How Jennifer Behr Transformed the Hair Accessory Category

by | Oct 28, 2024 | Beauty

Jennifer-Behr

Photo: Courtesy of Jennifer Behr

The founder discussed packing orders in her living room, the “Gossip Girl” effect, the rise of the bow trend and potential new categories, live The Fashionista Network.

In the hustle and bustle of New York City’s fashion scene, no one’s doing high-quality accessories quite like Jennifer Behr.

Based in Brooklyn, Behr’s namesake brand is a go-to for unique hair adornments and jewelry. But long before her designs were spotted on “Gossip Girl” and the Met Gala carpet, she got her start in a Baltimore millinery shop. After graduating from Washington University with a BFA in sculpture and art history, and with her first hatmaking job under her belt, Behr moved to New York City in 1999.

“New York was really the only place to do [fashion],” she told Fashionista’s Brooke Frischer live on The Fashionista Network. (Watch the show here!) That year, she took classes at FIT and interned for celebrity hairstylist and entrepreneur Frédéric Fekkai. “I thought I wanted to do bags, but then I fell in love with [hair accessories],” Behr said. “They’re this really specialized, kind of weird thing, and at that point, there were no luxury [options].”

Leighton Meester as Blair Waldorf in a Jennifer Behr headband in 2009

Photo: James Devaney/WireImage

Behr took the largely untapped market of luxury hair accessories into her own hands and founded her eponymous brand in 2005. Inspired by her sculptural and millinery knowledge, her products began to attract major attention in 2007 when they were first featured on “Gossip Girl.” “They started buying our pieces organically at Bendel’s,” Behr said. “Eventually, my friend Eva Chen made an introduction to Eric [Daman], the costume designer, and we started sending them pieces.”

How I Shop: Domo Wells

The television features sparked a resurgence for high-end hair accessories, a market that was largely limited to drugstore lines and children’s products before Behr and Blair [Waldorf] came together. “People started to be excited about wearing [hair] accessories,” she said.

Sydney Sweeney in a custom Jennifer Behr veil at the 2024 Met Gala

Photo: Lanna Apisukh/WWD via Getty Images

In 2017, the brand launched jewelry, a longtime goal of Behr’s, with necklaces, bracelets and earrings. Nearly two decades since launching, Jennifer Behr employs a team of around 20. Jennifer LawrenceSydney SweeneySofia Richie GraingeTaylor SwiftSelena Gomez and Sabrina Carpenter are among its many celebrity clients.

Behr attributes her success in transforming the accessories space to following up on opportunities when they arise. “You have to identify when [opportunities] come and work hard to execute on them,” Behr said during the interview. “When you get the opportunity, take it and follow through.”

Jennifer Behr x New York Vintage

Photo: Courtesy of Jennifer Behr

She also got candid about her design process, favorite celebrity moments, spearheading the bow trend, a recent New York Vintage collaboration and which categories she wants to expand into next. Watch the full interview here.

Watch the full conversation between Jennifer Behr and Fashionista Staff Writer and Social Lead Brooke Frischer on The Fashionista Network.

Emma Greene

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SWOW SWAG

Jennifer Behr Women’s Donna Bow Barrette, Pearl, Off White

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