Jenna Meek, The Creative Brain Behind The Fuss-Free Pink Hair Has Big Plans For 2021

SHRINE Drop It collection of temporary hair colors

SHRINE

After the tough year we have all been through, and with the world slowing opening back up, expect 2021 fashion to be all about vibrant colors as people are free to express themselves outdoors again. The pink and unicorn-colored hair as one of the main feel-good trends that became viral during the pandemic, is showing no signs of slowing down. Now thanks to this female entrepreneur and her genius products, you can make bright hair part of your fashion statement fuss-free.

Jenna Meek, founder and creative director of SHRINE, left her job as a fashion product developer at the age of 23. “I loved working in fashion, however I was ready for a change.” Meek decided to “do a summer of festivals” so she could explore her passion for body painting.

As it turned out, Meek’s summer of fun became more than just her hobby, and she never went back to a “real job” again like how she planned.

Jenna Meek, founder and creative director for SHRINE

SHRINE

The Gypsy Shrine, the predecessor before Meek rebranded it SHRINE, was born entirely out of her love for body painting and creative art, and was soon a hit at festivals. “The combination of body painting and what I did as a product developer was something I wanted to explore.” Meek tells me, “I always loved developing something from scratch to launch — and this was something I feel passionate about till today.”

The defining moment for SHRINE came shortly after its initial launch in 2016, when Meek had a lightbulb moment and decided to turn the individual crystals she ordered into an all-in-one, ready-to-apply face jewel, which was not something widely available in the market at the time.

SHRINE’s Drop It collection includes a number of eye-popping temporary hair colors

SHRINE

It was an instant hit. “Our Instagram started to blow up as we were creating never-before-seen looks and each image was just going viral!” Meek did not expect the immense popularity of the product, especially considering back then content wasn’t as big or important as it is now for businesses. “We were just creating what we thought looked good, but customers absolutely loved it and would walk for hours to find us at festivals just so they can take pictures of what we were doing.” Meek’s products were soon recognized and picked up by big retail names including Selfridges, Topshop and Pretty Little Thing, and the rest is history.

Luckily, Meek did not stop there and had larger rebranding plan to turn The Gypsy Shrine, her original creative festival brand to SHRINE, the creative color cosmetic brand it is today. “Our collection of hair dye droppers, DROP IT, which formed part of the rebrand and was in development for two years, ended up finally launching in February 2020 — which was just impeccable timing given the pandemic.” 

DROP IT differs from many products for that it is the world’s first multi-use, non-permanent hair dye dropper. “The issue with regular hair dyes is that it’s usually not customizable, considering so many things can play a part in determining how the color would turn out. This means that if you’re buying a single-use pink hair dye, it might not provide you with the shade you desire.” Meek explains how she saw a gap in the market and went for it.

Colorful hair has become a such a trend during the pandemic

SHRINE

The product Meek has finally developed and perfected offers a spectrum of shades for each individual color, so customers can tailor it to their specific hair condition, type, as well as the vibrancy of the final desired outcome. The color takes only 10 minutes to develop after application, and can be washed out in 3-10 washes depending on how many drops are used. Now you really can make hair part of your fashion statement and sport a new color just for a long weekend away.

Sustainability is also something Meek holds close to heart. “There are so many single-use, plastic bottles in the market and I found out even when some were labeled recyclable, they still end up in the landfill after having been recycled once, which is so upsetting to hear.” This is why Meek has made her products vegan, cruelty-free and plastic-reducing, with bowls and mixing tools made of silicone for repeated use.

Despite DROP IT being a huge success for the business and achieved incredible sales since its launch a year ago, Meek remains humble: “I mean yes, I don’t usually like the term lucky but this time we really have just been lucky. But the innovation we have brought to the market with DROP IT is only the start, we are working like crazy to bring true innovation into the hair category that is not only just amazing products but amazing for this planet too!”

Refy brow products are used to achieve full, natural looking brows

Refy

Having experienced the past year and feeling conscious that no one in the world knows what would come next, Meek did not stop but closely examined with her team what people were missing whilst in lockdown that fit with the brand. “That’s why we teamed up with an independent nail artist, Alice MC, to bring out SHRINE’s collection of uniquely designed false nails — which turned out to be one of our best-selling products ever!” Aside from working on huge plans for SHRINE, Meek also recently launched another business called Refy, with a current focus on brow products for natural, full-looking brows, and has already gathered a huge following on social media.

When asked whether she has any advice for people who want to follow her footsteps, Meek says: “I think the biggest bit of advice people can take away from my story is that you don’t need a really strict 5/10 year plan. As I know a lot of people never start doing their business because they think they need it all figured out! Just start, enjoy the process, have some wins, and have some losses — it’s all part of the fun.”

SHRINE’s DROP IT collection can now be purchased via the brand’s official website at www.weareshrine.com.