Welcome to Second Life, a podcast spotlighting successful women who've made major career changes—and fearlessly mastered the pivot. Hosted by Hillary Kerr, cofounder and chief content officer at Who What Wear, each episode gives you a direct line to women who are game changers in their fields. Subscribe to Second Life on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere you get your podcasts to stay tuned.
If you follow beauty closely and are obsessed with the latest haircare products, Kitsch is likely already on your radar. What began as a single handmade hair tie has grown into one of the most innovative brands in the space. The brand now spans haircare, skincare, and showercare under the leadership of founder and CEO Cassandra Morales Thurswell, who has built Kitsch into the largest self-funded, female-owned beauty brand in the world.
Thurswell's path to Kitsch was anything but linear. As a teenager, she partnered with her mother to open a restaurant and boutique—an early signal of the entrepreneurial instinct that would define her career. What followed was a decade of experimentation: a jewelry brand that brought her to Los Angeles, stints managing a clothing store and a cupcake shop, a spray-tanning company, a scarf brand, and work as a jewelry designer for Forever 21 and Urban Outfitters. Each venture taught her an invaluable lesson about product development, retail, and what consumers actually want.
At 25, with $30,000 in savings and a clear-eyed read on a gap in the market, she founded Kitsch on a simple premise: beautiful, functional hair accessories at an accessible price. The brand found its footing quickly. Kitsch secured shelf space at Ulta and expanded from accessories into a full haircare and beauty offering, and in 2024, it made its largest move yet with a launch at Target. The growth has been entirely self-funded—no outside investors, no venture capital—which makes the scale of what Thurswell has built all the more remarkable.
Listen to the latest episode of Second Life to hear how Thurswell continues to evolve the beauty landscape while maintaining her brand ethos. Keep scrolling to shop Kitsch's best-selling products.
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