevere. Finally, the Frontliners include everyone from activist and Nobel Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai to the single mom hairdresser who balances salon work with school pick-ups. "Defi ning these categories makes it easier for communities to call out their own incredible women via #ceilingcrashers #radgals and #frontliners, then subsequently share those stories. The backbone of our industry is comprised of these incredible ladies who make the sacrifi ces that allow us to realize our dreams," affi rms Bardnell. "We're fortunate that Tev Finger, CEO of LBP, believes in the initiative and provided a start-up budget to get it off the ground." Sponsorship and ticket sales from the project's upcoming launch party, The Coterie, plus website sales of cleverly irreverent merchandise and future fundraising events are additional ways the movement hopes to drum up proceeds. Empowered women empower other women, which means that only more good things can happen as this movement grows. 44 | BEAUTY LAUNCHPAD | JULY 2017 Live & Learn/ Giving Back With the launch of the EmpowHERment Project, Luxury Brand Partners introduces an initiative to make our future female. —FM @EMPOWHERMENT.PROJECT; NYC SKYLINE: GETTY IMAGES Girl Power 2 3 4 GET ON BOARD Follow @empowherment.project on Facebook and Instagram. Tag, comment and share. Highlight inspiring women in your life with #followHERfriday, make a personal #HERpledge to share how you'll help aff ect change in the industry, or nominate your own PowerHER council candidate. Subscribe to the newsletter (empowhermentproject.com) to stay current on upcoming initiatives and events. Save The Date! EmpowHERment Project's inaugural event, The Coterie, will be held in New York City on September 26. Named in honor of the fashionable soirées hosted by English aristocrats and intellectuals in the early 1900s, this fab gala will celebrate visionary women by sharing stories of the obstacles they overcame in order to achieve success. "Candid discussions will hopefully lead to mentorship matchups and help everybody—men and women—realize that we're all equal parts of a larger community," says Lyndsey Bardnell. 1 From left to right: LBP's Tracy Torhan, Kelly Spencer and Adriana Duenas post as part of the EmpowHERment Project #FollowHERfriday campaign . 2 Smith & Cult cofounders Dineh Mohajer and Jeanne Chavez post for the EmpowHERment Project #FollowHERfriday campaign. 3 The all-female Salon Halo team takes part in the EmpowHERment Project's #FollowHERfriday campaign. 4 Pope the Barber, Star Rüiz and Joannie G come together at New York's 2016 Idealogue. 1