Do you know what Kendo is?

Based in San Francisco, Kendo creates or acquires beauty brands and focuses on developing them into global powerhouses. The portfolio today consists of Kat Von D Beauty, Marc Jacobs Beauty, Formula X Nail, OleHenriksen and Bite Beauty.

The name KENDO is a play on the phrase “can do.” What characterizes KENDO is its dedication to product quality, innovation and authentic storytelling (Kendo is also a modern Japanese martial art that uses bamboo swords and protective armour).

Kendo was started by David Suliteanu in 2010 while he was the CEO of Sephora Americas. In 2014 David joined Kendo to work fulltime as its CEO and the company became independent of Sephora, and joined the Perfumes and Cosmetics group of LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy, the world’s largest luxury brand group).

You can find information about other examples of diversification in LVMH on The Fashion Retailer:

Extract from Glossy article:

Since 2014, when LVMH acquired the beauty incubator Kendo, the company has helped grow promising indie brands, including Kat Von D and Bite Beauty. In 2016 alone, the conglomerate’s digital IQ (online performance spanning social media to e-commerce) in the beauty space grew by 5 percent, according to a study from L2, trailing just behind more established competitors like L’Oréal Group and Estée Lauder.

Yet, not many people are aware that Kendo — started in 2010 by David Suliteanu, then-CEO of Sephora Americas — even exists. And it seems that LVMH wants it this way.

Read more on Glossy , by Jessica Schiffer